Montessori School of Duluth

CONTACT: Anne Nephew, Principal
ADDRESS: 313 Mygatt Avenue, Duluth, MN 55803
PHONE: (218) 728-4600
EMAIL: MontessDuluthMN@aol.com
AGES: 2 1/2 to 12 years

Please phone us for our information package and to request a school visit. Parents of infants and toddlers are encouraged to research Montessori now so when their children are ready for preschool -- at around three years of age -- there will be a place for them. For more information on the Montessori method, visit Association Montessori Internationale, AMI/USA, North American Montessori Teachers' Association, Montessori Training Center of Minnesota, and The Montessori Method.

The Montessori Elementary School -- the first private, independent, nondenominational elementary school in the history of Duluth -- was founded in 1981 by Anne & Al Nephew to serve fifteen students graduating from a Montessori Children's House. The elementary classroom, originally located on Park Point, was taught by Anne who earned her AMI elementary diploma in Dublin, Ireland, her teaching license from St. Scholastica College and her MA from the University of Minnesota.

The school was incorporated as the Montessori School of Duluth, Inc., a not-for-profit tax exempt corporation, in 1982. In 1983 it added the preschool Montessori program and moved to the Cathedral (now Marshall) High School campus.

In 1991 the school purchased property in Hunter's Park, a beautiful residential neighborhood in eastern Duluth. The new wing of the school was designed for small children, with spacious classrooms, kitchen, library, and playrooms. The outdoor areas were developed with shady fenced pre-school play areas, raised bed gardens for flowers, fruits, and vegetables, and areas for older students.

By 2009 an enlargement and remodeling project was completed in the Early and Late Care area and the elementary school areas.

The school, located just off Oxford Street, is convenient to downtown and the colleges. Children from every neighborhood in Duluth and from Superior, Proctor, Esko, and Hermantown have attended. Children age five and over, living in the Duluth school district, qualify for district bus transportation.

1. Parents are mailed a current information package upon request. It contains the school brochure, a visiting schedule, current costs, and notices of Montessori study evenings.

2. Interested families make an appointment to visit a Children's House classroom in session.

3. Prospective families are invited to attend a Montessori study evening. They are held in the fall, winter, and spring.

4. Families submit an application form with the $40 application fee. This puts the child on our waiting list. We recommend doing this a year or two before the child is eligible. Openings are usually for children turning three by September 1st.

5. An interview with the child, Montessori teacher, and parent is arranged. This is usually in April or May for fall enrollment.

6. The non-refundable $250 deposit is due upon acceptance, to hold a place in the class for the coming school year. The deposit is credited toward the annual tuition.

7. Children accepted for the fall have the option of beginning in June, August, or September if ready.

8. Our fall classes are usually filled before May, but we have a waiting list should an opening occur during the summer or school year and your child is the proper age.

9. The Montessori School of Duluth, Inc. has no religious affiliation; it welcomes students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin, or creed. The school is a non-for-profit corporation, and all donations are tax-deductible.