History

The school was founded in June of 1984 and began classes in August of the same year. In the following month, the school met the criteria for affiliation with the American Montessori Society (AMS) and has continuously maintained its membership. As a Full Member of the AMS, the school adheres to the AMS Code of Ethics. If you are unfamiliar with the Montessori method please take a moment to review the Code of Ethics — it truly is the underpinning for all that we do. We are the only Full Member of the AMS in the south Raleigh area east of Cary. (See our listing on the AMS website.)

The school’s first classes were held in a church near Holly Springs with around 20 students. We soon outgrew the church. By the mid-90s we had grown enough to purchase the present site on Sunset Lake Road. The existing building was built specifically for the school using the best practices and principles of modern educational philosophy and science. The purpose-built facility was ambitious, with a planned capacity of 150 students. But the ambition was well-founded. Today, the facility accommodates The New School enrollment but we are now putting students on waiting lists to ensure classes are not over-crowded. A core principle of the Montessori philosophy is to maintain the correct student to teacher ratio. For that reason, we will not add more students than the present facility allows given the Montessori guidelines. To meet this challenge, we are looking for new premises to expand our present programs.

In the 2006/2007 academic year, the school elected to participate in Wake County’s Smart Start Quality Enhancement Program. Due to the school’s continued commitment and dedication to providing high quality education for its children, the Smart Start program is continuing to provide ongoing financial and consultative support in terms of health, medical, and pedagogical advice.