As a member of the American Montessori Society, our approach is to design an environment that is attractive, orderly, and arranged with Montessori materials and developmentally-appropriate activities. Within this prepared environment, the child learns through active engagement with the materials and by making choices. The teacher carefully observes and guides the child in the process of discovery and learning.

WHAT OUR GRADUATES SAY ABOUT MCS
Since 1984, when the two members of our sixth grade class became the first class to graduate from Montessori Community School, over 170 young men and women have followed in their footsteps.  Our graduates have made successful transitions to a variety of secondary schools, both public and private, and have also experienced continued achievement at the college level and in the business world.  Many of them are now developing successful careers and several have started families of their own.

The diversity of our graduates has resulted in equally diverse "post-MCS" experiences, but common threads seem to run through the anecdotal comments from our graduates.  Responses to a recent survey of our graduates were varied, of course, but one common thread seemed to run through their replies:  a curriculum that helped develop time management skills was an invaluable component of the Montessori environment.

One MCS student, who graduated from Iolani School in 2001, states, "The opportunity to dictate how I used my daily class time simulates an adult working environment.  It taught me excellent time management skills."  Another student, who graduated from Mid-Pacific Institute in 1995, adds, "Montessori taught me so many wonderful practical life skills -- especially organization -- which I still feel I use today."