Foothill Montessori School was established in 1973 with a vision to create a school based on authentic AMI (Association Montessori International) Montessori principles. Located in North Tustin, our school serves children within Irvine, Tustin and Orange School Districts. At Foothill Montessori School, we pride ourselves on our Casa de Bambini (House of Children) and its family-like community. Our school offers a calm and caring environment, carefully prepared to meet the nurturing and developmental needs of pre-k children. For the older children in the elementary classroom, we provide a more academically rigorous environment aligned with the Orange County Education Department standards.

According to Dr. Montessori, education should be an aid to life. Our environments aid the process of ‘self-construction’ that children are intensely engaged in during the first 6 years of life, through a wide range of materials under the guidance of our experienced and committed team. All children are taught on an individual basis and progress at their own level. We strive to create a happy family atmosphere within which we help every child to develop to his or her potential.

The Montessori curriculum consists of Practical Life (Foundations for Learning), Sensorial activities (Skills for Learning), Language (Communication Skills), Mathematics (Number Concepts), and Culture (Exploration of the Wider World). Furthermore, a great emphasis is placed on the development of social skills which enable the children to interact with others in a positive and constructive way.

The curriculum at Foothill Montessori is divided into four main areas. Practical life area not only gives the child the opportunity to practice life skills but also helps them develop concentration and coordination of mind and body. The sensorial materials capitalize on the fact that the children use their senses to learn. Through these materials, they learn to order and classify the physical properties of the world. The materials for mathematics, for example, help children learn and understand the concepts by using concrete materials.

Children are prepared to write and read from the very beginning through a series of activities that gradually build all the individual skills required. Our Kindergarten graduates easily achieve public school grade 1-2 level. Moreover, they acquire a joy of learning, self-control, organization, and time management skills which current research suggests are more highly correlated with school and life success than even IQ.

Grace and courtesy lessons and a daily emphasis on respecting the rights of friends and teachers foster a benevolent environment where pro-social skills emerge naturally.

Families discover our school primarily through referrals. This word of mouth approach means that we enjoy a loyal following of extremely satisfied families from Irvine, Tustin and Orange. Kindergartener’s graduate from our school having achieved our academic standards which are equivalent of grade 1 or 2 level in public schools.