Montessori Country School is honored to have attained accreditation from the American Montessori Society (AMS) in March of 2025. The accreditation journey has been a years-long process and a truly collaborative effort by the whole school community including parents, staff, board members, and students.
According to AMS, some benefits of achieving accreditation include:
- confidence that school meets and can sustain the rigorous standards of excellence recognized by Montessori educators worldwide.
- an internationally recognized credential that the school exemplifies Montessori education at its best.
- being set solidly on a path of ongoing self-evaluation, professional development, improvement, and quality assurance.
- the opportunity to model the Montessori ideal of a lifelong learner—one who voluntarily engages in self-reflection, ongoing pursuit of knowledge, and improvement.
Montessori Country School underwent a thorough self-study effort, in which the school examined and documented every aspect of its program and processes: governance, curriculum, fiscal and personnel policies, facilities, health and safety practices, teacher preparation, and learner outcomes. The school also self-identified areas of strength and opportunities for improvement. This was a period of thoughtful examination, discovery, and, oftentimes, enlightening mindset shifts.
At the end of the self-study period in the Fall of 2024, MCS hosted a team of peers from other AMS-accredited schools for an onsite visit. The onsite visit offered an invaluable opportunity to gain insight from other well-regarded leaders in the community. The culmination of the onsite visit is a report, prepared by the visiting team, in which they summarize their findings for review by the AMS School Accreditation Commission and AMS Board of Directors.
Attaining accreditation is a joyous affirmation of the many wonderful things MCS is doing well and a helpful guide for future improvements. It has strengthened the MCS community as one whose stakeholders are united by shared values, aspirations, and commitments.