Questions parents actually ask.
Clear answers for the practical questions that come up when you are choosing a school for your child.
FAQ
The basics
Choosing a school involves practical questions. Here are the answers families ask first.
What ages do you serve?
Montessori School of Fairfax serves children from 18 months through age 12. Programs include Toddler, Early Childhood, Kindergarten, Elementary, and Enrichment, so a child can grow within one familiar school community.
What are your classroom ratios?
The Toddler program has a 3:1 student-teacher ratio, the level where a close ratio matters most. With three toddlers to every guide, a child working on a pouring exercise or a coat zipper has a hand nearby, not a wait across the room. Ask about ratios at every level when you visit; we will walk you through them classroom by classroom.
Is potty training required?
Potty learning is developmental, not a pass-fail test for school readiness. It is treated as part of the same practical life work toddlers do all day, learning to care for themselves in an environment built to their scale. Talk with us about your child's current routines during admissions so we can plan the transition together, not around it.
Do you offer kindergarten?
Yes. Kindergarten is one of our programs and offers a capstone year within the Montessori classroom. Children build on the independence, concentration, reading, writing, and mathematics work they have already begun.
The day to day
The questions behind a workable week.
What about lunch and snacks?
Snack is not a scheduled group break here. A small table seats two children at a time, and they come to it when they are hungry, pouring their own water and washing their own dishes afterward. Lunch happens at small tables where children set their own places and clear them when they finish. Ask about current food guidance, allergy protocols, and what to pack when you visit.
What are your hours?
The school is open from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. We can help you talk through a schedule that fits your family and the program you are considering.
Do you offer before and after care?
Enrichment covers the hours around the classroom day, from our 7:30 a.m. opening through 6:00 p.m. pickup. That time is not a holding pattern. Children have real choices: more time outdoors, art at the shelf, board games, and a quiet corner where Elementary students finish research projects they started that morning.
Is there a summer program?
Yes. Summer keeps the Montessori morning, real materials and real choices, and pairs it with outdoor afternoons in the garden beds and on the playground. It keeps skills warm without turning summer into another semester of school. Ask about current session dates and enrollment when you visit.
Getting started
Bring us the questions that are specific to your child.
A visit gives you more than a checklist. You can watch the classroom, meet the people who guide it, and decide what feels right.
How much is tuition?
Tuition varies by program and schedule, so we do not use a single number to tell the whole story. At your visit, we will walk you through the current tuition bands and help you understand the options for your family.
Are you accredited?
That is a fair question to ask directly. Here is the honest context: Montessori is not a trademarked term, so schools vary widely in guide training and standards behind the name. At your visit we will walk you through our guides' training, our program's alignment to Montessori standards, and any school affiliations we currently hold. We would rather show you classroom evidence than a plaque on the wall.
My child has only known daycare. Will they adjust?
Yes, though the first weeks can look different child to child. A child used to a group-paced day sometimes tests the freedom at first: choosing very little, drifting between shelves, waiting to be told what to do. Guides do not just wait this out. They offer short, direct lessons that give a child something specific to reach for next, and most children settle into real, sustained work within the first month.
How do we start?
Start by scheduling a visit so you can see a morning in motion and ask questions in person. Then visit our admissions page to understand the next steps, including the application and enrollment conversation.