New Student Admission to Mississippi Valley

Mississippi Valley Montessori School enrolls children in primary programs, which require children to be aged 33 months (and fully toilet trained) to 6 years. Mississippi Valley’s academic year begins in late August and runs year-round; however, you may enroll your child in our program at any time during the school year if there are openings. We have a 3-day phase-in period for new students.

Mississippi Valley admits children regardless of race, color, national or ethnic origin and grants them access to all rights, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin in the administration of its education policies and school-administered programs.

How to Enroll

1. Upon receiving your phone call or email, we will:

  • Schedule an observation and tour. (These adult-only observations are scheduled during our morning work cycle and allow parents to see how the Children’s House functions. Please call the office to schedule an appointment.)

2. When you make the decision to apply, please submit the following to the school office at 1575 Charlton St., West St. Paul, MN 55118:

  • Application form (PDF):  Enrollment_Application

  • A non-refundable $75 application fee.

3. Once we have received your application, we will schedule a visit for your child:

  • This will be a time for your child to be with us in the Children’s House during our school day. This visit will occur during our morning work cycle for about 30 minutes. This time allows for your child to interact with the Lead Guide in our environment, meet other children, and work with materials. This is a time for your child to independently explore the Children’s House.

4. After this observation process, if the Lead Guide determines that your child would benefit from the Children’s House environment, the school will:

  • Send you an acceptance letter and a packet containing the enrollment contract, health, and parent forms.

5. Enrollment

  • Once MVMS receives your signed enrollment contract, along with your $300 deposit, a space will be held for your child.

6. Phase-In

  • Phase-in is a 3-day process at MVMS, if your child is starting in the fall, phase-in happens with all new students as a group. If you are beginning mid-year, you will receive your 3-day phase-in schedule once we have your signed enrollment contract.

If the Guide determines that your child would not flourish in the Children’s House environment, a conference can be arranged to provide you with feedback and a summary of observations. The $75 application fee will not be returned.

Tuition & Fees

At Mississippi Valley Montessori, we try very hard to make our extraordinary school affordable for all families. With this in mind, we work hard to reduce the costs of our school by allowing parents opportunities to volunteer, which reduces the overall costs of our school. Parents/Guardians are asked to commit 10 hours of volunteer time throughout the school year. Below you will find our most recent tuition and fee schedule.

Child Care Assistance: Assistance will be accepted from all counties for those who qualify.

Tuition Rates: Tuition Rates 2024-2025

Scholarships

MVMS has several scholarship opportunities available to families.

If you are on Childcare Assistance (CCAP) or qualify based on your income, we have funding to help offset your tuition through a private grant foundation. For more information to see if you qualify, you can contact the county that you live in. For more information visit:

MVMS is a 4-Star Parent Aware rated preschool. Families who meet eligibility requirements can apply for the Pathway 1 Early Learning Scholarship and could receive up to $7,500 per year toward tuition. For more information visit: