In 1989, a group of parents and Montessori teachers came together to found The Children's Montessori School in a graceful old carriage house in Ipswich, Massachusetts. From the beginning, the School was characterized by active parent and teacher participation. The founders, like true Montessorians, learned by doing and through their shared experiences became not only a school, but also a community. The perseverance of the founders and the cooperative spirit that they engendered in those who followed them continues at the School today and is embodied in its mission statement: Helping children and their families construct their learning, lives, and community.

Over a decade of incremental growth and change, we added "Stoneridge" to our name and changed locations twice: in 1999 to temporary quarters on the Endicott College campus, and then to our present facility, which opened its doors in 2001 amid the laughter of children and the proud smiles of the parents, teachers, trustees and administrators whose extraordinary vision, hard work, and generosity made our new home a reality.

Today, Stoneridge Children's Montessori School is an independent, co-educational school serving children of 21 months in age through Eighth Grade. The School has grown from a parent/teacher co-operative with an enrollment of 41 students and a staff of six to a school governed by a Board of Trustees with an enrollment in the neighborhood of 180 students, a staff of more than 30 dedicated teachers and administrators, and a budget of almost two million dollars. It has eight classrooms - one Toddler class (2 - 3 years), three Children's House classes (3 - 6 years), two Elementary I classes (grades 1 - 3), one Elementary II class (grades 4 - 6), and one Middle School class (grades 7 and 8). The average class size is 20 students and the homeroom teacher/student ratio is one-to-ten.

From the outset, Stoneridge Children's Montessori School embraced the philosophy established by Dr. Maria Montessori and implemented her methodology in its classrooms. The founders recognized the intrinsic value in the ideas she espoused and used her philosophy and methodology as an organizing principle. The aim of the parents, staff, and trustees was and is to build a school, programs, and community that are internally consistent with those fundamental tenets.

At Stoneridge, education is child-centered with prepared classroom environments in which the children are encouraged to explore, experience, and grow through "hands-on" work. Our teachers are gifted, dedicated Montessorians, skilled observers and well versed in child development. Our administrators understand that leadership is an honor and service a privilege. Together we recognize that the child brings us great hope and new vision. We work to educate children to their fullest potential by instilling independence, teaching interdependence, and promoting social responsibility. We believe that through education, through our work with children, there is much that we can do individually and collectively to bring humanity to a deeper understanding, to a higher well being, to a greater spirituality. We quietly, thoughtfully, and deliberately rededicate the School and ourselves to service of the child, Montessori ideals, and the belief that education is the strongest armament of peace.