1. General Information

The Oak Forest Montessori School was established in 1981. Its purpose is to enable the child to cultivate his natural desire to learn. This goal is approached in two ways: 1) By allowing each child to experience the excitement of learning through choices rather than being forced; 2) By helping the child to perfect all of his natural tools for learning, so that his ability will be at a maximum in future learning situations.

The school is a unique cycle of learning designed to take advantage of the child's sensitive years between the ages of 18 months and 6th grade, when he can absorb information from a rich environment. The use of individual materials permits a varied pace. This accommodates many levels of ability in the classroom. Children mature at very different rates and their periods of readiness for academic subjects vary a great deal. We believe that learning experiences should occur naturally and joyfully at the proper moments for each individual child.

The curriculum includes practical life, sensorial, language and phonics, literature, math, history, political and physical geography, zoology, botany, geometry, science, music, Spanish, motor skills, art, and work with computers in upper elementary.

2. Academic Test Scores

Oak Forest Montessori School uses the Educational Records Bureau at the end of the 3rd grade year.

3. Accreditation

Oak Forest Montessori School is affiliated with the American Montessori Society.

4. National Recognition

5. Teacher Salaries

The teachers at Oak Forest Montessori School are paid competitive salaries in comparison with other private schools in the area.

6. Instructional Expenditures

7. Expenditures for Library/Media Services

8. Class Size (Teacher-to-Student Ratio)

The teacher:student ratios are determined by the age of the child. In the 18-month class the ratio is 1:4. In the elementary classes, the ratio is 1:13.

9. Special Needs Programs

10. Special Focus Areas

All activity is focused on the individual child and guided by a respect for the work of others, a respect for the teacher, and a respect for the materials themselves. Classes have children of mixed age groups together which permits the younger child a graded series of models for imitation and the older ones an opportunity to reinforce their own knowledge by helping the younger ones.

The teacher is a very keen observer of the individual interests and needs of each child. She is trained to recognize the periods of readiness and demonstrates individually the use of materials. She notes the progress of each child and keeps a record of work accomplished.