The Montessori School of Tokyo

The Montessori philosophy is based on a profound respect for each child as a unique human being. Our approach assumes that children are born intelligent, curious, creative and are ripe to develop a sense of wonder and imagination. The goal is not to control, but to inspire our children to learn voluntarily. In its essence, Montessori is designed to teach children to think deeply, to think for themselves and to think about others. We believe that while learning the right answers will get a child past exams and eventually through school, learning how to think for oneself (in effect, learning how to learn) will get a child through both school and life.

Currently enrolling over 150 students representing 33 countries of the world, MST is truly an international school. We have four progamme levels, Little People (for 2-3 year olds), Sunshine (for 3-6 year olds), Elementary (for 6-12 year olds) and Erdkinder (Middle School - for 12-14 year olds) . Please look at the Montessori Programmes link in the left hand column for further information about each of these.

Our faculty, too, is derived from talented and enthusiastic, qualified Montessori teachers, who have taught in schools located in all the continents of the world (see the Faculty link in the left column for more details). Together with the 100 families who form our school community, we cultivate an atmosphere of joy, wonder and appreciation for life. I invite you to join us at MST as we offer the opportunity for a vibrant and fresh vision of education for your child.

Our bright and spacious classrooms are a home-away-from-home for our students and a place where everyone is valued as a member of a fully functioning children's community. Our child-sized and meticulously prepared environments are filled with developmentally appropriate materials which encourage students to explore their attractive surroundings and make new discoveries daily.

The beautiful MST library, situated on the second floor of our Main Building, boasts over 8000 volumes and is staffed full time by the MST librarian. Sunshine and Little People students regularly visit the library in small groups, while Elementary and Middle School students have free access to the library for quiet reading and research purposes throughout the school day. All members of the MST community (including parents) have a library account and are welcome to visit after school to check out books. Our library closes daily at 4:20 p.m.

Our large Multipurpose Room (MPR) is a truly diverse space, which facilitates many enrichment programmes, after school activities and other group gatherings. The MPR plays host to numerous sports & movement classes (including Table Tennis, Dance, Aikido and Sport Stacking, amongst others), school events (such as our annual Spelling Bee and regular School Assemblies) and various other parent meetings, cultural events and seasonal celebrations.

Visit the MST Art Studio!Opened in September 2014, the MST Art Studio is a bespoke environment for MST students to further explore and develop skills in the arts, design and craft fields. Hosting small group lessons, and also being accessible for individual work, our Art Studio is stocked with specially selected materials and is sure to become a hub for creative activity and a place for ideas to flourish.

Visit the MST Music Studio!The MST Music Studio, staffed full-time by our qualified Music Teacher, is open to Elementary students daily and is equiped with a piano, recorders, flutes, percussion instruments and more. Students come here to play, listen, learn, practice and develop a deeper understanding of musical theory and notation.

MST is well located amongst several public parks and within reach of many other useful facilities. Our students regularly visit local parks for recess or special events (such as class picnics) while some older students may occasionally visit public libraries, stores or businesses. Elementary and Middle School students use the MST Bus to travel to a local gymnasium for weekly Physical Education classes and all students participate in several field trips each year, making use of the many wonderful sites and attractions in the Tokyo area. We are also lucky to be able to call upon the use of local swim facilities and public concert halls.

The MST Bus Service is available to transport MST students to school every morning that regular school is in session. All 2018-2019 Sunshine, Elementary and Middle School students will be eligible to join the service. The MST Bus will be supervised by an MST adult at all times.MST is dedicated to continually updating, expanding and improving the opportunities for our students physical and extracurricular enrichment and growth through After School Activities (ASAs).

We run a diverse ASA programme which includes activities such as Table Tennis, Ballet, Sport Stacking, Hawaiian Hula, Aikido, Creative Dance, language classes and craft clubs amongst many others. We hold three ASA sessions per school year (activites being subject to change) and the full details and registration information is shared on our parents website. All ASAs are subject to extra curricular fees being paid by our families!