Eligibility Requirements & Criteria

The Montessori School of Tokyo is a close-knit community of well over 100 families with children ranging from 18 months to 15 years old.  Our truly international community represents around 30 countries from every corner of the globe.

Most of our classes are typically fully enrolled at various times of each academic year. However, due to the transient nature of our community, spaces do open up on occasion at most age levels. This may occur at any time and we welcome applications from all families who would like to explore a Montessori education for their children.

To maintain a balance in our student population, The Montessori School of Tokyo uses the following criteria for admitting students.

• Age group – Due to the mixed ages in Montessori classrooms, it is very important to have an even distribution of ages.
   

• Gender – MST strives to maintain a balance of boys and girls in each class and throughout the school.
   

• Social tendencies – We aim to have students with a range of responsiveness, energy levels, and interaction styles with adults and peers.
   

• Developmental level – Language ability, academic knowledge, and maturity.
   

• Bathroom Independence – With the exception of the Little People programme, all students should be out of nappies/diapers before entering MST.
   

• Native language – MST aims to have in each class a majority of children who are native speakers or fluent in English. As an international school we also accept children who have other languages as their native language.
   

• Special Education Needs – MST classrooms can accommodate a limited number of children with relatively mild special education needs (developmental, behavioural, and academic). Currently we are not accepting new students with special education needs.
   

• Montessori experience – Students with prior Montessori schooling receive priority in the admissions process.
   

• School of siblings – We prioritize families committed to Montessori principles and who enroll all their children in a Montessori school.
   

• Current students – MST strives to be a school for families, so younger siblings of current students receive admission priority.
   

• Sibling departure - Should an MST family choose to transfer an older sibling to another international school at an age-level where MST offers a programme of our own, we will no longer be obligated to guarantee a place for the younger sibling(s). We will of course discuss cases like this individually with families should they arise.  
   

Application Requirement

MST communications (emails, announcements, meetings, etc.) will be delivered in English - as such, in order to apply to The Montessori School of Tokyo, at least one parent should be a native or fluent English speaker.
 

Programme Eligibility
 

Eligibility for each programme is based on the child's age as of August 31st at the start of the academic year.

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• Age 18 months as of August 31 - Little People Programme* 

• Age 3 to 5 as of August 31 - Sunshine Programme 

• Age 6 to 8 as of August 31 - Lower Elementary Programme 

• Age 9 to 11 as of August 31 - Upper Elementary Programme 

• Age 12 to 14 as of August 31 - Middle School Programme** 

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*Children turning 18 months by December 31 are eligible to join our Little People Programme during the second semester of the academic year. If your child turns 18 months after December 31, please apply for the following academic year. 
 

** Adolescents turning 12 by December 31st will also be considered for admission into our adolescent programme.