Montessori Education For Life
Pacific Crest School offers a Montessori learning environment for children from three years of age continuing through the eighth grade.
Our classrooms and our school community are based upon:
- Respectful and caring environments
- Commitment to the support of human development
- Belief in the potential of each and every child
- Support on the path to independence
Montessori Education for Life combines the child’s natural love of life and learning with the values of hard work and self-discipline. Our students leave Pacific Crest with a capacity for self-knowledge, independence and the ability to chart their course to adulthood.
Our philosophy is based upon the work of Maria Montessori, Italian physician and educator, and her teachings which have been handed down through teacher education and certification through the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI).
Our school was founded in 1985. From that initial class of 25 children located in a church basement, we have grown to a school of over 200 located on our beautiful urban campus on Bright Street. In 2003 we acquired our Farm on Vashon Island. Our students now extend their learning and their sense of place to include both the urban and rural neighborhoods.
Pacific Crest is accredited through the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools (NAAS). The accreditation process requires a six year cycle of self study that involves initial consultations with Pacific Crest staff, NAAS consultants, outside educators, and current and former parents. Selected areas of study become the focus of ongoing work during the six year cycle.
All of Pacific Crest’s primary and elementary teachers are trained by AMI. Middle School teachers without Montessori training often attend a six-week adolescent orientation offered by the North American Montessori Teachers Association (NAMTA).
