Why Montessori School of Durham

We are so lucky to live in a community rich with Montessori options for your child.  So why choose Montessori School of Durham out of them all?

Panoramic photo of the front office of MSD.

MSD Mission

Our mission is to nurture and empower lifelong learners as global community members. We do this through embracing our deeply held core values of respect, inclusivity, and independence. We create a learning environment where students arrive eager and leave curious, equipped with a lasting thirst for knowledge and an understanding of their potential in the world.


MSD Core Values

  • Respect - is at the heart of the MSD community. We believe every person—students, families, and Staff—deserves to be treated with dignity, kindness, and mutual respect. By recognizing children as capable individuals and valuing every member of our community, we foster trust, belonging, and an environment where everyone can learn and grow.
  • Inclusivity - is the emotional foundation of the MSD community. We prepare a supportive and welcoming environment necessary for our community to take risks, be vulnerable, and thrive.
  • Independence – is a cornerstone of Montessori education. MSD embraces independence throughout our community which creates individual responsibility, confidence, and acceptance of self and others.

We offer a strong foundation for the cognitive, social, and emotional development of each individual child as well as developing a strong sense of their citizenship in both the local and the global community. We are committed to enriching our children’s learning experiences through the guidance of expert teachers and a diverse curriculum. 

Montessori School of Durham implements the classical Montessori principles: the development of concentration, order, and coordination, which foster the discipline required for independence. These skills enable the child’s freedom of inquiry, while multi-age classrooms promote individualized education. Confidence and enthusiasm is gained from the ability to self-initiate and from success.

These principles provide the framework for every level of our work — the layout of the classroom, the design of the curriculum, the modeling of each activity, and the intention of each lesson with the individual child. We have strong staff retention because of staff satisfaction, which is reflected in the the strength of the community and the beauty of the classroom environments.

In addition to our outstanding teaching staff, our programs are also set apart by a dedication to Montessori’s foundation in respect for the child. At MSD, we respect the child’s innate desire to learn and inborn power to be competent.

We are fortunate to have a diverse body of families that contribute to the richness of our children’s Montessori experience. The time, talents, unique backgrounds, and energy of families enhance our children’s education at MSD and contribute to the supportive and engaging community we enjoy.

Since our inception in 1976, Montessori School of Durham has been an affiliate of the American Montessori Society, and in 1996 we were recognized as the first school in North Carolina to become an Accredited School by the American Montessori Society. Today we are one of six schools in the state of North Carolina to maintain this ranking. We also maintain accreditation by AdvancEd.

Montessori School of Durham does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, sexual orientation, family structure, or national or ethnic origin, in admissions, programs, employment, financial assistance, activities, use of facilities, or privileges.