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United States, Durham
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The school offers programs for children age 18 months through eighth grade in three immersion languages - French, Spanish, and Mandarin. The curriculum emphasizes curiosity, independence, compassion, collaboration, and critical thinking. The curriculum presents skills at the time when children are most ready to learn, with examples such as four-year-olds reading, six-year-olds completing long division, and nine-year-olds classifying botanical specimens.
Elementary students enjoy weekly classes in art, music, and physical education. These experiences support creative expression and motor development within the Montessori framework. The arts are integrated with the curriculum to foster creativity and collaboration.
IMS offers three immersion languages—French, Spanish, and Mandarin—across its programs. The Toddler Community is conducted in English, with families selecting a language track in Spanish, French, or Chinese; language programming is determined at initial acceptance and cannot be changed.
Elementary students develop deeper friendships and a growing connection to the local community. They participate in group projects and collaborative activities that promote teamwork and social learning.
Elementary students have weekly physical education classes. Students participate in day-long field trips at various times during the school year. IMS operates across two campuses, with the Barbee Chapel Campus on 37 acres, enabling outdoor learning and recreational opportunities.
International Montessori School (IMS) is a language-immersion Montessori program serving children from 18 months through eighth grade across campuses: the Academy Campus in Durham and the Barbee Chapel Campus in Chapel Hill. IMS offers Montessori classrooms with immersion in French, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese. Programs run Toddler (18-36 months), Early Childhood (3-6), Elementary (6-12), Middle School (12-14), and Summer Camp (3-6). Lower Elementary is taught entirely in immersion language with English language arts taught separately; Upper Elementary uses roughly 70% English and 30% immersion for core subjects; Middle School features a project-based curriculum with a foreign language requirement and optional third language, plus Socratic seminars and a micro-economy. The school is American Montessori Society accredited. IMS serves campuses as one community, with Barbee Chapel on 37 acres enabling outdoor learning and field trips. The program emphasizes bilingualism and biculturalism as lifelong assets, alongside arts, music, PE, and collaborative projects.
