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United States, Durham
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International Montessori School was founded in 1996 as a place where young children of French-speaking parents could find community. It has grown into a multilingual Montessori program offering language immersion in French, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese. IMS emphasizes bilingualism and biculturalism as gifts for lifelong learning. Since 1996 IMS has expanded to two campuses: the Academy Campus in Durham for Toddler and Early Childhood and the Barbee Chapel Campus in Chapel Hill for Elementary and Middle School, forming a single IMS community.
IMS is a diverse community of teachers and families from many cultures, languages, and backgrounds. Many families speak English at home yet value the benefits of fluency in another language and understanding of other cultures. IMS fosters connections across cultures and welcomes families with ties to other countries, honoring those connections. Regardless of location, children and families on both campuses come together as a single IMS community.
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.
