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United States, Durham
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IMS emphasizes more than academics and honors each child's individuality. The focus is on curiosity, independence, compassion, collaboration, and critical thinking, preparing students for the future with confidence and self-knowledge. The curriculum demonstrates strong academic outcomes while supporting holistic development, with younger children reading and older students tackling more complex tasks. IMS fosters an international, collaborative community and partners with families to support the child's growth at home and at school. Language immersion strengthens social-emotional skills, including verbal expression and social flexibility, at earlier ages. The program also nurtures self-direction and empathy as integral parts of daily learning.
IMS has a Learning Support Specialist on the Administrative & Support Team. The school is committed to inclusion and equity through a Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion program that supports neurodiversity and inclusive practices. IMS aims to provide a safe, respectful environment where students of diverse backgrounds feel valued and have access to supports. DEI work includes ongoing staff development and anti-bias, anti-racist learning integrated into the classroom.
IMS offers language immersion in three languages: French, Spanish, and Mandarin. Most staff are native speakers of the language of the classroom they serve. For families who do not speak the immersion language, IMS provides guidance and home activities to support language development.
IMS focuses on social and emotional skills through its Montessori and language-immersion approach. The school promotes a safe learning community that values curiosity, collaboration, and empathy. Equity and inclusion efforts, along with anti-bias learning and parent education, contribute to students' mental wellbeing. IMS emphasizes partnership with families to support wellbeing across home and school.
IMS envisions a safe learning community that values all students and families, guided by equity and inclusion and anti-bias learning in the classroom. The Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion program was formed in 2022 to advance safe, inclusive practices and to ensure historically muted voices are represented in leadership and teaching. The school commits to ongoing staff development and an anti-racist, anti-bias curriculum to protect and support every learner.
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.
