Application and Enrollment Process
Thank you for thinking of Hilltop for your child’s educational journey!
Hilltop Montessori School is a small, progressive, authentic Montessori school. Parent/guardian partnership, participation, and understanding of what we do (and why we do it!) is vital to the success of each of our students. We value each member of our community, and want to start off our relationship with each applicant and applicant family in a place of mutual understanding. Our admissions process is designed with the goal of setting up each individual student for success at Hilltop through learning and community.
If you have any questions about the Admissions Process, please feel free to contact me at [email protected], and I would be more than happy to answer your questions.
I look forward to partnering with you, and helping to begin your child’s educational journey with Hilltop!
-Zoe Proctor, Director of Admissions & Enrollment
Learn more about hilltop
Our mission is to inspire life-long learners, and it is critical that each family who joins Hilltop has a basic understanding of Montessori pedagogy and Hilltop programs. This first step is intended for adults only. Student visits are a separate part of the application process. There are three ways families can do this:
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Join us for an Open House
- Open Houses are a wonderful, in-depth chance to see Hilltop in action, speak with teachers and students, and meet fellow applicants. Each Open House is approximately 2 hours long.
- RSVP to an upcoming Open House here!
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Join Zoe Proctor, Admissions Director, for a 1:1 tour
- 1:1 tours are also a great way to learn more about Hilltop. In order to see the classrooms in action, sign up for a tour during our Morning Work Cycle, between 9-11am. 1:1 tours are approximately 1 hour long.
- Sign up for a 1:1 tour here!
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Schedule an online meeting with Zoe Proctor, Admissions Director
- If you are unable to come for a tour in person (if you are out of state, for example), we can find a time to “meet” online to discuss our programs and answer any questions you may have. Please note that in-person tours are preferable. Hilltop uses Google Meet. Online meetings are approximately 45 minutes long.
- Sign up for an online meeting here!
upcoming open house dates
Toddler & Children's House
Tuesday, September 16th, 2025
9:30-11am
Elementary & Middle School
Thursday, September 18th, 2025
9:30-11am
If none of the options available work for you, or there are specific circumstances you would like to discuss, please reach out and Zoe would be happy to figure something out that works for you. You can reach her at [email protected].
submit an application
Once you have completed step one of the Admissions Process, families will receive a link to our online application via email. If you have completed step one and have not received a link to apply, please reach out to Zoe at [email protected].
Applying for an Index Tuition Level Below 100%
If you are interested in applying for a school grant through our Index Tuition program, please do so in tandem with your school application. You can reach out to Zoe Proctor for the link to apply. Information about the Index Tuition program and state funding programs are available here.
Toddler Program and Children’s House Applicants
The first source of funding available for children under age 6 in Vermont is the Child Care Financial Assistance Program (CCFAP). The financial resources that Hilltop has available to support families is finite, and we rely heavily on state funding to subsidize much of our programming. If state funding is available to families, we have to ask that you apply. This will allow us to have more school grant funding for families in school aged program levels, where this type of state funding is not available. To learn more about CCFAP, click here.
student visits (CH-MS)
Student Visits will be set up for students applying for Children’s House through Middle School after an application has been submitted. We will reach out to you to find a time that works for you and the classroom. Toddler Program applicants are not required to visit prior to enrollment.
Students applying for Children’s House will spend approximately 20-30 minutes in the classroom while the rest of the students are not there. This could happen before school starts, or after the school day ends. This gives our young applicants the opportunity to explore the classroom, meet the teachers, and interact with materials without the hustle and bustle of other students. We ask that parents/guardians use this time to take a step back and observe, or chat with Zoe, and allow their child to engage independently with the teacher.
Students applying for Lower and Upper Elementary will spend half of a day in the classroom, from 8:30 – 12:30pm. Applicants will be paired with one or two classroom ambassadors who will be their buddy for the morning, including giving them a tour and showing them the ropes. Students will need to come with a snack, lunch, water bottle, and appropriate outdoor gear for whatever the weather may be.
Students applying for the Middle School will spend one or two full days in the classroom. At this age, it is especially critical that students understand what they are signing up for just as much as the adults in their life do. Please let us know if there is a specific subject your student is particularly interested in, and we will try and schedule a day for them to visit when they might be able to participate in that class or activity. Whether or not a student comes for one or two visits is collectively up to the student, teachers, and family. Students will need to come with a snack, lunch, water bottle, and appropriate outdoor gear for whatever the weather may be.
acceptance & Enrollment
Once your family has completed steps 1-3, applicants will officially be considered for acceptance. HMS makes first round acceptance decisions in mid-March, after which we operate on rolling admissions, which means that we continue to accept students until classrooms are full. Families will get an email of acceptance that will include your family’s Index Tuition amount, followed by an enrollment packet, to be completed via FACTS, our enrollment and tuition management platform. Completion of the enrollment packet also includes making a non-refundable down payment and setting up a tuition payment plan.
Families must respond to acceptances by April 1st. If HMS has not received any correspondence by April 1st, applicants will be removed from our applicant pool.
Please see our full enrollment policies below.
