Founded: Incorporated not-for-profit in 1972; coeducational, nonsectarian
Enrollment: 130 students
Grades: Toddler 18 – 36 months, Children’s House age 3-6, Lower Elementary, age 6-9, Upper Elementary, age 9-12 and Middle School, age 12-14
Student Population: Vermont: Brattleboro, Putney, Newfane, Saxtons River, Townsend, Vernon, Dummerston, Guilford, Williamsville, Bellows Falls, Wilmington, Westminster, East Dover, Stratton, Quechee, North Hartland
Massachusetts: Amherst, Bernardston, Colrain, Greenfield, Northfield
New Hampshire: Keene, Spofford, Walpole, West Chesterfield
Diversity: We celebrate and value diversity at Hilltop. We welcome families of all races, ethnicities, cultural, socio-economic status and family compositions.
The Campus:
Hilltop is currently located on a 43-acre campus at 99 Stafford Farm Rd, off of Guilford Road in Brattleboro, Vermont. The campus sits high atop a hill, surrounded by fields, forests, a pond and sweeping views. The setting and design of Hilltop’s new ‘green’ campus, completed in the summer of 2009, is an apt reflection of this independent school’s name and its mission.
Hilltop’s campus includes the toddler, pre-school and lower and upper elementary schools, which, along with its administrative offices, are housed in a new 20,000 square foot main building. The middle school is located in a separate, newly-renovated and expanded building, with space specifically designed to serve the unique intellectual needs of the adolescent. There is also a new Arts Barn including a black-box theater, gymnasium and music room.
Accreditation: The school is an independent school as defined by Vermont statute pursuant to Title 16, Section 166(b)
American Montessori Society Accredited
Affiliations: NAMTA (North American Montessori Teachers Association), Montessori Schools of Massachusetts
Avg. Student/Teacher Ratio and Hours
Toddler Program: 18 – 36 months, 10 students: 1:4 teacher ratio / 5 day program with full or half day options
Hours: 8:45-11:30, with extended dismissal available to 2:30, 4:00, or 5:00pm
Children’s House: Pre-K/ K, Ages 3-5: (2 classrooms): 20 students each /1 teacher and 1-2 assistants in each class
Ages 3-4: Hours: 8:30-12:00, with 7:40 early arrival and extended dismissal available to 2:45, 4:00, or 5:00pm. Children will be considered for mid-year entries who have reached 3 prior to January 1.
Kindergarten: Hours: 8:30-2:45, with 7:40 early arrival and extended dismissal available to 4:00 or 5:00 pm. To be eligible for kindergarten a child must be 5 before September 1.
Lower Elementary: Ages 6-9: Grades 1-3:
25 – 30 students/2 teachers*, Hours: 8:30-3:00 with 7:40 early arrival and extended dismissal available to 4:00 or 5:00 pm.
Upper Elementary: Ages 9-12: Grades 4-6:
25 – 30 students/2 teachers*, Hours: 8:30-3:00 with 7:40 early arrival and extended dismissal available to 4:00 or 5:00 pm.
* the Elementary programs are also supported by a Learning Specialist, a Learning Assistant, a Music teacher, and Physical Education teacher.
Middle School: Ages 12-14: Grades 7-8:
25 – 30 students/3 teachers, Hours: 8:30-3:00
Hilltop’s Before & After Care Program: Hours: 7:40 – 8:30 am and 3:00 – 5:00 pm.
After School Enrichment and Sports programs are offered.
Faculty: 28 full and part-time teachers
Head of School: Tamara Mount
Admissions Director: Lauren Campbell
Development Director: Roselle Garro
Business Manager: Barb Beckwith
Administrative Coordinator: Zoe Proctor
Equity, Justice, and Inclusion Director: Marco Yunga Tacuri
Facility Director: Kegan Refalo
Trustees: Up to 12
Extracurricular Features: Art, Drama, Music, Outdoor Education, Physical Education, Soccer, Basketball, Ultimate Frisbee, Winter Sports: Cross Country Skiing, Downhill Skiing, Snowboarding, Skating, Snowshoeing
Operating Budget: Approximately $1.9 million
Endowment: Approximately $3.6 million
Governance: Hilltop Montessori School is led by a self-perpetuating Board of Trustees. The Board is comprised of up to 12 members, including parents, parents of former students, alum and interested members of the community.
