Hilltop Montessori School at a Glance
coeducational / nonsectarian / AMS Accredited
30 full and part-time teachers
* the Elementary programs are also supported by a Learning Specialist Team, a Music teacher, an Art teacher, and a Fitness teacher.
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
Hilltop is an independent school as defined by Vermont statute pursuant to Title 16, Section 166(b), and is an accredited AMS Montessori school.
Affiliation
Hilltop is affiliated with the NAMTA (North American Montessori Teachers Association) and the Montessori Schools of Massachusetts.
STARS ACCREDITATION
STARS is Vermont’s quality recognition system for child care, prekindergarten and afterschool programs. Hilltop is an accredited five-star program, recognized for our outstanding standards for education, staff training, facilities, environment, and curriculum. Being a five-star program allows our families of 3-5 year olds to be eligible for Vermont’s Universal Prekindergarten Funding. Learn more about Pre-K Funding here.
Student Population
Massachusetts
Bernardston, Townsend
Vermont
Brattleboro, Dover, Dummerston, Guilford, Marlboro, Newfane, Putney, Rockingham, Saxtons River, Searsburg, Townsend, Westminster West, Williamsville, Wilmington
New Hampshire
Chesterfield, Hinsdale, Keene, Walpole
Administration
Head of School: Tamara Mount
Administrative Coordinator: Desi Plumley
Admissions Director: Zoe Proctor
Development Director: Erin Wessel
Equity, Justice, and Inclusion Director: Marco Yunga Tacuri
Business Manager: Barb Beckwith
Facility Director: Travis Thiele
Montessori Curriculum Coordinator: Ashlyn Stephens
Social Emotional Learning Coordinator: Malindi Chestnut-Tangerman
Early Education Program Partnership Director: Laura Gypson
Trustees: Marta Bernbaum, Juliette Carr, Louisa Conrad, Nancy Dickson, Todd Fahey, Andrea Lemon, Shelley Lockyear, Geneva Morse, Ellie Pennell, Asher Pucciarello, Caitlin Senni, Dora Urujeni
Operating Budget: Approximately $2 million
Endowment: Approximately $4 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.