12 - 15 years old

Adolescent Program

  • Adolescent Program School Day

    8:00am - 3:15pm (study hall is from 7:30am - 4:00pm)

    Tuition: $17,360

“It is the education of adolescents that is important because adolescence is the time when the child enters the state of adulthood and becomes a member of society.”
— Dr. Maria Montessori
White house with a gray roof surrounded by large trees and bushes, with a sidewalk and driveway in front.
A black barn with solar panels on the roof next to a white house surrounded by large trees with fall foliage.
A farmyard scene with a basketball court, a dark wooden barn, a greenhouse, and a white house with a black roof and a small porch, surrounded by tall trees with green leaves.
A rustic wooden barn under a large leafy tree in a rural setting, with chickens walking on the ground in front and a wire fence in the background.
A rustic wooden barn surrounded by trees with green and autumn-colored leaves. Chickens and ducks are outside, with some near the barn and others under a tree. The ground is covered with fallen leaves.
An old wooden barn surrounded by large trees with fall foliage, located in a rural setting with chickens and chickens near the barn.
A community farm with chicken coops, chicken run, and garden beds, surrounded by trees and fenced in.
A farm with chickens running around, garden beds, and a modern building with large windows and a sloped roof surrounded by trees.
A rustic wooden barn surrounded by trees with green and orange leaves, featuring a slanted roof, a small window, and a fenced area at the front with chickens and chickens' feed and supplies.
A weathered wooden barn with a metal roof surrounded by trees with green leaves. Inside the barn, general storage items are visible. Outside, there are two black chickens walking near yellow plants on the ground.
Modern building with a sloped roof and large glass windows, surrounded by trees with autumn foliage, outdoor seating, and a curved concrete pathway.
Modern building with black siding and large windows, distinctive roof with wooden slats, in a park-like setting with trees, pathways, and outdoor seating.

Welcome to the Adolescent Program

The adolescent years are a time of significant changes physically, emotionally, and socially. Adolescents are eager for intellectual stimulation, self-expression, independence, and internal validation. Our Adolescent Program is based on understanding the needs and characteristics of 12 to 15-year-olds. We target the need for physical, concrete educational experiences and the opportunity for abstract learning. The Adolescent Program creates, guides, and supports the development of knowledge and skills through authentic experiential learning.

What does an Adolescent Program curriculum look like at a Montessori School?

Diagram titled 'Plan of Study and Work in the Context of Social Life' with a circular chart divided into sections. The outer ring features themes like 'Residence,' 'Self,' 'Form,' and 'Science.' The inner segments include 'Human Influences' with aspects like math and art, and 'Preparation for Adult Life' covering natural world, history, and society. Surrounding the circle are notes on cultural sharing, social interdependence, and other social and cultural concepts.
Montessori Plan of Study and Work chart with sections on Practical Considerations of Social Organization and Educational Syllabus, including topics like Self-Expression, Psychic Development, and Preparation for Adult Life, with subtopics on earth study, human progress, and history of humanity.

Montessori education encourages teens to take on meaningful community roles related to their academic journeys. We mirror real-world concepts in a tangible, authentic way.

Our program creates a micro-community where students learn about farming, social skills, adult responsibilities, confidence, and basic ecology. Every adolescent is encouraged to work with their hands and become an active, integral member of their community.

Alan’s Oak

Winston-Salem Montessori School provides adolescents with an opportunity to experience economic independence. The adolescents have their own small business, a micro-economy called Alan’s Oak. The students are responsible for a checking account, researching, creating, pricing and selling products. The students are responsible for determining the cost per unit, use their findings to determine a reasonable cost for each product and utilize profit towards the farm and micro-economy.

Occupations: The Work and Care of the Land

By working in a small community and doing what the land calls upon them to do, the adolescents develop a deeper understanding of the importance of the role they play in the well-being and success of the community. This community-minded work allows the students to see the possibilities for their future roles in society. The work and care of the land are called Occupations. This is a melding of academic knowledge and problem-solving skills. The varying occupations require the students to use their math, science, and language skills to complete the necessary work based on the students’ interests or the needs of the land. Some occupations include organic gardens, raising chickens, and building trails.

Self-Expression: Creative and Physical

This curriculum area speaks the most to who the adolescents are at this time in their development. There are many changes occurring in their minds and bodies and because of this it is important for the students to have many opportunities for creative expression and physical activity. During these times, the students will engage in areas of choice which include pottery, creative writing, graphic design, drama, music, physical development such as sports and games, personal fitness (swimming, running, yoga, etc.) and nutrition.

Education as the Preparation for Adult Life

Practical experiences and knowledge that prepare students for adult life are integrated throughout the adolescent program. The goal of this work is to nurture a respect for and an understanding of the life and work of humanity and its collective endeavors over time. The subjects studied in this area:

  • Study of Earth and Living Things: Earth and Life Sciences

  • Study of Human Progress and the Building up of Civilization: Physics, Chemistry, Mechanics

  • Study of Human History: History, Geography, Political Science and Economics

  • Interpersonal skills, communication and conflict resolution

  • Business and personal financial literacy and management

A woman in a red dress and face mask gives a presentation to a group of children and teenagers seated at a long conference table in a bright room with large windows showing a cityscape.

Education in Relation to Intellectual Development

Intellectual development is developed and cultivated over a lifetime, becoming more and more complex as these abilities are nurtured. These intellectual abilities include moral education, language and mathematics. These three components are red threads that weave across all aspects of the curriculum and can be found in all aspects of their individual works and projects. The subjects studied in this area:

  • Moral education: civility, citizenship, civics, and community

  • Mathematics: arithmetic, geometry, algebra, and measurement

  • Language: writing, grammar, reading, research and world language

Classroom scene with students and teachers during a presentation; students seated at desks, teachers standing by blackboards, easel with artwork, and bookshelves in the background.
A group of five young people and a woman are standing outside a wooden barn, holding a rabbit and a sheep's head. Two sheep are grazing on the ground in front of them, and the woman is smiling.

Dr. Montessori speaks of an Adolescent Center for Study and Work where the transformation to adulthood can be fulfilled, a Center which authentically embodies:

  • A community where young people learn how to live in a productive society

  • An ethic that speaks to the virtues which reflect human heartedness, respect, and trust

  • Meaningful roles which relate to the work at hand and which impact the functioning of the group

  • Clear parameters of behavior which guard the human rights of all

  • A genuine balance of freedom and responsibility as young people engage in independent and group studies

Submit an Inquiry for the Adolescent Program

Questions? Email Tracy Carr at admissions@wsmontessori.org

Two young girls watering flowers in a garden with a hose, surrounded by colorful flowers and lush green trees.
Handmade sign on cardboard announcing Alan's Oak Summer Sale. Items include solar panel ribbon cutting, with colorful, painted letters.
A young girl selling leafy greens like lettuce and rainbow chard at a table with pink price signs, eggs on the side, and a sign for visitors to ring the doorbell.
A farm or rural property with a fenced area containing chickens, trees, and a combination of rustic and modern buildings in the background.
Group of students on a rooftop terrace overlooking a city skyline with modern and historic buildings on a partly cloudy day.
Group of people, including children, working together outdoors on a project involving assembling or repairing a metal structure, on a grassy yard with trees and a fence in the background, with some individuals wearing gloves and winter jackets.
A classroom or conference room with children and adults attending a presentation or lecture. A woman in a red dress is standing at the front near a large screen, speaking to the seated audience. The room has large windows with a cityscape view outsid
Group of children and teenagers with backpacks sitting and standing around a wooden bench on a grassy area, with a large granite mountain and green trees in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
Two women are placing red sticky notes with handwritten labels on a whiteboard divided into sections labeled 'Lifestyle & Entertainment' and 'Saving'. The notes read 'Restaurant' and 'Cell phone devices'.
A museum tour guide explains exhibits to a group of five women in a museum with classical statues and a large ornate clock behind glass display cases.
A display of colorful origami cranes on a multicolored quilted table, with a yellow sign indicating the price for a set of origami cranes.
People sitting and talking on benches in a park with large trees and a wooden building in the background.
A woman in a green dress giving a speech at an outdoor event under a white tent, with an audience of men and women seated on white chairs, some holding programs, and greenery in the background.
A diverse group of people sitting in chairs at an outdoor event, mostly smiling and laughing, with some looking at programs or talking to each other, on a sunny day.
A group of children and teenagers on stage during a presentation or award ceremony, with a man handing a framed picture to a woman.
An outdoor scene showing a modern building with a sloped, partially open roof structure, surrounded by trees with fall foliage and a paved walkway.

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