Welcome to Valley Montessori School

Valley Montessori School has been formally accepted as a provisional member by the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS)!  

+ CAIS Website  

To quote the CAIS website:
CAIS is an organization of approximately 200 elementary, middle, and high schools in California. The association serves and strengthens its schools by:

· Setting standards of academic quality and ethical conduct

· Facilitating the professional growth of faculty, administers and trustees

· Promoting ethnic and socio-economic diversity

CAIS is also an accrediting body that requires a self-study and accreditation site visit every six years.  In order to be accepted as a provisional member, we submitted a very full application detailing every aspect of VMS (governance, finance, fund-raising, academic program, community, strategic plan, etc..,).  In October, we were visited by a team of CAIS Trustees – Eric Temple, Head of Lick-Wilmerding High School, and Cathy Hunter, Head of the San Francisco Friends School. They toured the school and talked with key administrators. Their report back to the CAIS Board was considered in December and we were approved. We will now have 2-3 years to prepare for full membership via accreditation. The plan is that our next accreditation will be a joint endeavor with American Montessori Society (AMS), CAIS and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

This is a wonderful step for VMS because it signifies that we are institutionally strong and “accreditation worthy” in the world of independent schools beyond AMS & WASC. It will also provide us access to a wealth of resources and support that will strengthen our school. If you want a more detailed sense of CAIS, I invite you to check out their website www.caisca.org.

Valley Montessori School is Accredited by: