Every year at this time we introduce reenrollment for the upcoming school year to our current families. It's an exciting time, as we begin to prepare for our next school year together.

It's also a time of reflection. 2023-24 marks our 50th year of serving students and their families, and we wanted to pause and thank you for the role you play in our School's rich history. Together, with thousands of families before you, you've given your children an education that is not a means to an end, but instead a journey ... a path to becoming empathetic critical thinkers, reflective problem solvers, compassionate leaders, curious lifelong learners, confident individuals, and all around good human beings. As parents, what more could we want for our children? 

Our 50th celebration is just beginning and will continue through the fall of 2024. During this time, we look forward to our continued partnership in helping your child unleash their full potential and together working to manifest our School's vision: to provide the best personalized and hands-on educational experience for our students – one that empowers them to positively impact the world.

Please continue reading for information on the reenrollment process, next year's tuition, and any action your family may need to take. Most importantly, thank you for being part of our vibrant school community, and I look forward to your joining us for the 2024-25 school year.

Dr. Kevin Navarro

Head of School

Beyond these needs, there is no new contract to review or sign for returning students, and your child’s spot is secure when we receive your deposit and applicable fees by March 15, 2024. Rhea's email will provide specific information about how the School will add your deposit and fees to your Blackbaud Tuition Management account based on your family's current payment plan or financial assistance application, if applicable. Rhea and I are also happy to answer any questions you may have.

Your board of trustees sets tuition prices each year. They carefully consider any tuition increases, always balancing the costs of running our School's high-quality program and keeping our School affordable to as many families as possible. For 2024-25, the board has decided on a 5% tuition increase for all divisions. This annual tuition increase secures the dollars needed to cover the School’s operating expenses, the majority of which are faculty and staff salaries and benefits package. It also allows us to optimize our program and to run the very best Montessori school we can.

As an independent school, we do not receive any funding from the state or federal government. Therefore, when the costs to run our School increase, raising tuition is the primary tool we have to secure proper funding to operate.

As we all continue to experience, the cost of goods and services are increasing. For our School, this includes the cost of health care benefits for our faculty and staff, utilities, ongoing maintenance, and the specialized Montessori materials we use in our classrooms.

Most importantly, we believe in fairly compensating our faculty and staff, who hold a combined 55 bachelor’s or associate’s degrees, 17 master’s degrees, 3 doctoral degrees, and 40 Montessori credentials. (These numbers are only growing, with three teammates pursuing graduate degrees and another three in training for their Montessori teaching certificates.) This team is more committed than ever to your children, and the majority of our tuition increase will be used to raise their base salaries proportionate with the 3.6 to 10.8% increases that North Carolina public school teachers will receive over the next two years.

We know a tuition increase can be challenging, and neither the board of trustees nor our team take it lightly. As you evaluate your family’s finances for the 2024-25 school year, we encourage you to explore these financial resources which may be available to your student entering kindergarten or older.

Please review Rhea's email from last week providing more detail on on each of these financial resources.

During reenrollment season, we think it is important to look beyond the immediate and to look forward onto the horizon, to know that our Toddlers will soon be Primary students and Junior High students will soon be graduates, who will both one day be independent adults charged with contributing to society and making a positive impact on the world. Our mission is entirely based on helping our students become their best selves. That is one of the main reasons many of you choose to send your children to our School.

As a toddler-through-ninth-grade community, we think the best way for us to look at the horizon is by looking at our alumni community – to learn their stories, to learn why they chose to stay at Greensboro Montessori School, to learn what skills they took away from their time with us, and to learn how they are making their worlds a better place as productive and compassionate citizens. Our alumni community is our most important testament to the strength of our School.

As we embark on sharing Greensboro Montessori School's 50th year together, we will have more opportunities than ever to interact with alumni, alumni families, and each other. We will hear similar stories of how Montessori students are confident collaborators, successful individuals, fulfilled adults, and as one GMS alumni eloquently said, "bringers of change." We will also hear new stories that will inspire the next generation of Montessori students and families. Undoubtedly, it is a momentous and exciting time to be a part of Greensboro Montessori School.