Primary & Kindergarten · 3–6 Years

Where curiosity becomes confidence.

An authentic three-year Montessori cycle builds strong foundations in language, math, and culture, culminating in a Kindergarten year of leadership and mentorship.

A group of Primary students working together with Montessori bead materials
A Three-Year Cycle

Time to grow into a leader.

The Primary classroom brings together children ages 3 to 6 in one multi-age community, following the classic Montessori three-year cycle. Younger children absorb concepts by watching their older classmates, while older children deepen their own understanding by mentoring, a rhythm that builds both academic mastery and genuine social confidence.

Spanish, introduced at Pre-Primary, becomes a daily part of the Kindergarten year, alongside deepening work across language, mathematics, geography, science, art, and cultural studies.

A Primary student drawing with a stencil at a classroom table
Confidence & Belonging

A team that knows your child, from day one.

Three young AIA students sitting close together on the playground, smiling

“I am so grateful to have found this school for our 6 year old son. I love the staff and the way the school operates… For after school programs, we have options for art classes, writing (!), robotics and more.”

– Tru Nguyen, AIA Parent (Google Review)
What Children Experience

Five areas of the Primary classroom.

A Primary student building the word mop with the Montessori movable alphabet
The movable alphabet: children build words before their hands are ready to write them.

Language

Phonemic awareness, handwriting, and reading emerge naturally through hands-on materials.

Mathematics

Concrete materials introduce quantity, symbols, and operations before abstract computation.

Sensorial

Refined senses sharpen the ability to observe, classify, and describe the world.

Culture & Geography

Botany, zoology, geography, and world cultures build early global awareness.

Spanish

Introduced at Pre-Primary, Spanish conversation, songs, and vocabulary become a daily practice by Kindergarten.

A child's hands pouring carefully between two glass pitchers during a practical life work

Practical life: the work that builds concentration, order, and independence.

Two Primary students working side by side, one writing and one arranging flowers
The Kindergarten Year

Where the cycle comes together.

Kindergarten is the culminating year of the Primary cycle. After years of working with familiar materials and absorbing lessons from older classmates, children return as the leaders of the community.

They deepen earlier work, move toward abstraction in mathematics and language, take on greater classroom responsibility, and experience the confidence that comes from being among the oldest and most capable members of the group.

The third year is not repetition. It is integration.

A Primary student smiling while working with the Brown Stair Montessori material
A Day in Primary

What a typical Primary day looks like.

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Arrival

Arrival and Graceful Entry

Children greet their teachers and classmates, and settle in with purpose.

Morning

Uninterrupted Morning Work Cycle

A long stretch of self-directed work with concrete Montessori materials.

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Midday

Community Gathering and Lunch

A shared meal that builds grace, courtesy, and connection.

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Outdoors

Outdoor Play

Time to run, play, and recharge on our wooded campus.

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Afternoon

Kindergarten and Full-Day Afternoon Experiences

Extended work, enrichment, and leadership opportunities for our oldest Primary students.

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Dismissal

Enrichment and Dismissal

Specialist classes and a calm close to the day.

See the three-year Primary cycle in action.