Grace Montessori Academy is a nurturing, Christian, educational community. We are a Christian, 501(c)3 non-profit school focused on educating children from pre-school through middle school.
Our program provides students with the tools to acquire inner self-discipline and self-esteem, achieve academic excellence, develop a love for lifelong learning, learn moral and spiritual principles, and achieve their highest potential.
Through the academic and experiential learning process developed by Dr. Maria Montessori and enhanced by a Christian-based foundation, students will learn to care for and respect themselves, others, and the environment.
Grace Montessori Academy’s mission is to raise up disciples of Jesus Christ through Christ-centered Montessori education.
We are an exemplary Christian school known for pace setting excellence with impeccable character as an organization.
We teach the child a love for learning and moral principles that will assist the child in developing their knowledge, self-discipline and self-esteem allowing them to realize and achieve their individual potential.
We teach the child personal responsibility, tolerance, mentoring others and to contribute their unique gifts to the world.
We teach the child to love Christ and desire to become His disciple in the world.
We teach children from ages 3 to 14.
We financially assist those who cannot afford to attend.
We reach out to all people in the community.
We disciple beyond the children by reaching out as a positive influence to the families.
We aspire to be a Christian Montessori teacher training center.
Grace Montessori Academy was founded by Pam Purcell, Mary Beth Gregory, and Linda Hart in 2007 with a desire to provide a quality alternative education in Billings.
Purcell and Gregory both felt strongly that God has led them to organize Grace Montessori Academy. The private school combines Christian principles with the principles of the pioneering educator Maria Montessori, who believed students learn more from exploring their environment and from each other than from traditional textbooks.
The school’s first building was located on the West End of Billings in an office building behind Target, on a 1-acre site with a playground and garden. The outdoors is an important part of Montessori.
The program in the opening year consisted of an early childhood program for children ages 3 to 6 years old with an all-day kindergarten and a lower elementary program for children ages 6 to 9 years old. Within two years, the school added upper elementary (9 to 12 years old).
In January 2014, the school moved to it’s new location on 48th and Grand Avenue on the far West End of Billings after a year of fundraising to acquire land and and build especially designed facilities for Montessori classroom layout and space.
The new building allowed the school to add on three new classrooms, and within a year new construction was already started for a new addition to enable the addition of three more classrooms, including a Middle School program – which opened in the 2015/2016 school year.
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