Lake Country School Admissions: Questions & Answers

We are an independent, authentic Montessori school serving children from infancy through adolescence with both an urban campus and a community farm.

Montessori guides inspire the children through multiple lessons offered throughout the day to small groups and individuals. When not involved in a lesson, the children work at their own pace on the tasks or activities they have chosen. The classroom is characterized by a steady buzz of activity - some children working collaboratively, others independently, older children coaching younger ones, the teacher presenting to a small group, in conference with an individual, or observing and recording the flow of work in the room.

Children are free to move about the room and select from materials that are appropriate for their stage of development. They may choose to work at a table, on a rug on the floor, or in a reading loft. They are trusted to take care of the materials, to work diligently, and to be considerate of others. The classroom communities operate according to the basic rules of respect to oneself, to others, to the work, and to the environment. Conflict is seen as an opportunity to practice peaceful resolution.

The Land School includes a community farm where students, parents, and staff grow vegetables, herbs, and flowers using sustainable, organic farming practices. We use low-impact technology and we restore and recycle before we build anew. We strive to increase awareness of our interdependence with the natural world by gardening, making maple syrup, collecting honey, and selling organic eggs produced by hens incubated in our Children's House classrooms. Since 2004, the Land School has also provided a part-time residential experience for adolescents.

Not at all. Because the Montessori method is concerned with the development of each child as an individual, most children thrive in a Montessori environment.

Many Lake Country graduates are proud of being "lifetime" members of our community, having started as toddlers who continued through the eighth grade. Others have joined us at various stages in their education. Grades one, four, and seven are good times to come, as they are transition years for all students. Any change takes some getting used to, but most transfer students adjust quickly and appreciate their new environment.

Parents of former Lake Country students say their children have been well prepared for high school and are able to handle a variety of curriculums. In fact, our graduates go on to excel at rigorous universities and graduate schools. But even more important are the early lessons they learned about cooperation, respect, and responsibility and their enduring curiosity about the world around them.

Modest tuition and careful financial management support the Lake Country value of an economically diverse student body. A full-time development director oversees fundraising activities that help bridge the gap between costs and tuition. In a recent year, our tuition assistance program provided up to 60% of need to families who qualified.

One parent put it this way, "Especially in troubled times, Lake Country is a place to leap, to sing, to laugh. It's a robust expression of differences. It's a source of peace. Lake Country is both nurturing and challenging. It's a safe place to stretch, and grow, and find your place in the universe."

For further admissions information please contact Lucinda Anderson, LCS Admissions Director
612.827.3707 ::: admissions@lakecountryschool.org