About Hilltop Montessori School

Hilltop Montessori School is an independent, secular, non-profit school offering the highest quality of private education based on the principles of Montessori philosophy. Hilltop’s school community is strongly multi-cultural and comes from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds living in Jefferson, Shelby and St. Clair counties. The student body is composed of children from 18 months through eighth grade. The environment promotes a child’s discovery, learning, teaching, and growth and encourages independence and a love of learning, as well as intrinsic motivation to excel academically.

Hilltop Montessori’s curriculum fosters within each child a positive attitude toward learning, respect toward self and others, and an understanding of one’s responsibility to the world. The curriculum is geared to each child’s unique abilities and needs, allowing each child to be empowered at his or her own level of aptitude and achievement.

Hilltop Montessori School was founded in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1996 by Cindi Stehr, who believed strongly in the fundamental theories of Montessori education. The school received its status as a non-profit corporation in 1998 when the original preschool program was expanded to include an elementary program, developed by Michele Wilensky. Since that time, Hilltop has grown tremendously to include two toddler programs, four primary classrooms, two lower elementary classrooms, one upper elementary and a middle school adolescent program.

The school was originally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) in 2004 and is also accredited by the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS), and the National Council of Private School Accreditation (NCPSA). Our toddler through sixth-grade programs are also accredited by The American Montessori Society, which is a 20 step process. While many schools can be members of the American Montessori Society, only about 200 in the world have the privilege of AMS accreditation. This is a symbol our commitment to Montessori education with highly credentialed and internationally recognized faculty.

The school’s campus sits on over 7 acres in the beautiful, picturesque town of Mt Laurel. Our primary building is LEED-certified with the U.S. Green Building Council and our entire campus is a certified National Wildlife Habitat. A separate building houses a gym, musical theater area, art studio, science lab and a state of the art teaching kitchen modeled after Alice Waters’ Edible School Yard in Berkley, California.

As with other non-profit, private schools, the school is run by an administrative structure that also includes a Board of Trustees as its governing body. The Board of Trustees includes business professionals, a child psychiatrist, an architect, and an array of individuals who are passionate about Montessori education.

Hilltop receives many generous donations of support, both locally and nationally. Twice, the school has received the prestigious Ursula Thrush Peace Seed Grant, named in honor of a noted Montessori educator who worked toward peace education throughout her lifetime. The school has also received two grants from the Whole Kids Foundation for our edible gardens and the apiary. Recent grants include support from CSX Transportation through the Healthy Kids Initiative. Previous donations have come through The Daniel Foundation, The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, USAmeribank, Regions Bank, Vulcan Materials, and private donations.

Monthly opportunities for parent interaction involve our whole community in the learning process and encourage family participation, creating a healthy relationship among students, educators, and the home. Many parents serve the school through volunteer opportunities, including assistance with fundraising, participation with family events, and work in the classrooms. Parents of Montessori students are encouraged to become involved participants in their children’s education. Hilltop Montessori School’s stakeholders vary and include grandparents, alumni, board, parents, and the community of Birmingham.