Home - The International Montessori School

IMS creates an innovative, Dual-Language Montessori community that fosters the full development of each child.

Welcome to IMS!

IMS creates an innovative, Dual-Language Montessori community that fosters the full development of each child. In 2002, the idea of opening a school that offered each child the opportunity to reach his or her own potential without limits through the Montessori curriculum in a Dual-Language setting was a dream. Today, we know that this unique approach to learning and developing does indeed give our children exactly what we dreamt about, and so much more than we imagined. It is a joy to witness the sheer volume of possibilities the Montessori environment enables for each child, and to hear the natural mix of English and Putonghua ringing out in the hallways and classrooms at IMS.

About IMS

Choosing a school for your child may feel like an overwhelming decision! The good news is that the Montessori curriculum at IMS can make all the difference to your child’s ability to successfully navigate our ever-changing world.

Authentic Montessori
Dual-Language
Passionate Team
Motivated Learning

Authentic Montessori

The Montessori education method was developed over years of research in classrooms, discovering how children learned and developed. The Montessori curriculum is customised to meet the developmental needs of the child each step of the way. Your child has the opportunity to explore their own passions, while being guided to develop the needed skills which sets them up for success later in life!

Maria Montessori
The Montessori Method for was developed over a hundred years ago by Italian physician and anthropologist, Dr. Maria Montessori (1870-1952). Dr. Montessori was the first woman in Italy to receive a medical degree and came to be involved with young children in state hospitals.
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Developmentally Appropriate
This unique approach embraces children’s curiosity and allows them to learn in a natural way through exploration, experimentation, and collaboration.
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Individualised & Social
The highly social atmosphere of the Montessori environment stems from a unique combination of freedom and structure founded on mutual trust. The Montessori curriculum is customised to the unique needs of each individual child and their stage of development.
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Prepared Environment
When a child first enters a Montessori environment, they often react with delight because “this is ‘just right’ for me!” Everything is scaled to the child’s size, including furniture, utensils, cleaning implements, and the Montessori materials themselves.
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Outcomes: Montessori Works!
Montessori prepares children to succeed and prosper no matter what path they choose. Montessori kids make up such a large percentage of the top levels of business and the arts that some joke about a “Montessori Mafia”!
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Admissions
Choosing a school for your child may feel like an overwhelming decision! The good news is that Montessori can make all the difference to your child’s ability to successfully navigate our ever-changing world.
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Dual-Language

At IMS, the children are completely immersed in a truly dual-language Montessori environment. Each classroom is guided by two teachers, one a Putonghua-speaker and one an English-speaker who exclusively speak their native language to the children. The children are exposed to speaking, listening, reading and writing from the earliest ages in both English and Chinese, very naturally. Children are constantly picking up new vocabulary from their teacher and their peers in both languages.

In the Elementary programme, children attend separate small group Chinese lessons based on their ability. These lessons allow them to learn new vocabulary and skills to reinforce later in their dual-language classroom.

Speak, Read, & Write in Chinese
IMS is a Dual-Language School, where Chinese culture and language are integrated throughout every aspect of the child’s experience. Every classroom, from Foundation to Upper Elementary, is guided by two teachers, one who always addresses the children in English while the other always speaks Putonghua.
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Chinese in the Early Years
The young child craves language to be able to communicate and describe the world. Spoken language is the foundation for all creation of language in the child, and opens the door for all future learning.
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Chinese STEAM in Elementary
The Chinese language curriculum in the IMS Elementary Programme is specifically designed to cater to children across a broad spectrum of abilities, including those children who join us in Elementary from other schools.
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Benefits of Bilingualism
If you have the gift of bilingualism in your home, we encourage you to pass this on to your child.
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Passionate Team

From the very foundation of IMS, every single member of staff has been carefully chosen to ensure this nurturing environment continue, and that each child experiences the same opportunity to grow and develop into their own best self, naturally. Today, our community of teaching staff hails from all corners of the world.

Our Team's Perspective
The Montessori teacher finds the key to motivate your child to unlock their potential. This unique approach to learning assures discovery and becoming our best self is part of what we do every day.
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Come Join Us
Come live and work in Asia’s most dynamic city! IMS provides a fulfilling teaching environment in a supportive and engaged community. With four campuses on Hong Kong Island, IMS is a committed, authentic Montessori Dual-Language school.
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Commitment to Chinese
IMS has a deep commitment to enable and support each of our children to become able to speak, read and write in Chinese.
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Ongoing Professional Development
This commitment to hiring and training exceptional teachers who are native Putonghua and English speakers.
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Motivated Learning

Children are born with the inner directive to meet their own needs and to learn. Regardless of developmental stage, the opportunity to choose your own activity, to move and work freely within the ground rules, and to work for long blocks of time without interruption assures motivated learning, extending curiosity and creativity. This is learning the Montessori way.

Freedom & Discipline
Freedom means being able to choose what is good for oneself. All people want what is good for themselves, yet freedom also comes with responsibility.
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Importance of Choice
Freedom of choice allows children to choose work that they desire.Children learn more and invest themselves more deeply in their work when they are able to make choices.
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Uninterrupted Work Cycle
Through years of observation around the world, Dr. Montessori found that when longer stretches of time were available for children to pursue activities according to their interests and work independently, the more work happened.
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Prepares Children for Success
Try to imagine what the world will look like 20 years from now. What sorts of jobs are going to be available? What skills will be needed? That is the world that we are preparing our children for today.
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Our Programmes

When we first started IMS in 2002, we operated out of a small, cozy campus in Wan Chai. Back then, as the first AMI Montessori Elementary school in Greater China, we felt privileged to be able to offer Montessori programmes to support the joyful development of children. All of our Montessori programmes fully support a natural, developmentally appropriate approach to learning that is intrinsically motivating, and encourages a life characterised by the joyous pursuit of knowledge.

Join Our Community

Thinking of joining the IMS community? We would be delighted to have you! We host numerous admissions events throughout the year to allow future IMS parents to see our campuses and ask any questions they may have. Read more for a guide through the admissions process, a schedule of upcoming admissions events, and answers to frequently asked admission questions.

I wish I had gone to a school like this!

– IMS Parent-

Hear from Our Community

Leung Family

When we sent our first child to IMS nine years ago, we were only expecting a fantastic education for our children. What we didn't expect was for IMS to be so much more than that - a loving community, a priceless support system, and a family that the five of us treasure being a part of.

Zhao Family

蒙特梭利學校像一位慈祥的母親，她包容和愛著每一個孩子；她經常撫摸著鼓勵著孩子們，讓孩子們的心靈感受到激動與喜悅；她用綿綿春雨般的愛滋潤著孩子們的心靈…使每位孩子都充滿著自信！

Chiu Family

“We love IMS as it’s a positive, thriving, engaging educational experience. We’re constantly learning to be better, wiser, kinder people and IMS is the perfect breeding ground for all the ‘life skills we need.”

Wong Family

"The multi-age classroom has sparked our eldest to lead by example at home with the twins. It's amazing to see how our kids transform and build confidence in their communication (English and Mandarin) and independence from IMS!"

Chan Family

"We chose IMS because of its strong Chinese programme. Due to the Chinese heritage of our children, learning Mandarin was essential to our family. Seeing our children's enthusiasm when going to school is a rewarding experience."

Baumlin Family

"Both our children love going to school. It's such a delight to witness the excitement to learn, achieve a goal and grow. It does feel they are on the right track to become lifelong learners, which is the best I can wish for them."

Yip Family

“Being part of IMS has changed my approach to parenting. I have learned not to explain the WHYs and the HOWs, but allow my girls to assess situations, and as a result, they have become analytical and self-motivated.”

Coory Family

“I don't remember ever feeling that I loved my teachers or loved to learn when I was a kid at school. But this is what our kids say repeatedly, so the school is definitely doing something right!”

Ted Waechter, Alumni

“IMS education is built on the affirmation that students questions are valid, and that they are more than capable of figuring out answers to those questions.”

Hillary Yip, Alumni

“Being in IMS was actually one of the happiest times I had in school and I realized is that it has more parallels with real life than any other environment.”

Coco Liu, Librarian

"Everyone in IMS community is valued for their diverse backgrounds, experience, knowledge, interests and accomplishments." 「在IMS的大家庭裡，我們互相學習，共同分享，一起進步。」

Eddie Zhou, Chinese Elementary Teacher

「當蒙特梭利遇上中文，為孩子開啟新的大門。很高興在ims和一群有理想，有天賦，有個性的老師們為孩子的茁壯成長貢獻力量！」

Chris Zhao, Chinese Elementary Teacher

「加入IMS的大家庭已經六年了，我不斷發現著小朋友們的學習興趣及潛能，也在和他們一同成長。」

Spotlight on IMS Life

IMS Life Highlights is our hub that we regularly update with everything from our children’s latest projects, to PTA and community events. Click through to keep up with latest happenings, and see how this special curriculum manifests in our children’s lives.

The International Montessori School

Welcome to IMS!