City Country School

City Country School: American Montessori School in Madrid

City Country School is the only Montessori-accredited school in Europe for children aged 3 to 16 years old. City Country is a small bilingual American school founded in 2012 by a Spanish-American mother of twins, who wanted to create an enticing learning environment in which children could be themselves and experience success through experimentation, collaboration, hard work and determination.

The Montessori Method

The Montessori method of education was developed by an Italian physician named Maria Montessori in the early 20th century. In 1929, the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) was created to safeguard the principles established by Dr Montessori, gathered from her extensive work and scientific observation of children.

Montessori education is student-led and self-paced but guided, assessed, and enriched by knowledgeable and caring teachers, the leadership of their peers and a nurturing environment.

Within the community of a multi-age classroom — designed to create natural opportunities for independence, citizenship, and accountability — children embrace multi-sensory learning and passionate inquiry. The children follow their curiosity at their own pace and meet individualised learning goals.

City Country School Programme

The school is divided into the Children’s House for 2.5 to 6 years old, the Lower Elementary programme for 6 to 9 years old, the Upper Elementary programme for 9 to 12 years old, and an Adolescence Community for 12 to 16 years old. The total number of students in the whole school is approximately 120 children.

There are (at least) two Montessori trained teachers per classroom, with (at least) one native English speaker. The school has its own cook, who makes nutritionally balanced vegetarian lunches completely from scratch in the school’s kitchen everyday, using only fresh organic and seasonal ingredients.

The school offers a wide range of enrichment activities that are part of the curriculum (Aikido, Music, Clay, Experiments, Kitchen, Gardening etc.)

Accreditation

As an American school in Madrid, City Country is recognised by both the educational authorities of the USA through the Middle States Association (MSA) and the Consejería de Educación de la Comunidad de Madrid. Since 2023, City Country School is accredited by the American Montessori Society.

Fees & admissions

Tuition fees are provided upon request. In order to start the enrolment process, families should join one of the school’s Open House days or schedule an individual visit. City Country School has a rolling admission.

The next City Country School Open House will take place on 23rd November 2024, from 12:00 to 14:00 pm at Avenida Juan Andrés 19.

Find out more about International Schools in Madrid and multi-lingual Education across Spain