American International Montessori School is a Montessori Curriculum school in Berkeley, United States. Founded in 2009. Annual tuition ranges from $1,000 to $33,000 USD.
Location & Getting There
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Key Details
Key facts
About
American International Montessori School (AIM) is a bilingual Montessori day school in Berkeley, California, serving children from 18 months through Grade 6 across two campuses. Founded in 2009 by Ernest Mahr, AIM offers full language immersion in Japanese and Mandarin alongside an authentic Montessori curriculum in Infant Community, Children's House, and Elementary programs. The school emphasises social-emotional development, multilingual fluency, and hands-on learning in a nurturing, culturally rich environment.
School data verified by NanaSays. Last updated: April 2026.
Why Families Choose
AIM is a bilingual Montessori day school offering full language immersion in Japanese and Mandarin from 18 months through Grade 6. Two campuses host distinct language tracks (Japanese and Chinese), with native-speaking, Montessori-trained teachers across every classroom. The program requires a multi-year enrollment commitment to ensure continuity of immersion, and about half of students arrive with no prior exposure to the target language yet become conversational within approximately three years.
Fees & Financials
| Grade / Year | Annual Fee |
|---|---|
| Elementary Full-Day | USD 29,000 |
| Children's House Full-Day | USD 29,200 |
| Children's House Half-Day | USD 26,500 |
| Infant Community Full-Day | USD 33,000 |
| Infant Community Half-Day | USD 29,200 |
Original currency: USD 1,000 - 33,000. Application fee: $1,000.
Admissions Process
- 1Fill out the inquiry form — admissions team responds within 2-3 business days. 2. Attend Open House. 3. Submit an application and schedule a parent tour. 4. Receive invitation for IC or CH — when a spot opens, the admissions team arranges an expectation meeting (IC) or child visit (CH); admissions decision emailed within 2-3 weeks. 5. Enrollment commitment and waiting pool — AIM requires a minimum enrollment commitment through 6 years old for IC/CH and a three-year commitment for Elementary.
Admissions Details
The school uses a Waiting Pool System rather than a traditional waiting list. Families are added to the waiting pool upon receipt of the completed application form and fee. The pool balances classroom composition; if more than two families are suitable for the program, the order of application submission is respected.
School Day
AIM is open from 8:00am to 6:00pm, Monday through Friday, with half-day (3-year-olds only), full day and extended day schedules available. Extended care is subject to availability.
Student Life
Food preparation is part of Infant Community. Two children have the opportunity to prepare the vegetables that will be served for lunch, and they push the food cart to the kitchen where chefs cook lunch. The lunch ritual starts with pre-lunch words or a short song in both Japanese and Chinese. Infant Community tuition is inclusive of daily hot lunch.
Facilities & Programmes
Wellbeing & Safety
Mental wellbeing is supported through social and executive skills development. The elementary program builds in autonomy, responsibility, and collaboration through weekly work plans and group activities, fostering persistence, time management, and sustained attention. The preschool program emphasizes social skills like empathy, respect, and positive interaction, while the Infant Community teaches self-regulation and appropriate social behavior.
Student Demographics
School Background
Founded by Ernest Mahr in 2009; privately operated.