Kindergarten - 8th Grade Enrollment
Kindergarten - 8th Grade
As a Minnesota public charter school, OHMCS is proud to offer tuition-free authentic Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) education for all children ages Kindergarten-8th grade. Each year, under Minnesota state law, OHMCS’s Upper School Annual Enrollment Process starts with an open enrollment window for the upcoming school year. During this window we offer enrollment for Kindergarten and any potential open spots in grades 1-8. The enrollment capacity for each grade is determined by the OHMCS Board of Directors prior to the start of the open enrollment window for each year.
Timeline for Enrollment
Upper School Enrollment Timeline
2025/2026 Important Dates
The open enrollment window for the 2025-2026 school year took place from Friday, January 3rd, 2025 9:00 AM to Friday, January 24th, 2025 4:00 PM.
The lottery was held on Monday, February 3rd at 10:00 AM and applicants for all grades participated in the lottery.
Leading up to the open enrollment period, tours were offered for prospective families to learn more about OHMCS.
Students now applying after the open enrollment window will be added to the waitlist in the order their enrollment was received.
2026/2027 Important Dates
The open enrollment window for the 2026/2027 school year will take place during the first 3 weeks of January 2026.
The lottery will take place the first week in February.
Group tours for interested families will begin in December 2025.
Check back here in November 2025 for tour dates and exact open enrollment and lottery dates.
Upper School Enrollment Process
1- Attend An Optional Group Tour (Sign Up Required)
In December and January of each year, our enrollment team hosts a series of group tours for families interested in Upper School enrollment for the following school year.
2 - Complete the online application form during the open enrollment window,
The open enrollment window is open the first three weeks in January each year.
During that window, families interested in enrolling in Kindergarten - 8th Grade at Oak Hill Montessori Community school for the following school year must fill out the Upper School application form.
As long as a student's application form is received during the open enrollment window, time and date of submission do not offer any preferential treatment.
Please note:
Kindergarten applicants must be five years of age on or before September 1st, 2025.
Students placed on the previous year’s waitlist that are interested in enrolling for following school year, must reapply each year.
3- Participate in the Lottery Process
If there are more applications submitted during the open enrollment window than the number of spots available, Oak Hill Montessori Community School will hold a random and equitable public lottery for applicable grades. This lottery process will determine the order in which enrollment offers are made.
Students applying during the open enrollment window will be notified after the window closes if their grade level will be included in the lottery process.
The lottery is held the first week in February each year in the OHMCS Executive Director Office and is open to the public.
The lottery determines which students receive offers of enrollment and also determines the waitlist order for each grade.
Please note: For the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 school years, all grades (Kindergarten - 8th grade) were included in the lottery.
4 - Receive Offer of Enrollment or Notification of Waitlist Status
Enrollment Offers
Students made offers of enrollment will receive an enrollment offer via email the week following the lottery. Each offer will include an expiration date and will need to be accepted or declined within the time allowed. If declined, the offer will move to the next child on the waiting list.
Once a student accepts an offer of enrollment, they will continue to be a student of OHMCS through their 8th grade year, unless they choose to withdraw.
Waitlist
Students placed on the waitlist will be notified of their waitlist status via email the week following the lottery. They will be provided a link to the Public Facing Waitlist so that they may monitor their position on the list.
Please note that students can move both up and down the waitlist after initial publication. This can be due to declined offers and/or sibling and staff preference eligibility changes.
5 - Applying After The Open Enrollment Window
Students may continue to apply after the open enrollment window has closed. If at the time of enrollment, there are openings, students will be offered enrollment in order of the applications received. If capacity has been reached, new applicants will be placed on the waitlist in the order their application was received.
Enroll for the 2025/2026 School Year
2025/2026 School Year Enrollment
The open enrollment window for the 2025/2026 school year closed at 4:00 pm on Friday, January 24th, 2025. All grades are currently at capacity.
For those wanting to join the waitlist, you may still fill out the Upper School Online Application Form.
Students applying at this time will be added to our waitlist in the order their application is received.
2025/2026 Upper School Waitlist
The 2025/2026 public facing waitlist for Kindergarten-8th Grade can be found here.
More information about Association Montessori Internationale and Minnesota charter schools can be found below:
Non-Discrimination Statement, Legal Disclosures and Enrollment Preference
Oak Hill Montessori Community School’s Kindergarten – 8th grade levels are publicly-funded school programs. The enrollment process may not consider eligibility based on intellectual ability, aptitude, measurement of achievement, athletic ability or any other specific characteristic of children whose enrollment application is received in a timely manner.
No child will be denied admission to OHMCS on the basis of gender, religion, ethnicity, or intellectual or physical ability. Students from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
Per Minnesota State law, Oak Hill Montessori Community School may not give preference to students currently enrolled in the tuition-based Pre-K program at OHMCS. Families wanting their child to continue their education at OHMCS must participate in the above enrollment process along with all other students.
As required in Minnesota Statutes, section 124E.11, Oak Hill Montessori Community School must offer preferential enrollment to siblings of students currently enrolled in Upper School (grades K-8) and to foster children of currently enrolled Upper School families. Sibling preference does not apply to siblings of students currently enrolled in the Lower School (Toddler or Pre-K programs).
As allowed for in Minnesota Statutes, section 124E.11, Oak Hill Montessori Community School offers preferential enrollment to children of all permanently employed school staff.
Oak Hill Montessori Community School is proud to be an AMI accredited school, the original organization created by Dr. Maria Montessori in 1929. All lead teachers are licensed teachers who have completed their AMI Certification in addition to a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Why Montessori Matters
Montessori education is designed to support the whole child—academically, socially, and emotionally. Grounded in more than a century of research and real-world success, the Montessori method helps children become independent thinkers, capable collaborators, and lifelong learners.
Studies show that Montessori students often demonstrate stronger executive function skills, greater intrinsic motivation, and higher levels of academic achievement and well-being compared to peers in traditional settings. With mixed-age classrooms and hands-on materials, Montessori environments foster curiosity, concentration, and confidence—empowering children to take ownership of their learning.
What is a charter school?
Charter schools in Minnesota are public, tuition-free, and open to all. They operate independently under a charter—a performance contract—with an authorizing organization (an authorizer) that holds them accountable for academic and operational excellence. Oak Hill Montessori Community School is proud to be authorized by MOCHa (Minnesota Office of Charter Authorizing). MOCHa helps ensure that our school stays aligned with authentic Montessori principles while meeting the rigorous standards of public education.
Our Mission
Our Vision
Preparing every student for tomorrow by nurturing the love of learning today.
Creating a space for students, families, and community members to thrive as they collaborate to learn, to celebrate, and to serve one another.
Our Values
Independent thinking and self-reliance through purposeful work
Inclusivity in our community and a sense of belonging for all
Compassion for others and the environment around us
A vision for peace through social change
“We needed a change from homeschooling for 6 years, and Oak Hill was the perfect fit. It's a smaller caring community of parents and teachers, paired with the perfect balance of confidence boosting & challenging academics. I'm sad it only goes until 8th grade! Highly recommend.”
-Oak Hill Montessori Community School Parent