Academics


TMS has garnered a reputation for creating an extraordinary learning environment. Throughout the School, from the youngest learners in the Toddler Program to alumni who return again and again to visit, students are passionately engaged in their academic pursuits and committed to improving the world around them.

How does TMS create such an exceptional learning experience? The answer lies in our unique combination of two world-leading educational philosophies: Montessori and International Baccalaureate.

Up to Grade 6, the curriculum is based on the core premise of a Montessori education: that students need to drive their own learning. Using materials and processes that make abstract ideas concrete, students initiate their learning and can assess their own progress. This balance between the freedom and responsibility of a child produces highly competent learners who are self-reliant and self-disciplined.

Then, from Grade 7 onward, students are immersed in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme. Cultivating a full spectrum of human capabilities, the IB focuses on student-led inquiry, a balanced academic program and active citizenship. IB learners develop traits and skills essential for success in a complex and interconnected world, such as creative problem solving, open mindedness, commitment to others and the ability to adopt multiple perspectives.


The continuum from Montessori to IB works so well because both focus on a series of common influences on student achievement such as:

  • Support: Customized support for students’ learning strengths or needs
  • Feedback: Ongoing verbal and written feedback about the student’s learning
  • Relationships: Student comfort in feeling known and trusting their teachers
  • Self-reflection: Student understanding of how they learn
  • Problem-solving: Experience with authentic problems that stimulate creative solutions
  • Growth mindset: TMS creates the conditions for decision making, “safe fail” and problem solving

The research on best practices for student achievement clearly supports TMS’ united Montessori-IB approach.

kids with honey