History

In the mid- 1960’s, Margo Rossano was looking for an exceptional preschool in the Bellevue area but could not find one. After attending a series of lectures at Seattle University given by E.M. Standing (Maria Montessori’s biographer), she decided that she would open a Montessori school to fulfill the need.

Bellevue Montessori School opened in 1966 as the first Montessori school on Seattle’s Eastside.  The school began in a small two-room house in downtown Bellevue.  As more parents learned about this amazing method of education the need for a larger school became apparent.

In the early 1970s, Mrs. Rossano selected a new site for a now larger Bellevue Montessori School. The school was designed specifically to be a Montessori school and opened in its new location in the fall of 1972. Several years later Mrs. Rossano added a second building to the site.  This building, which houses two large classrooms, is named the Treehouse for its beautiful treed setting.

Margo Rossano was a leader of Montessori education in the Northwest. She established the Montessori Teacher College Northwest to train teachers when a respected teacher training program at Seattle University had ended. Mrs. Rossano attended and presented papers at conferences in the west and mid-west as well as visiting Montessori Schools in Europe and Asia. Training, mentoring and employing the directors at several large Montessori Schools, Mrs. Rossano’s influence in the greater Seattle area is broad and revered.

In 1975, a program for Montessori elementary education was started and now serves children from kindergarten through sixth grade. The elementary building is located adjacent to Hidden Valley Park at the Rossano Campus.

Bellevue Montessori School continues to open its doors as a training school for future Montessori teachers. Students from Montessori training programs all over the greater Seattle area desire to intern here. 



Working for a year under the guidance of experienced teachers furthers the training of these interns and provides them with a strong foundation from which to launch their new careers.  Moreover, interns bring their newfound knowledge, eagerness and excitement to Bellevue Montessori School classrooms.

A premier school, Bellevue Montessori School has served as a model for the Montessori community. For many years Bellevue Montessori School was accredited by Montessori Schools Accreditation Council (MSAC), which has since been merged into the American Montessori Society. After a detailed review by the American Montessori Society in 2012, Bellevue Montessori School was accredited by the American Montessori Society, a distinction we share with only eleven other schools in the state of Washington.