Our School/Mission

Our Diversity Statement

Thacher Montessori School is committed to developing all of its academic, extracurricular, and external programming through an actionable lens of equity and inclusion and to ensuring that every member of the Thacher community experiences an authentic sense of belonging. Grounded in our Core Values, Thacher deeply respects our community’s differences and shared experiences. race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, cognitive and physical ability, family composition, and socioeconomic status are central elements of the diverse human experience. Thacher Montessori School is devoted to cultivating and sustaining a welcoming and open environment that empowers individuals and groups to celebrate their culture, heritage, and identity. As a Community, we are committed to acknowledging and addressing historic inequities that exist in our society as we prepare our students to be conscious and concerned citizens of the world. It is important that we live these values daily at Thacher as they are important to the identity and sustainability of our community. Furthermore, we acknowledge that these commitments must be ongoing, practiced with urgency, and refined on a regular basis. We believe this continuous learning and collective work is our responsibility as global citizens and as a 21st-century educational institution.

Non-Discrimination Statement

Thacher is a nonsectarian Montessori school that admits qualified students of any race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, or any other status protected by applicable law, and extends to them all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at Thacher. Thacher does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, or any other status protected by applicable law in the administration of its admissions, scholarships, and loans, and its educational, athletic, and other programs.

Follow us through the years by clicking on the dates below.

- 1971 – Following her dream, educator Maureen Coughlan opened Thacher Montessori School in the Thacher Building, owned by the Town of Milton. The first class of 20 children attended during a morning session.
- 1973 – Thacher grew to 40 children – in both morning and afternoon sessions.
- 1974 – Thacher moved to three rooms located in Curry College. Thacher expanded to 60 students at this point. Within a year, there were 80 children in Children’s House.
- 1975 – A Junior I (Lower Elementary) program began, adding students one year at a time.
- 1977 – Maureen Coughlan transitioned to a non-teaching Head of School role, as required by the OFC. The school moved to Curry’s basement and began planning for a Junior II (Upper Elementary) classroom.
- 1979 – Three days away from closing because Curry College needed their space back, Thacher was granted a temporary extension. Over the 5-day Thanksgiving break, staff members moved the entire contents of the school to a new location at Cunningham Jr. High School in Milton.
- 1981 – Thacher moved upstairs in the Cunningham building with staff once again renovating three Primary (Children’s House), one Junior (Lower Elementary), and one Junior II (Upper Elementary) classrooms.
- 1984 – Thacher added a second Junior 1 (Lower Elementary) classroom.
- 1985 – Cunningham needed more space, so Thacher moved downstairs. After painting walls and applying polyurethane to the floors, the Milton Superintendent of School gave a 3-year notice to vacate. Fundraising began in earnest for land and a permanent home for Thacher.
- 1987 – Thacher purchased land at 1425 Blue Hill Avenue and plans began for a new school building with four Primary (Children’s House), two Junior I (Lower Elementary), and one Junior II (Upper Elementary) classrooms.
- 1989 – In March, the ground was broken and in August construction of the new school building was completed. The bank would only finance three Primary (Children’s House) classrooms, to the dismay of the community, but the new building was perfect for Montessori environments.
- 1991 – The school continued to grow, building an additional classroom (that is now Lower Elementary A) and converting a storage room into a hallway.
- 1993 – Thacher continued to grow, and more construction happened. We added an Activity Center (Gym), Art Room, and the Science Room. These additions gave students more dedicated space for physical education and other activities.
- 1996 – The Thacher community celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1996, burying a time capsule intended to be unearthed in 2021 on the 50th anniversary.
- 1996 – Maureen Coughlan retired after 26 years at Thacher, and Pat Thompson became Head of School.
- 2002 – Pat Thompson retired as Head of School to return to the classroom. Charles Terranova took over as the third Head of School at Thacher.
- 2003 – The Adolescent Program began. The first class consisted of two students in a cubicle in the Upper Elementary classroom.
- 2004 – A modular unit was added to the school to accommodate the Adolescent Program and allow for the addition of a fourth Children’s House classroom, and two portable classrooms.
- 2005 – Fred Catlin came to Thacher as the fourth Head of School.
- 2007 – Plans were underway for the second-floor addition.
- 2008 – In spite of the summer being incredibly rainy, which damaged the ground floor, classes began only one day behind schedule in September 2008. The 2nd-floor addition created space to double the library, add two Upper Elementary classrooms, the Middle School, the Science Lab, Green House, and a Music Studio.
- 2009 – The 2008 construction, allowed space for us to add the Toddler program.
- 2012 – Toddler and Children’s House Recognized by Association Montessori Internationale.
- 2013 – Don Grace appointed 5th Head of School.
- 2014 – Installation of a new turf field in the playground.
- 2016 & 2017 – BPS Girls Basketball Champions
- 2018 – Deba Dunn appointed 6th Head of School. We were voted #1 Family Favorite Award by Boston Parents Paper.
- 2019 – Online tour of a typical day at Thacher.

Our School/Mission

Natural Light, Easy Access to the Outdoors, and a Floor Plan that Facilitates Purposeful Work

Facilities

Our Mission

Our Diversity Statement

Non-Discrimination Statement

Thacher Montessori School Values

Follow us through the years by clicking on the dates below.

1970's

1980's

1990's

2000's

2010's