FAQ

The exact number of siblings and faculty/staff applicants varies in any given year, but generally a little less than half of the class will consist of siblings and faculty/staff children. Sibling and faculty/staff applicants are screened in November and are evaluated using the same process, procedures, and criteria as all other applicants.

Kindergarten students spend approximately ½ of their day in their homeroom with the kindergarten teachers. Some subject-specific teachers travel to the kindergarten room. When kindergarten students do travel to a class, they are escorted by the kindergarten teachers during the first few weeks of school. In a matter of weeks, they are quite comfortable on the campus and know their way around campus very well. We see them high-fiving their 5th and 8th grade Buddy Bears in the hallways all the time.

MTS families live in many neighborhoods from San Francisco to Novato and come from 26 different zip codes. Approximately 50% of MTS families reside in Mill Valley and roughly 15% of families live in San Francisco. Approximately 10% of MTS families live in Tiburon/Belvedere. Roughly 6% of families live in San Rafael. Less than 5% live in Corte Madera, Greenbrae, Kentfield, Larkspur, Marin City, Novato, Ross, San Anselmo, and Sausalito.

Absolutely. The school seeks to honor the diversity of our community in many ways, including socio-economic, family backgrounds, student learning profiles, geography, family structure, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religious affiliation, professional affinities, physical abilities, and so on. We work to raise culturally conscious students by applying a lens of equity and inclusion to our curriculum, emphasizing the need for justice in our local and global community. Twenty-nine percent of our student body identifies as students of color. We are committed to significantly increasing the number of families, students, faculty, and staff that continue to grow the many identities within our community.

Many of our students ride the bus, with almost 100% ridership from our San Francisco families. We have 4 different buses, which serve families living from San Francisco to San Rafael, and many places in between. Our San Francisco bus leaves MTS at 3:30 pm and then returns to campus at 4:40 pm for the late bus route. Students who stay for after-school sports or enrichment classes can take the late bus, which operates Monday–Friday. Limited transportation for Mill Valley families is also available via van service.

There are so many ways to be involved at MTS, and we welcome your participation. Whether on campus helping in specific classrooms (art, library), running hot lunch, working in the garden, or volunteering at an annual event, we welcome your time and talent. Families can help from home by being a room parent, joining a committee, or supporting outreach efforts. All families are part of our Parent Association and our Parent Association President and Class Parents coordinate parent sign-ups throughout the year.

School starts at 8:15 am. Students are welcome to arrive as early as 7:30 am for time in our covered courtyard. At 7:45 am, the rest of the campus is open for students to play outside, and homerooms open at 8:05 am. Dismissal is staggered as follows:

• Kindergarten: 2:45 pm
• Grades 1-5: 3:00 pm
• Grades 6-8: 3:15 pm

Each day after the last bell rings, we offer a range of options for students to continue learning on campus. Daily after care, enrichment classes, athletics, and instrumental lessons extend the school day on campus. A wide variety of enrichment classes are offered after school Monday–Friday in 45-minute sessions and classes change each trimester. Enrichment classes are taught by outside professionals as well as the MTS arts faculty.

In after care, younger students play on the playground, blacktop, field, and spend time together inside. Students in 5th–8th grade are invited to stay on campus, free of charge until 4:00 pm, to participate in Study Hall to complete homework or to meet with teachers during their office hours.

After Care is available until 6:00 PM Monday-Friday and is billed at $1,500 per semester for unlimited use. Daily drop-in after care is also available. Families receiving financial assistance are billed at the same rate as their prorated tuition percentage. 

Yes, cross-country is offered in the fall for 3rd–8th grade students and volleyball is offered for 6th–8th graders. We field winter basketball teams for 4th–8th grade. Spring sports include track & field for 3rd–8th grade, as well as 2nd and 3rd grade basketball teams.

MTS students are introduced to singing, music, rhythm instruments, and drama games in kindergarten. In the first, second, third and fourth grades, students attend drama classes once a week where they are encouraged to perform within small groups and are gradually prepared for participating in the Winter Play. By fifth grade, the students have been exposed to multiple performance opportunities, both inside the classroom and on the main stage. Their experience and participation in drama and music classes every week build their confidence and help eliminate performance fears; virtually every student enthusiastically seeks the chance to be on stage.

The instrumental music program at MTS provides many opportunities for students. In our general music program, students in the lower grades begin to learn about matching pitch and understanding the music staff through play based activities and performance on the xylophones. Second graders use boomwhackers to start reading notes on the music staff. Third graders dive deeper into note reading skills by learning to play the recorder. Beginning in the fourth grade, students are encouraged to take  private lessons on flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, strings, guitar, and drums. Our school ensembles include Junior Band for fourth and fifth graders, Concert Band for students who have been studying their instrument for two or more years, String Ensemble, and Jazz Band for more advanced students. We also have an after school Rock Band option. Our ensembles perform in the Fall and Spring Concerts and in the Instrumental Concert in May. Instrumentalists and vocalists are also invited to perform in our recitals in the winter and the spring.

We partner with an off site lunch provider, Choice Lunch, allowing families to pre order lunches online that are delivered to the school. Some students use this service, others bring lunch from home, and some do both over the course of a week.

We are a nut aware campus, meaning that our #1 priority is always to keep our students safe. Families share information about student allergies and we develop a flexible plan, depending on the severity and student’s grade level, that can change over time. To support all of our students, we ask that families not send in food to share with others (birthday treats, celebration snacks, etc.).

Absolutely. We value socio-economic diversity and encourage families to apply for financial assistance should they feel affording the full tuition is out of reach. Over 20% of families at MTS receive financial assistance.

Yes, we support a range of learners at MTS. We have a lower school learning specialist who works with our kindergarten-fourth grade students and an upper school learning specialist who works with our 5th-8th grade students. Our specialists work directly with our faculty to ensure class time meets the needs of neurodiverse learners while highlighting the strengths of all students.

Yes, our school counselor works with our students in the classroom during morning social-emotional learning time (in addition to other opportunities). Our counselor supports the faculty and students by offering perspective and guidance as our children go through the natural stages of adolescent development.

By design, our students are asked to analyze the power of action, and recognize that their voices can promote social, political, and communal change. Throughout the year, each grade level leads the school in a social justice initiative for the local community, such as fundraising for a specific cause, organizing a food or supply drive, or partnering with a senior center. Our 5th graders take a leadership role in these projects, helping younger students understand the importance of working together to help individuals and communities grow stronger. Our middle school students identify organizations they will work with independently as part of the middle school service learning commitment in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade.