Frequently Asked Questions

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Our program is designed to be inclusive of children from later preschool through early elementary school. On average, the age range of students best served is 4-8 years old. Due to a wide range of developmental variability in young children, students as young as 3, and as old as 10, may enjoy the benefits of our non-traditional approach to early and elementary learning, and parents may find that it is of great value for their children's needs. 

To enroll in Monterey Bay Scholars Academy, visit our enrollment page and fill out the application form. Once we receive your application, we will contact you to schedule an interview and discuss the next steps.

As a micro-school, students will enjoy the benefits of a very small class size, typically with no more than 6-10 students. This allows for more personalized attention and interaction between students and instructors. 

If there is a wide age gap between students in the program, there will be opportunities for the class to be divided into groups, in order to provide focused, developmentally-tailored instruction.

Interacting with older children provides younger students with natural role models, accelerating their language, social, and motor skills. It also promotes a broader community environment where younger children can receive informal mentoring and learn how to navigate diverse relationships in a less competitive, more supportive setting.

Benefits for Younger Children

• Advanced Skill Modeling: Younger children naturally observe and imitate the behaviors, vocabulary, and problem-solving strategies of their older peers, which encourages them to stretch their own abilities.
• Increased Motivation: Watching older children accomplish tasks can inspire younger ones and motivate them to try new, more complex activities.
• Enhanced Social Skills: Interacting with older peers helps younger children learn social cues, emotional regulation, and conflict resolution at an earlier stage.
• Built-In Mentorship: Younger children often gain "big brother or sister" figures who can offer help, answer questions, and ease the anxiety of navigating school. 

Mutual Benefits (For Both Younger and Older)

• Less Competition and More Play: Mixed-age environments tend to focus less on comparing students and more on collaborative, imaginative play.
• Stronger Empathy: Older children learn patience, care, and responsibility by interacting with younger peers, while younger children feel a deeper sense of belonging and community.
• Reinforced Learning: When older children explain concepts to younger ones, they deepen their own understanding and build leadership skills. 

If you are looking for a non-traditional school which promotes individuality over conformity, creativity over standardization, and social-emotional

development over academic rigor, the Monterey Bay Scholars Academy may be a good fit for your family. If you are looking for an alternative to the public school system, at a price point which is more attainable than other private schools, and an educational environment which supports a growth mindset for young children, that is what we offer at the Academy. 

We support thinking outside the box. We do not utilize screens for learning.

We believe that there are abundant opportunities for learning and growing outside of classrooms. 

We believe that young children thrive in a learning environment which feels safe, secure, and supportive.

We are raising the next generation of free and independent thinkers, who ask questions, think critically, create, and innovate.