St. Paul’s Episcopal Montessori School was founded in 2005 by Kay Karcher Mijangos, a Montessori guide with 30 years of classroom experience and a dream to bring Montessori to underprivileged children in San Antonio. As Mijangos set out to make her dream a reality, one very generous family at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church was busy making possible the renovation of the education building that previously had been unoccupied. Thus, St. Paul’s Episcopal Montessori School (St. Paul’s) was born. In January 2005, St. Paul’s opened its doors with five students and a firm commitment to teach any student who wanted a Montessori education in the Episcopal tradition. Today, St. Paul’s is a beacon in education, attracting more than 100 children, ranging in age from 18 months to 12 years, from across San Antonio to the historic Government Hill neighborhood. It is expected that enrollment at St. Paul’s will increase to more than 250 students in the next five years.

Children at St. Paul’s are prepared for life by learning respect for self, others, and their environment. They experience beautifully crafted surroundings, a wonderfully diverse community, and highly specialized staff to develop at their own pace utilizing authentic, proven Montessori methods. In this way, the child’s inner teacher is awakened, and a discipline that is rare in our hectic world is formed, as the child embarks upon his or her own quest towards a life-long love of knowledge. To nurture this process, St. Paul’s curriculum promotes a broad range of experiences for children’s absorbent minds and includes one of the city’s premier music programs. St. Paul’s enjoys a long-standing history of accomplishment; however, its most important work always has been and will be empowering children to make their own way in the world as human beings who desire to serve rather than to be served.

Exploring the world Toddler Classroom students work with their Guide in the school’s gardens.