About
Ruffing Montessori School offers students activities such as soccer, volleyball, basketball, archery, ultimate frisbee, cross country, chess, tennis, playwriting, fencing, choral music, and instrumental music. The program takes place on a three-acre campus that includes a main school building with 13 homerooms, 7 specialized classrooms, shared learning spaces, administrative offices, and the 5,000-square-foot Ruffing Design House, as well as a full gym, basketball court, climbing wall, and archery and pickleball facilities.
• Ages: 1–13 years old
Ruffing Montessori School is the second-oldest Montessori school in the country and educates students from 18 months through the eighth grade using a Montessori curriculum and multi-aged classrooms at all levels. The mission of Ruffing Montessori School is to employ the philosophy and methods of Dr. Maria Montessori to educate young people to their fullest potential, instilling a deep sense of personal independence and social responsibility, with the knowledge that they are citizens of the world who will make decisions based on the highest order of ethics and conscience. The school has 47 experienced faculty members, with Montessori-trained lead teachers in each classroom, and offers Spanish instruction from CH 3 (Kindergarten) through 8th grade, with French as an option in grades 6, 7, and 8. Students have access to state-of-the-art Upper Elementary and Middle School science labs, a comprehensive art program that includes a pottery kiln, and a student technology program beginning in the spring of 3rd grade. The campus is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified and was the first school in Northeast Ohio to achieve this designation, and the school is associated with organizations including ISACS, ISM, OAIS, CCIS, the Ohio Department of Education, the US Green Building Council, and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History Science Resource Center, with NAMTA memberships held by individual teachers.
Athletic teams at Ruffing Montessori School include soccer, volleyball, basketball, archery, ultimate frisbee, and cross country, and enrichment classes include chess, tennis, playwriting, fencing, archery, and more. The school offers choral and instrumental music programs, before and after school care, and weekly service experiences for Middle School students at the local book bank and Medwish. Need-based tuition assistance is available for new and returning families, and admission decisions are need-blind and not affected by a family’s application for financial assistance. Ruffing Montessori School is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization operated by the Fairmount Montessori Association and governed by a Board of Trustees, and it has a non-discrimination policy that covers employment, admissions, educational programs and activities, financial aid programs, and other school-administered programs.
Testimonials from alumni and parents describe experiences at Ruffing Montessori School, including comments from Pulitzer Prize–winning author Anthony Doerr and alum Kate Haffke, as well as statements from Austin Harris, Stacey W., Dixie K., and several Ruffing parents. These testimonials mention critical thinking skills, social skills, support from the Ruffing community, a close-knit environment, joyful and rigorous learning, and shared core values such as treating everyone with respect and kindness and building children’s independence.
Last updated July 2, 2026.
• Ages: 1–13 years old
Ruffing Montessori School is the second-oldest Montessori school in the country and educates students from 18 months through the eighth grade using a Montessori curriculum and multi-aged classrooms at all levels. The mission of Ruffing Montessori School is to employ the philosophy and methods of Dr. Maria Montessori to educate young people to their fullest potential, instilling a deep sense of personal independence and social responsibility, with the knowledge that they are citizens of the world who will make decisions based on the highest order of ethics and conscience. The school has 47 experienced faculty members, with Montessori-trained lead teachers in each classroom, and offers Spanish instruction from CH 3 (Kindergarten) through 8th grade, with French as an option in grades 6, 7, and 8. Students have access to state-of-the-art Upper Elementary and Middle School science labs, a comprehensive art program that includes a pottery kiln, and a student technology program beginning in the spring of 3rd grade. The campus is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified and was the first school in Northeast Ohio to achieve this designation, and the school is associated with organizations including ISACS, ISM, OAIS, CCIS, the Ohio Department of Education, the US Green Building Council, and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History Science Resource Center, with NAMTA memberships held by individual teachers.
Athletic teams at Ruffing Montessori School include soccer, volleyball, basketball, archery, ultimate frisbee, and cross country, and enrichment classes include chess, tennis, playwriting, fencing, archery, and more. The school offers choral and instrumental music programs, before and after school care, and weekly service experiences for Middle School students at the local book bank and Medwish. Need-based tuition assistance is available for new and returning families, and admission decisions are need-blind and not affected by a family’s application for financial assistance. Ruffing Montessori School is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization operated by the Fairmount Montessori Association and governed by a Board of Trustees, and it has a non-discrimination policy that covers employment, admissions, educational programs and activities, financial aid programs, and other school-administered programs.
Testimonials from alumni and parents describe experiences at Ruffing Montessori School, including comments from Pulitzer Prize–winning author Anthony Doerr and alum Kate Haffke, as well as statements from Austin Harris, Stacey W., Dixie K., and several Ruffing parents. These testimonials mention critical thinking skills, social skills, support from the Ruffing community, a close-knit environment, joyful and rigorous learning, and shared core values such as treating everyone with respect and kindness and building children’s independence.
Last updated July 2, 2026.
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