Inly School is an all-gender day school located on the South Shore of Boston, Massachusetts. Take a quick glance at the highlights of what makes our school unique.

Our School

Founded: 1973

Our Name: To do something “inly,” is to do it with deep thought and understanding. This captures the essence of our approach to education and the challenge we set before our students.

Accreditation: Association for Independent Schools of New England (AISNE) and American Montessori Society (AMS)

Students: Approximately 340 students ages 18 months through grade 8. Students come from 18 communities south of Boston, including Cohasset, Duxbury, Hanover, Hingham, Hull, Marshfield, Middleboro, Norwell, Pembroke, Plymouth, Plympton, Quincy, Rockland, Scituate and Weymouth.

Faculty & Staff: Over 70 full- and part-time faculty and staff members; 52% with advanced degrees. 

Our Campus: Located in a quiet neighborhood, 45 minutes south of Boston in the scenic South Shore town of Scituate, Massachusetts. Inly’s 13-acre campus includes walking trails, outdoor classrooms, organic gardens, a greenhouse, 3 playgrounds, 3 sports fields, and a Spartan obstacle course. Our 7 buildings feature bright and colorful spaces designed to add joy and spark imagination.

Student/Teacher Ratio: 7/1 average. Individual levels are: 5:1 Toddler House,12:1 Children’s House Preschool, 8:1 Children’s House Kindergarten, 12:1 Lower Elementary, 10:1 Upper Elementary, 8:1 Middle School.

Tuition Assistance: Over $1.0 million grants are awarded each year.

Our Programs

Philosophy: We practice the foundations of Maria Montessori’s work, which include a deep respect for children as individuals and a student-centered approach. We extend learning through Inly’s innovative Montessori+ curriculum. 

Curriculum: Inly has developed a Montessori+ curriculum that integrates heart, mind and body, focusing on the whole child — at every stage of development. With Montessori principles at the core, this dynamic model incorporates critical elements proven to promote curiosity, creativity and critical thinking; practical skills, academic preparedness, and a lifelong love of learning. It’s the best of Montessori, plus even more!

Explore Montessori+

Classes: Following the Montessori model, multi-age classes are grouped by developmental level: 

• Toddler House (18 months–2.11 years): 3 classes. Maximum of 14 students with 2 teachers.
• Children’s House (Preschool and Kindergarten): 4 classes. Maximum of 24 students with 2 teachers.
• Lower Elementary (Grades 1-3): 4 classes. Maximum of 24 students with 2 teachers.
• Upper Elementary (Grades 4-6): 3 classes. Maximum of 24 students with 2 teachers.
• Middle School (Grades 7-8): Average of 40 students with 5 teachers.

School Hours: Regular Classes 8:30 AM–3:30 PM, Before School Program 7:00 AM–8:30 AM, After School Program 3:30 PM–6:00 PM. School is in session September to early June, with two 2-week breaks in December and March.

Year-Round Option: Toddler and Children’s House students have the option to enroll for the full year (June-June) with coverage over our 2-week March break.

After School: Our Passport to Adventure program from 3:20–4:00 PM offers enrichment classes at no additional charge for students currently enrolled in grades K–8.

Athletics: Inly is a member of MAC (Montessori Athletic Conference of MA) and NEPSAC (New England Preparatory School Athletic Conference). Students in grades 4–8 participate in league competition for Soccer, Flag Football, Basketball, Cross Country and Ultimate Frisbee. K–8 after school programs include Baseball, Basketball, Flag Football (3-5, Spring), Kickball, Lacrosse, Volleyball, Ultimate Frisbee, Soccer Skills (K-2, Fall/Spring), Winter Conditioning (K-8).

Time Outdoors: Daily outdoor activity for all ages—toddler through grade 8—provides a necessary break from academic challenges so that students can develop friendships and become more focused in the classroom.

Nut-free: A nut-free school for over 10 years, Inly thoughtfully accommodates students with a wide range of allergies.

Bus Service: Inly offers a morning bus service with two pick-up points along Route 3A in Hingham and Cohasset. K–8 students residing in Scituate may receive bus service to and from Inly School through the Scituate Public School Department.

Our Story

Inly School, formerly known as The Montessori Community School (TMCS), was founded in 1973 and opened with just 30 children between the ages of 2 to 10. The school grew quickly. In less than 10 years TMCS had 100 students enrolled with the building doubling in size to allow enough space for these inquiring learners to roam.

Interest by enrolled families led to the expansion of our program to include Upper Elementary (Grades 4-6) in 1986, and the Middle School (Grades 7-8) in 1993. A notable milestone was reached in 1995 when we were proud to see our first graduating class move onto their next adventure.

Donna Milani Luther became our Head of School in 1996, taking over from Charles Terranova, our founder. Alongside her addition to the school, we also acquired land for the Toddler House (now known as Founder’s House), and in 2002 the Meehan Family Artsbarn was built.

Our School officially became the Inly we know today in 2004 when it was renamed ‘Inly School’ to better reflect the depth and breadth of our programs. The adverb “inly” means “to do something with great depth of knowledge and understanding,” which is the challenge we set before our students each day.

The property that is now the Middle School was acquired in 2005, Sunflower Hill was added in 2012, and in 2016 we added a two-story building comprising 15,000 square feet. This transformative addition provided us with six new classrooms, a light-filled library, our think tank, meeting room, and the da Vinci Studio innovation and maker space. Inly also created the Discovery Trail featuring a nature pathway through woods, story trail, and challenge course. The latest addition to our facilities in 2021 is the acquisition of 43 Watch Hill Drive, where our Toddler House and Administrative offices now reside.

Although Inly’s campus footprint has changed dramatically through the years, our close-knit community and student-centered Montessori approach have remained the same. Inly’s holistic and academically-rigorous education is designed to cultivate students’ natural curiosity and inspire them to become independent, passionate thinkers who succeed at their choice of secondary schools, and in real life.

That’s a brief history of Inly. Will you be part of our future?

Come and join our story.