About the Montessori School at Holy Rosary

Our History

Holy Rosary Elementary School was built in 1953 and flourished in the Little Italy neighborhood. But urban changes and demographic shifts led to declining enrollment, dwindling resources and prohibitive debt. After the parish school closed in 1993, a group of parishioners and community leaders formed an independent board and opened the Montessori School at Holy Rosary (MSHR). That first class in 1995 included fourteen preschool students. Each year a grade was added – until we reached our goal of offering a Montessori education spanning from pre-school to 6th grade.

As our graduates entered adolescence, parents helped spearhead the idea of opening a Middle School for 7th and 8th graders. So in 2007 we began our first middle school class. The program is now growing and established in its own classroom in the Murray Hill School Building, within an easy 5-minute walk that encourages independence yet plenty of opportunity for interaction between the older and younger children.

With our unique mix of suburban and urban enrollment, in conjunction with multiple sources of tuition support, we have been able to offer a Montessori education to children from diverse economic, religious, and cultural backgrounds.

Our Mission

The Montessori School at Holy Rosary is dedicated to providing outstanding educational instruction by discovering and awakening children's emerging potential and carefully cultivating the development of their innate talents and abilities.

We are vitally committed to providing excellence in education to the children of Greater Cleveland through the philosophy and techniques of the Montessori method, provided in a Catholic atmosphere, enriched by the values of love, respect, and justice. The Montessori School at Holy Rosary is established to serve all children, regardless of race or creed, and is uniquely devoted to enhancing the vitality of Holy Rosary Parish and the Little Italy community.