The Montessori School of Raleigh is an official IB World School for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (Grades 11 - 12).  This two-year program emphasizes critical thinking, rigorous research and exams, thesis writing, a “Theory of Knowledge” course, and other advanced college preparation.

Instruction is tailored to follow student interests and aptitudes, while challenging them to stretch beyond their comfort zones, ensuring our students remain engaged, inspired, and excited about learning and expanding their abilities.

More about the IB Diploma Programme

A recent study proves the value colleges see in IB DP curriculum:

• The average acceptance rate of IB Diploma Programme students into university/college is 22 percentage points higher than the average acceptance rate of the total population.
• The acceptance rate of IB Diploma Programme students in the most highly selective institutions is between 3 and 13 percentage points higher compared to the total population’s acceptance rate.

The outcomes for our students at MSR are greater than a highly competitive learning environment normally associated with these sorts of metric successes. We aim to prepare our students for academic successes, with the confidence and knowledge to succeed in life.

Many high schools offer community service and leadership programs. The MSR difference: our entire program — for students from early childhood to 18 years old — is designed to cultivate a sense of personal and social responsibility and genuine engagement in service. In other words, it’s not just something our students do, it’s a part of who we are together as a community.

Our mixed-age classrooms prepare students to work collaboratively, to master their lessons in order to teach them to others, to look for and foster skills and strengths in their peers, and to tend to their responsibilities and communities. As students advance at MSR, leadership opportunities exponentially increase. In Upper School, this means that your student not only practices leadership and service in their home and school communities; they are expected to begin making a positive impact in the wider world.

Starting in their freshman and sophomore years, students must complete 50 hours of service; in their junior and senior years, this grows to 75 hours of service per year. This work doesn’t merely signal the high value MSR places on service to the community, it plays a valuable role in galvanizing your student’s sense of self at this age, their sense of responsibility, generosity, and empathy. In both whole-school service activities and in service projects of their own design — improving marine habitats with an environmental organization, tutoring younger students, volunteering at a local hospital, organizing and participating in a charity run, building and populating new beehives, or other self-constructed commitment to community — your student forges a connection between their advancing talents and interests and their maturing self and social consciousness.

Project Week is one of our signature programs, giving students a week off from traditional academics to explore in depth a topic that interests them.

Project Week features a variety of local, national and international trips and is a highlight of the academic year, taking place the week prior to Thanksgiving Break.

Past Project Week programs have included an immersion trip to Peru and "Get SET" which focused on the intersection of Sports, Entrepreneurship, and Technology and included a visit to Sports Media Technology to explore the tech behind the NFL's first-down graphic and FIFA's Virtual Assisted Referee.

Visit the Project Week page for more information.

Environmental studies is an experiential program built into the curriculum designed to not only cultivate the earth, but cultivate students' appreciation and understanding of the natural world and guide them in becoming stewards of the environment.

Through hands-on activities and student-led initiatives, environmental studies engages students in the planting, cultivating, and harvesting of herbs, vegetables, berries, and eggs from its on-campus gardens and chicken coop. The program also teaches students about healthy eating and cooking. During seasons of harvest, students plan and prepare dishes from the garden. They gain cooking skills and create food challenges and tasting competitions to test their knowledge of the herbs and vegetables they have grown from seed. 

A major part of being a globally-minded community is to ensure students are provided the opportunity to go into the world and explore new environments and cultures. 

Grade 11 - 12 day, overnight, and international trips are planned each year and are aligned with the International Baccalaureate approach to focus on global engagement and meaningful community service.

AT CPA, WE TAKE A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH. CPA assesses student growth regularly using a variety of tools such as portfolios, student records, observations, scope and sequence charts, and standardized testing. Multiple sources and multiple methods of assessment help us understand and represent the whole child.

We incorporate developmentally appropriate and curriculum-aligned testing and assessment. CPA follows an evidence-based process of administering certain standardized tests throughout the year to see how students' skills develop over the year, allowing us to provide even more targeted support mid-year. We also use these practices to identify students who may need additional support. This includes both academic and social-emotional assessments, with occasional opportunities for no-cost physical health screenings (i.e., speech, language,  hearing, and vision).

As an IB World School, we use both qualitative and quantitative assessment. Beginning in grade 6, performance is summarized by letter grades. Ultimately, data informs our practice and school improvement, which contributes to the academic growth and excellence expected of our students.

From the very start, children practice directing and evaluating their own learning. By the time they reach college, CPA graduates are comfortable with meeting performance requirements measured by tests and grades, but they’re not motivated by these external markers. They’re driven by a self-sustaining desire to learn.

*For required standardized testing, CPA administers the Educational Records Bureau’s Comprehensive Testing Program to all students in grades 6 through 9 in the fall. The ERB-CTP is the primary yearly assessment that independent schools adopt. The scores provide information about what our students know related to reading, writing, math, reasoning, and science.

Students complete tests within their classrooms by their teachers on grade level content. The testing window lasts one week, and the results are used as a data point for school performance, teacher development, and to understand what student know and what they need to work on. Families also receive copies of their child’s scores. Often, families unfamiliar to standardized assessments may need support interpreting the results. Our educators are available to help communicate the results and what they mean for your child.  

Please note that CPA is aware of twice exceptional learners, and we offer accommodations to those with relevant and timely evaluation results from an expert in the field. These reports must be on file, at least two weeks prior to any test administration.