Guide to Early Childhood Education: Private Schools with Preschools

A formal preschool curriculum might be just what your child needs before heading into the grade school years! Check out our listing of local private schools with preschools.

The College School

The College School engages children, ages 3 to 14, in a Reggio Emilia-inspired and Experiential curriculum that is playful, adventurous, and theme-based. From analyzing ecosystems and conducting experiments in the woods to becoming investigative journalists in local neighborhoods, students do more than learn in a traditional classroom setting. They become collaborators, risk-takers, and problem-solvers.

Learn More About The College School!

7825 Big Bend Blvd.

Webster Groves, MO 63119

314-962-9355

Forsyth School

Forsyth School fosters a spirit of curiosity and joy, empowering children aged 2 through Grade 6 to pursue challenges with confidence. At Forsyth, their talented and caring faculty encourage students to explore and question, enabling them to learn deeply. Each child’s unique identity is known, celebrated, and nurtured by their supportive community. The results are profound: children take risks, pursue challenges, and find joy in learning. The “Forsyth experience” is enriched by the school’s unique campus, location, and commitment to the natural world.

At Forsyth, they strive to sustain a diverse and inclusive community of belonging grounded in their Honor Code values and bolstered by a campus environment and location that create a one-of-a-kind neighborhood community. The heart of the Forsyth experience is their engaging curriculum and scaffolded learning models that work in concert to promote the unique “culture of challenge” for which they are known. As part of that culture of challenge, they seek to broaden and deepen their students’ proficiency in 21st-century skills, including innovation, creative problem-solving, and design thinking through collaboration, rigorous thought, interdisciplinary connection, and project-based learning. Last, but not least, sustainability is an important part of their school culture, illustrated by our historic homes and demonstrated by programs like Go Green Forsyth, Waste Ambassadors, and campus-wide composting and recycling.

Learn More About Forsyth School!

6235 Wydown Boulevard

St. Louis, MO 63105

314-726-4542

Kiddie Academy

Kiddie Academy is an accredited early childcare program with three different locations in St. Louis – Des Peres, O’Fallon, and Chesterfield. Their Life Essentials curriculum focuses on equipping children with all the skills they’ll need for their life’s journey ahead. Kiddie Academy is geared towards infants through age 5 (with a special spotlight on their Chesterfield location which has a Kindergarten program!)

Choosing a childcare program can feel like a big task, but don’t forget to take a moment to stop and breathe!

Learn More About Kiddie Academy!

Locations in Des Peres, Chesterfield, and O’Fallon

(800) 554-3343

Rohan Woods School

Rohan Woods School is small– by mission– just one class per age or grade level. Set in a family neighborhood in mid-county St. Louis, the school starts at age 2 (Early Childhood) and goes through 6th grade. With an 8:1 student/teacher ratio, faculty is able to focus on personalized instruction and project learning to ensure students positively embrace their challenging curriculum for future success, develop a love of learning, and practice the skills to problem solve. Each adult connected with the school community serves as a passionate conduit for teaching and discovering the qualities of a leader in each student. All of this, blended with project learning, Science, Technology, and team development, helps each child move from their Early Childhood program based on purposeful play, through their elementary and middle school to be a successful and engaged student in secondary school.

See all this for yourself. Set up a private tour. Since they have rolling admissions, they accept applications year-round, and your child can start mid-year if you’re moving into the St. Louis area or just moving to a new part of the St. Louis area.

Learn More About Rohan Woods School!

1515 Bennett Ave

Kirkwood, MO 63122

314-821-6270

The Fulton School

The Fulton School is a small, independent Montessori school for toddlers through 12th grade. They offer a strong academic environment where self-confidence, curiosity, kindness, and integrity are paramount.

As a school based on the Montessori philosophy, Fulton School educates the whole child, not just his/her brain, integrating social skills, character education, and emotional well-being with academics.

Curiosity, joy, and engagement are cornerstones of their toddler and preschool programs. Children have a natural desire for independence (which is intricately linked to self-confidence), so the classrooms are designed to allow each child to explore hands-on, meaningful work that both reaches the child at his/her current stage, but also encourages the child to stretch him/herself to the next level.

Located in Chesterfield just off Highway 40 on a beautiful nine-acre campus, The Fulton School boasts an environment where the teaching styles are refreshing and the children are engaged, accepted, and passionate about learning. Private tours are available year-round.

Learn More About The Fulton School!

1100 White Road

Chesterfield, MO 63017

314-469-6622

City Academy

Based on the school’s belief that all children should have access to high-quality education, City Academy provides scholarship support to 100 percent of students.

Located in North St. Louis City, families from more than 40 different zip codes send their children ages 3 through 6th grade to City Academy to be taught by dedicated teachers with bold expectations that empower children to overcome barriers. Founded in 1999 out of Matthews-Dickey Boys’ and Girls’ Club, the beautiful campus opened in 2004 and now includes a state-of-the-art early childhood center built in 2018.

City Academy offers small class sizes with a 7:1 student-to-teacher ratio and Spanish instruction for all ages. Tuition includes breakfast, lunch, and snacks, along with an extended day program that provides care from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. with several enrichment opportunities. New parents at City Academy take part in Incredible Years, a parent engagement program that builds community and provides families with resources to aid student growth.

Learn More About City Academy!

4175 N Kingshighway Blvd.

St. Louis, MO 63115

314-382-0085

Rossman School

Rossman School is an independent private preparatory school for students in Junior Kindergarten (age 4) through Grade 6. Nestled on a 20-acre campus in St. Louis, Missouri, Rossman was recently ranked among the nation’s 50 Best Private Elementary Schools. For over 100 years, Rossman has provided children with a solid foundation in academics, athletics, and the arts while cultivating strong character and leadership skills. Their small, nurturing school community of one class per grade provides a close, supportive climate and their unique team-teaching model allows their veteran faculty to provide every student with lots of individual attention.

Learn More About Rossman School!

12669 Conway Road St. Louis, MO 63141

314-434-5877

8749 Watson Road, St. Louis, MO 63119

H. F. Epstein Hebrew Academy

8645 Old Bonhomme Road, St. Louis, MO 63132