Junior Achievers

École Internationale de Boston

17 Irving St., Arlington, 781-646-0510, ecolebilingue.org. With more than 40 nationalities represented, this is easily the most internationally vibrant option on our list. It’s also the only one that provides French language immersion—so on your next trip to Paris, your kid will feel confident ordering a croque-monsieur in the native tongue, even if you don’t. Facilities: Classrooms at Arlington’s Parmenter School. Educational approach: French immersion, academic curriculum. Programs offered: Full day, with an afterschool option. Tuition: $15,920; afterschool option, $9 an hour. Admissions: Applications due February 15; decisions made by March 10. Applicants are considered based on interviews and observed play time—and on their parents’ commitment to the school’s bilingual mission.

Eliot-Pearson Children’s School

Tufts University, 105 College Ave., Medford, 617-627-3434, ase.tufts.edu/epcs. Deemed among the finest schools of its kind in the country, Eliot-Pearson serves as a model and observation site for teachers (new and experienced alike), who come to watch its faculty. Facilities: Immaculately organized classrooms in a one-story brick building on the Tufts campus. Educational approach: Developmentally based lab school. Student-teacher ratio: 6-1. Programs offered: Half day, full day (four times a week), and afternoon only (twice a week). Tuition: Half day, $6,734; full day, $10,648; afternoon only, $2,472. Admissions: Applications accepted starting in September; most decisions made by March. Parents are encouraged to visit without their prospective students. Waitlist: Yes.

Frances Jacobson Early Childhood Center at Temple Israel

477 Longwood Ave., Boston, 617-566-3960, tisrael.org/study/preschool.php. Helen Cohen, considered one of the top preschool directors in the Hub, takes an eclectic approach, mixing aspects of Montessori and Waldorf with Judaic immersion to create her curriculum. (Two- and three-day toddler programs are also available.) Facilities: Five spacious classrooms. Educational approach: Emergent, developmentally based, with a curriculum that approximates that of a lab school. Programs offered: Half day, with early drop-off and extended-day options. Tuition: $8,610 for members; $9,260 for nonmembers. Admissions: Applications accepted between May and November; decisions made in December. A very popular school, the FJECC is regarded as especially difficult to get into. Waitlist: Yes.

Inly School

46 Watch Hill Dr., Scituate, 781-545-5544, inlyschool.org. Incorporating a variety of teaching styles, Inly’s methods are more flexible than those of some of the other Montessoris we looked at. Twice-monthly field trips to the local library get students hooked on picking out their own books. Facilities: Three buildings on 6½ acres with three playgrounds and an auditorium. Educational approach: Progressive, experiential Montessori. Student-teacher ratio: 12-1. Programs offered: Half day, with a full-day option. Tuition: Half day, $10,595; full day, $17,495. Admissions: Applications due February 1; decisions mailed by March 10. The admissions director schedules a visit for parents to meet with the faculty. The prospective student is observed in a small-group setting. Waitlist: Yes.

John Winthrop School

66 Marlborough St., Boston, 617-267-7159, johnwinthropschool.org. Convenient for Back Bay parents, Winthrop has a cozy feel that it owes to its host, a neighborhood church, coupled with a highly skilled staff known for its low turnover. Teachers make good use of their location by leading frequent outings to the Public Garden duck pond and nearby playgrounds. Facilities: Classrooms in the First Unitarian Church in the Back Bay. Educational approach: Emergent, developmentally based. Student-teacher ratio: 8-1. Programs offered: Half day, full day, and extended day. Tuition: Half day, $10,600; full day, $14,900; extended day, $18,600. Admissions: Applications accepted year-round; decisions made by March. After parents apply, school officials contact them to schedule a tour and an observation session with their prospective student. Waitlist: Yes.