Junior Achievers

Kingsley Montessori School

30 Fairfield St., Boston, 617-226-4900, kingsley.org. One of the best Montessori schools in the city, Kingsley offers its students spectacular Back Bay digs. As a bonus, kids also have use of a full science lab that can give them a head start on that quest for a Nobel Prize. Facilities: Six classrooms, a library, an art studio, a large “gross motor activity” room (fancy speak for “playroom”), and the aforementioned science lab, all housed in a townhouse that was once the Saltonstall family’s private estate. Educational approach: Montessori. Student-teacher ratio: 8-1. Programs offered: Half day and full day. Tuition: Half day, $12,800; full day, $17,800. Admissions: Applications due January 15; decisions made March 10. Tours begin in October, during which parents meet administrators and current students’ parents.

Lee Academy Pilot School

155 Talbot Ave., Dorchester, 617-635-6619, boston.k12.ma.us/leeacademy. Lee boasts the lowest student-teacher ratio of any public school in town. And in Kyle Dodson, principal of the pilot lab school, it has a brainy administrator (Harvard undergrad, MBA from Columbia) whose open-minded approach toward curriculum—a rare quality in the public system—earns him high praise from fellow school directors, who call Lee a school worth watching. Facilities: A dedicated wing in Joseph Lee Elementary Schools, with which it shares a gym, auditorium, pool, and outdoor fields. Educational approach: Open lab school. Student-teacher ratio: 6-1. Programs offered: Full day and extended day. Tuition: Full day, free; extended day, $25 per week. Admissions: Follows the Boston Public Schools lottery system. Preference is given to students’ siblings and to children who live within walking distance. Waitlist: Yes.

Lemberg Children’s Center

Brandeis University, Lemberg Hall, 415 South St., Waltham, 781-736-2200, brandeis.edu/lemberg. A horde of attentive student teachers culled from Brandeis University’s early-education program make instruction intimate and individualized. Lemberg’s novel sliding-scale tuition—which charges families based on their income—is managed by a staff eager to help parents negotiate the intricacies of state assistance when it comes time to apply to elementary schools. Facilities: The first floor of Brandeis’s Lemberg Hall, plus an expansive playground. Educational approach: Developmentally based lab school. Student-teacher ratio: 4-1. Programs offered: Full day. Tuition: $990–$1,540 a month, based on family income. Admissions: Applications accepted year-round, with children being admitted whenever spaces become available. Waitlist: Yes.

Lesley Ellis School

41 Foster St., Arlington, 781-641-1346, sfcinc.org/lesley/preschool.htm. This progressive school has an innovative anti-bias program that’s integrated into all aspects of a child’s classroom experience. Lesley Ellis also wins acclaim for its language arts and prereading instruction. Facilities: The former Gibbs School building, featuring sunlit classrooms, a library, a 7,000-square-foot “flex” space used for art and music instruction, and two outdoor play areas. Educational approach: Developmentally based, with an academic focus. Student-teacher ratio: 7-1. Programs offered: Half day and full day (three to five times a week). Tuition: Half day, $7,575–$12,198; full day, $10,052–$16,327. Admissions: Applications due January 15; decisions made February 15 for preschool, and March 10 for pre-K. Parents visit with their child for observed play time in December or January. Waitlist: No. When eligible applicants outnumber the available spaces, the school uses a lottery system.

The Meadowbrook School

10 Farm Rd., Weston, 781-894-1193, meadowbrook-ma.org. Alums of Meadowbrook consistently go on to some of the finest private high schools in Massachusetts, which makes the powerhouse elementary’s pre-K program a favorite of W-town elites. Facilities: A 27-acre campus with playgrounds, woods, and a pond. Educational approach: Developmentally based, academic-centered. Student-teacher ratio: 7-1. Programs offered: Half day, with an afterschool option. Tuition: Half day, $17,215; afterschool option, $11–$15 per hour. Admissions: Applications due in February; decisions made by March 10. Candidates complete a session with a professional evaluator, followed by a group screening with other hopefuls.