Specialties
The Fulton School is an independent, coeducational, Montessori-based school serving children 18 months old through 12th grade. Located in Chesterfield along the Hwy. 40 corridor, we offer a small, homelike environment where students enjoy small class sizes and an engaging curriculum. We teach students to think critically, write and speak effectively, collaborate, exercise initiative, and display good character. Strong academics alongside entrepreneurship, community service, animals, travel, and belonging create excited, responsible, and confident kids.
History
Established in 1962.
Our school was founded in 1962, originally named St. Louis Montessori Academy, the first Montessori School in the St. Louis area. Later renamed Chesterfield Day School with Dr. Barb Fulton as head of school, the school flourished, eventually starting a second campus in St. Albans. Both schools had a shared mission. In June 2022, The Fulton School at St. Albans and Chesterfield Day School merged to become The Fulton School, currently located in Chesterfield at 1100 White Road. The school continues their shared mission of providing a quality Montessori education for students in a challenging and supportive environment. Leveraging this shared history, a fully aligned mission, and a strategic location advances the passion and commitment to provide a unique, innovative, and refreshing Montessori education for children 18 months old through 12th grade.
Meet the Manager: Kara D.
Kara Fulton Douglass started at Chesterfield Day School in 1976 as a toddler, at the same time that her mother, Dr. Barb Fulton, became the CDS Head of School. She graduated from CDS and continued at John Burroughs School in St. Louis. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and German Studies from Rice University, as well as her Master’s in Counseling from Covenant Theological Seminary. She was a Montessori teacher, counselor, and principal at various schools, including The Bullis School in Maryland and Academie Montessori in Belgium before becoming Head of School at The Fulton School in 2008. Douglass currently serves on the board for the Independent Schools of St. Louis (ISSL) and on the Independent Schools Association of the Central States’ (ISACS) Accreditation Review Committee. She is also an instructor of child development with the Hope Montessori Educational Institute.