Cornerstone Montessori Elementary School

Cornerstone Montessori Elementary School is a public charter school located in St. Paul, Minnesota.

CMES Sixth Years are excited to look forward to an actual overnight experience at a local camp!  Meanwhile, at school, we can’t wait to offer a week-long drumming residency! These types of hands-on experiences are an important component of Montessori education. Like most public schools, we rely on grants and gifts from generous donors to help us provide special programs for our children, so we are asking for your assistance to make this happen!

This year our Give to the Max goal is set at $6,500 and funds will be used for “Going Outs,” including an overnight outdoor education experience for our 6th years, and for enhancing our programming on-site at Cornerstone.

Dr. Montessori believed that at this stage of their development, children are ready to go beyond the classroom, using the skills they have acquired, to connect with the outside world. A Going Out is similar to a field trip but relies on the children doing the planning. 

"To have our children choose and plan their own "goings out” is an entirely empowering process.  To have the opportunity to learn off campus provides fresh ideas and lessons about the wider world, their communities, and the natural environment that they may not receive in their normal day-to-day life.  I am grateful for how Cornerstone Montessori Elementary School fosters this sense of adventurous learning for my child!" - Parent of a CMES 6th grader

Our mission is to support children from culturally and economically diverse backgrounds living in or near St. Paul’s East Side through a rigorous and high-impact Montessori program that empowers them to make positive decisions, develop self-discipline, and create a true sense of responsibility for themselves and others in their community.  

Cornerstone Montessori Elementary School (CMES) is a public school where children choose challenging work on their own, support each other in a collaborative learning community, and stretch their imaginations working with dynamic hands-on materials.

Cornerstone’s Montessori curriculum naturally supports each child’s social, emotional, and academic growth, so that their innate love of learning is translated to academic success. Day by day, we see our students becoming the confident, competent, and responsible leaders of tomorrow. 

We opened in fall of 2011 and now serve grades K-6.  We are pleased to be authorized by the University of St. Thomas (UST).  

“How did I become the person I am today? Well, when I was little I was really shy. I wouldn’t talk to anybody but then I grew out of my shyness by talking to people and coming to Cornerstone. Coming to CMES opened me up… Now I am smart and confident about myself. I feel like I’m going to be successful on my journey of growth.” - 6th Year Student