Who We Are
At Woodpark Montessori School, we know that the early years of your child's life shape so much more than academics. These are the years when your little one learns whether the world feels safe, whether their voice matters, and whether they believe in their own ability to try, explore, and grow. Choosing a school during this season of life is deeply emotional because you are not simply searching for care. You are searching for people who will truly see your child, understand them, and help protect the wonder of childhood while guiding them toward independence. Families looking for a Montessori school in Burnsville, MN often come to us because something about traditional early education has not felt quite right.
Inside our classrooms, your child is encouraged to move at a thoughtful pace, ask questions freely, solve problems unassisted, and discover the quiet confidence that comes from doing meaningful work with their own hands.
Parent Reviews
Ashley S.
June 18, 2025
The admin and staff are incredibly welcoming to parents, siblings, and students. They know how to calm fears and empower students to be brave. The students seem happy to be at school and ours has quickly found staff they know they can trust to play with and keep them safe. It has created a family-type environment where students can be found tending to their friends when one is sad or hurt too, a trait they undoubtedly learned from the Woodpark Burnsville staff! It is easy to reach admin when questions arise and it is obvious how valued they make the staff feel; celebrating birthdays, sharing milestones, or highlighting the work they do. We are glad to know our student has teachers who feel valued for the wonderful work they do! We would not trade our experience at Woodpark for anything and specifically sought out their facility for our needs because of the special way they connect with our student.
Nicki U.
May 15, 2025
We love Woodpark Montessori! Everyone, and I truly mean EVERYONE, at the Burnsville location is so warm, kind, thoughtful, and caring! They have become like a family to us and our boys, to the point that my children don't want to go home with me sometimes and would cling onto their teach or would cry if their teacher walked away. We so very much love and appreciate Misty and all the teachers for how much they've cared and supported our boys' development from 4 months old until now.
Kimberly W.
April 22, 2025
Vivian has learned so much since starting and she seems to really like her teachers and friends as she talks about them when she is at home.
Ryan S.
December 13, 2024
Staff is extremely friendly, they provide a fun environment, excellent communication, my son loves it!
Our Story
The story of Woodpark Montessori School began in 1990 when founders Priyanthi and Nimal Sundaram opened the school with only three students and a heartfelt belief that children deserve to be treated with dignity, patience, and respect from the very beginning of life. Priyanthi completed her Montessori training through the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) in Sri Lanka and brought years of teaching experience and deep compassion into the classroom. She began by creating an environment where children could grow naturally through exploration, independence, and meaningful connection.
What started as one small Montessori classroom quickly grew through word of mouth as families experienced something truly different inside the school's walls. Parents saw their children becoming more independent, more confident, and more excited about learning. Children felt emotionally safe, deeply supported, and proud of what they could accomplish on their own. As the Woodpark community in Burnsville, Minnesota, continued to grow, our school expanded into a larger building in 2005 to create even more beautifully prepared environments for children.
Over the years, Woodpark Montessori School became part of the Endeavor Schools family, allowing us to stay true to our authentic Montessori roots while benefiting from a wider network that shares a deep commitment to nurturing children during their most important developmental years.
Today, families continue to experience the warmth, respect, and sense of belonging that have defined Woodpark Montessori School from the very beginning. More than 35 years later, the original spirit of the school still lives inside every classroom, every morning greeting, and every quiet moment of discovery children experience throughout the day.
At Woodpark Montessori School, our mission is to nurture the whole child within a prepared environment that feels safe, peaceful, loving, and deeply respectful. We strive to help your child develop confidence, independence, curiosity, and emotional security while building the academic and life skills they will carry with them far beyond the classroom. Through authentic Montessori education, we honor your child's unique pace of development and encourage them to discover the joy of learning for themselves.
We envision a school community where children feel genuinely known, emotionally secure, and excited to explore the world around them. When your child feels respected and trusted, they naturally begin to believe in themselves. That belief becomes the foundation for healthy relationships, resilience, creativity, leadership, and a lifelong love of learning. Every day, we work to create an environment where children are free to become confident, compassionate, and capable individuals.
Our curriculum is rooted in the authentic Montessori philosophy, which means your child learns through hands-on exploration, purposeful work, and self-directed discovery rather than passive instruction. Inside our carefully prepared classrooms, children are encouraged to follow their curiosity, repeat activities until mastery is achieved, and build confidence through meaningful experiences that align with their developmental stage and readiness. Practical life activities, sensorial exploration, language development, mathematics, cultural studies, and grace and courtesy lessons work together to support both academic growth and emotional development.
Rather than rushing children through lessons, our guides observe carefully, introduce individualized learning experiences, and provide the gentle support children need to thrive with confidence.
What Makes Our Montessori School Different?
We understand that when parents search for Montessori schools in Burnsville, MN, they are asking a question that goes far beyond curriculum or academics. You want to know whether your child will feel emotionally safe here. You want to know whether the people caring for your little one will truly understand them, celebrate them, and help them feel at home from the very beginning.
At Woodpark Montessori School, relationships are at the center of everything we do. Before children officially begin school, they visit classrooms multiple times so the environment already feels familiar and comforting by their first day. Our guides spend meaningful time getting to know how each child learns, communicates, plays, and expresses themselves. They sit beside children during meals, guide them gently through challenges, and create calm, nurturing spaces where independence can grow naturally.
Misty Kooyman, School Leader at Woodpark Montessori School, explains it this way, "Relationships are the foundation. I strive to stay connected with our families, children, and staff because when children feel truly known and supported, they develop the confidence to grow into themselves naturally." This relationship-first philosophy shapes everything from the peaceful classroom environment to the individualized attention children receive each day.
Research from the University of Virginia, published through ScienceDaily, found that children enrolled in Montessori preschool programs demonstrated stronger outcomes in executive functioning, reading, social understanding, and academic development by the end of kindergarten compared to peers in other educational environments. At Woodpark Montessori School, we see these outcomes reflected every day in the confidence, independence, and joy our students carry with them throughout their learning journey.
Early Childhood Leadership & Staff
One of the most important questions parents ask before scheduling a school tour is whether their child will truly be known and cared for by the people in their classroom each day. At Woodpark Montessori School, we believe those relationships matter deeply. Many members of our team have been part of this community for years, creating the consistency, familiarity, and emotional safety that children need to thrive.
Misty Kooyman
School Leader, Woodpark Montessori School
Misty Kooyman has been a part of the Woodpark Montessori family since 1995, and her deep love for this school and community shines through in everything she does. As School Leader of the Burnsville Campus, Misty brings more than three decades of experience to her role, along with a genuine philosophy of connection-first leadership.
Achievements & Accreditations
At Woodpark Montessori, we believe the earliest years of education shape a child's academic path and sense of self for years to come. By the time our students complete their first Montessori cycle, 98% meet or exceed first-grade readiness benchmarks, based on internal assessments aligned with national academic and developmental measures. Within our peaceful, nurturing Montessori environment, your child is encouraged to become a confident thinker, a compassionate classmate, and an independent learner who is excited to discover the world around them.
"The Montessori method teaches us to be respectful to children, to see them as individuals, and to realize their endless potential. When we give children real tasks, real choices, and real trust, they rise to meet every expectation and then some."
- Misty Kooyman, School Leader, Woodpark Montessori School
Endeavor Schools is a community of more than 100 schools across the country, brought together by a shared commitment to caring for children during the most important years of their lives. Each school is thoughtfully connected to its local community, creating environments where children feel safe, supported, and encouraged to grow. Behind every classroom is a team of educators and parents who understand how much these early experiences matter, and who are dedicated to helping children build confidence, develop essential skills, and find a genuine love for learning. At the heart of Endeavor Schools is a focus on one simple goal: to give every child the support and foundation they need to thrive, both in school and in life.