Meet Katie Elrod, our Head of School

Montrose is what education truly is, which is to come to know who you are - to discover your role and put it at the service of others.

Welcome from the Head of School

Welcome to Montrose School, and thank you for visiting our website. I hope you join us for a tour or day visit soon to experience firsthand the intellectual energy, joy and Maverick spirit that permeate this historic site in Medfield’s quaint and vibrant center.

First, here’s what you need to know: Montrose is a formative institution.

Everything we do is designed to help girls develop enduring habits young women need to thrive in college and beyond: intellectual and emotional agility, courage, integrity, self-mastery, creativity and sound judgment. At Montrose, girls learn to take ownership of their learning and build a life compass, one that positions them to set a vision, chart a course and navigate challenges.

By now, you’ve read our tagline “where girls are called to greatness.” What do we mean? “Greatness” is not about perfectionism, ego or one-upmanship. Greatness is about embracing our inherent dignity and living in a way that inspires others to do the same.

We remind our students often that “You are unique, unrepeatable and called by God. You are here for a purpose.” Yes, we are here to educate and empower young women to achieve excellence. But more importantly, we exist to strengthen and affirm their dignity and to evoke the greatness within each one of them. What we care about most is who each girl is and who she will become.

The greatness we call our students and alumnae to was envisioned over 40 years ago. The founders of Montrose School, a group of Harvard Business School classmates and parents, joined three leading international women educators to focus on what it takes to build a world-class education for girls.

They understood the importance of these most formative years. They understood that parents know and love their children best and that great educational power can be leveraged when the parents partner with the school. They understood that work has meaning. Here, our students come to appreciate what St. Josemaria, founder of Opus Dei, shared with the world: divine greatness can be discovered in ordinary activities, from classwork to sports to friendships and clubs. That same spirit permeates the walls of Montrose School and, more importantly, the heart of our community.

At Montrose we welcome girls with passion. We welcome girls not only who strive for excellence in their academics and co-curricular pursuits, but also girls with heart, who feel called to greatness and who want to inspire greatness in others. Girls who want to develop their gifts and talents to serve others. Upon graduation from Montrose, they walk away prepared not only for college but for life.

I look forward to meeting you when you visit our beautiful campus.

Warmly,

Katie Elrod

Montrose Head of School

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Experience

Katie Elrod became the 8th Head of School in June 2021. She took the reins from Karen Bohlin whose tenure as Head for the past 18 years leaves the School extremely well positioned for the future. The transition has been four years in the making, since Dr. Bohlin appointed Mrs. Elrod Associate Head of School in 2017.

As Associate Head of School, Mrs. Elrod specialized in strategic visioning and leadership in every area of the independent school experience. Her leadership was critical to the implementation of in-person school in the 2020-21 school year after the COVID-19 lockdown. Professionally, she has taught at every grade level, from elementary through college and has served as an adjunct professor in the philosophy department at Boston College.

Recently she co-led the Abigail Adams Institute’s summer seminar “Divided We Stand: Pursuing the Common Good” in Cambridge, MA. She is a published author and a sought-after speaker locally and nationally on education and parenting, having spoken at the University of Notre Dame, MIT and St. Joseph’s College, and the University of Navarra, Spain. A Lonergan Fellow, she received her BA and MA in philosophy from Boston College. She leads Montrose School’s flagship Capstone course, “Embracing Big Questions and the Ethics of Human Flourishing.”