Montessori programs sprout and blossom
This article appears in the Spring 2022 issue of MontessoriPublic — Print Edition.
New schools and new growth across the country
by David Ayer
Public Montessori continues to grow, both in terms of new programs and in existing schools adding new levels. Did we miss your school? Add your program to the Montessori Census or drop us a line at [email protected]!
Opened in 2021
Bezos Day One Academies opened their pilot PreK program in Des Moines, Washington in 2020. Four more programs in Washington launched in 2021, and 15 more are slated for 2022 (in Washington, Florida, and Texas).
Harlem Village Academies, a network of charter schools in New York City, added Montessori PreK
this year.
Mi Escuela Montessori, a bilingual (Spanish-English) charter school in Lakeland, Florida, opened last fall, serving children from age three through 4th grade with plans to grow to 8th grade.
Montecito Community School, a district school in Phoenix, Arizona, added a 3-6 program with subsidized tuition and fees for three- and four-year-olds and no tuition for kindergarten.
Montessori Elementary at Highland Park, a charter school in Chattanooga, Tennessee, opened in the fall, serving children from three years old through 5th grade.
Pullman Community Montessori Charter School in Pullman, Washington, opened last fall serving grades K through 5, with plans to grow to 9th grade.
Opening in 2022
DC Wildflower Charter School received charter approval for The Riverseed School, the first of up to six microschools serving PreK through K.
Eugene Field Elementary will be the third district Montessori school in Tulsa, Oklahoma this fall, beginning with PreK and K classes and growing year by year.
Monocacy Valley Montessori Public Charter School in Frederick, Maryland, received approval to add grades 9-12 this coming fall, becoming the first charter high school in Frederick County.
Parkside Montessori, a magnet school in San Mateo, California is expanding to middle school, adding 7th grade this fall.
Premont ISD in Premont, Texas, is adding a Montessori program to its elementary school this fall, beginning with PreK through 1st grade and growing to 5th grade.
Prestonwood Montessori at E. D. Walker, a Dallas, Texas middle school, will add PreK through 3rd grade to the school, growing to
5th grade.
David worked in private Montessori for more than twenty years as a parent, three-to-six year-old and adolescent teacher, administrator, writer, speaker, and advocate. In 2016 he began working with the National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector. David lives in Portland, Oregon.