About Montessori

Montessori helps children reach their full potential in schools all around the world.

Montessori is a time-tested curriculum and pedagogy used in more than 570 U.S. public district and charter schools and around the world.

Research shows that Montessori supports academic and developmental outcomes and can elevate and equalize outcomes for low-income children and children of color. School districts and charters in Washington DC, Houston, Denver, Milwaukee, and many more offer Montessori programs to the families they serve.

The model is named for its founder, Maria Montessori, an Italian scientist, medical doctor, and educator. First developed with low-income and special needs children in 1907, Montessori is practiced in public and private schools all over the world, serving children from birth to age eighteen.

There are more than 3,000 Montessori schools in the U.S. alone, of which more than 570 are public programs.

What Does a Public Montessori School Look Like?

The National Center for Montessori in the Public creating a series of short videos that illustrate key elements of Montessori.

This video takes you inside a Montessori classroom.

Watch more videos below.

Basic principles of Montessori education

Based on scientific observation

Montessori education is based on scientific observations of human development. Dr. Maria Montessori, a scientist and a medical doctor, based her approach on thousands of hours of observation of children and a lifetime of experimentation and refinement, developing a scientific model of human development and an education approach that supports fully realized human potential.

Developmental stages

Montessori observed distinct stages of development in children. The model recognizes birth to six as an intense period of formative development with lasting cognitive, social, and emotional consequences, the elementary years as a peak learning period, and adolescence as a time of social development and intellectual maturation. Montessori practice for each age group responds to children’s characteristics at that age.

Choice

Montessori recognized the importance of student choice in education as a foundation for deep engagement and the development of independence.

Essential elements of Montessori practice

Children choose their own work

Children choose their own activities from a range of carefully prepared lessons and materials designed to support children’s natural development and drive to learn.

Trained teachers support children’s development

Teachers trained in Montessori principles and practice present a comprehensive curriculum individualized for each child.

Mixed age groupings

Classrooms serve children in three-year age groupings according to developmental stages. Children can progress naturally as they are ready for more challenging material, build authentic community and learn from both teachers and peers.

Uninterrupted independent work periods

Classrooms offer long uninterrupted periods for independent work, where children build attention, focus, and concentration, while learning at their own pace.

Montessori materials

Hands-on, concrete, self-correcting materials support engagement, curiosity, independence, and self-guided learning.

Montessori Schools

Montessori schools around the world.

There are about 15,000 Montessori schools around the world, including 3,000 in the U.S., of which more than 570 are public schools — district, magnet, and charters.

Each school operates independently, but there are several national organizations schools can join and seek accreditation with if they choose. The three largest organizations in the U.S. are the Association Montessori Internationale-USA (AMI-USA) the American Montessori Society (AMS), and the International Montessori Council (IMF).

Find a Montessori School

School structures

Montessori schools can be independent, funded by tuition, or public, funded by public money. Some tuition-based schools use philanthropic support and public subsidies to serve low-income populations.

Montessori schools typically group children in developmentally driven age groupings:

  • fifteen months to three years old
  • three to six years old (PK3-K)
  • six to nine years old (1st to 3rd grade)
  • nine to twelve years old (4th to 6th grade)
  • twelve to fifteen years old (7th to 9th grade)
  • fifteen to eighteen years old (10th to 12th grade)
Montessori class sizes are often larger than typical classes — 20 to 25 for preschool and kindergarten, and 25 to 30 for 1st through 6th grade. Classes are typically staffed by a Montessori trained teacher and an assistant.

Montessori Teachers

Montessori teacher preparation typically requires several months to a year of training, sometimes spread out over several summer sessions. Public Montessori teachers typically hold state teaching licenses as well.

Montessori Videos

We created a series of short videos that illustrate key elements of Montessori.

1. Collaboration

2. Hands On Learning

3. Teaching as Guidance

4. Community

5. Independence

6. Concentration

Cheyenne Eete Kippenberger

Cheyenne Eete KippenbergerCheyenne is a Seminole and Chilean woman, advocate for Indigenous people and a former Miss Indian World. She has utilized her platform as an ambassador to advocate for environmental protections of the Florida Everglades, overturn adverse stereotypes and stigmatizations of mental health in tribal communities, encourage healing through identity and self love, and combat the negative, stereotypical narrative of Native and Indigenous people through education. Cheyenne also provides motivational speaking presentations, empowerment workshops, pageantry coaching, cultural and historical consulting, hosts and emcees, and presents on topics such as culture as prevention, identity, human trafficking, domestic violence, and much more. She strives for authenticity and to live a healthy life physically, mentally and spiritually through her culture and teachings.

Desmond Blackburn

Desmond BlackburnFacing History and Ourselves is a non-profit organization founded in 1976 to “use lessons of history to challenge teachers and their students to stand up to bigotry and hate.” Today, Facing History and Ourselves is a global organization with a network of hundreds of thousands of educators reaching millions of students worldwide, providing extensive curriculum, professional development, and resources. CEO Desmond Blackburn began his public education career as a high school math teacher in Florida and rose through the state’s school system, including serving as principal at a public Montessori school, to become Superintendent of Brevard Public Schools. Blackburn has served as CEO of the New Teacher Center, a national nonprofit that works to disrupt the predictability of educational inequities for systemically underserved students. He was previously Deputy Chancellor of School Leadership for the New York City Department of Education, the largest school system in the nation, before joining Facing History and Ourselves this year.