The Montessori School of Flagstaff has been an amazing experience. Our two children began when they were just in preschool. Our children were given a positive, respectful learning environment. They were supported in their endeavors and had a tremendous educational experience. My oldest child was even reading “Charlotte’s Web” (with help) by the end of kindergarten. Both of my children are now at a college preparatory school and are doing well both academically and socially. I give much of the credit for this to the Montessori School of Flagstaff!

In a caring and personal environment, dedicated teachers are committed to knowing children as individuals, instilling a natural confidence that extends beyond the classroom. From kindergarten through eighth grade, my children have not only exceeded the academic benchmarks of traditional schools, but have developed a greater compassion and awareness of their responsibility as integral members of their community. I credit the Montessori School of Flagstaff with providing the optimal educational environment to prepare students to succeed in any academic arena, as well as contribute to society in a meaningful way.

We couldn’t be happier as parents that our son, Trey, spent his elementary and middle school years at the Montessori Charter School of Flagstaff. MCSF’s consistently best-in-Flagstaff test scores speak to the effectiveness of their model and the overall quality of the education he received, but there’s much more than that. The teachers and staff are simply outstanding. Their professionalism, dedication, and additional focus on life skills smoothed the transition through a frequently very difficult adolescent period. This fundamentally enabled our son to develop into a mature, confident citizen ready to tackle the challenges of high school. And they made it fun!

My two boys are now very successful high school students — and their Montessori background is largely responsible. They attended the Montessori Charter School of Flagstaff from very young ages, and when they graduated from the middle school, they were definitely ready for high school. Although I had been concerned about their transitions from the smaller Montessori Middle School to the larger public high school, both turned out to be very smooth and actually quite amazing. They took with them from the Montessori system confidence, leadership, and organization skills that certainly are contributing to their many successes.

We have been with the Montessori Charter School of Flagstaff for the past eight years and have watched our six children thrive and develop from the Young Children’s classroom through sixth grade. My eleven-year-olds tell me just how effective the flu vaccine is and why, my nine-year-old read The Hobbit in third grade, my eight-year-old is a fantastic problem solver who loves math, my four-year-old is reading with enthusiasm, and my one-year-old is singing the A-B-C’s. The value of a Montessori education lies in its whole education approach, an education that is well rounded and incorporates real-world skills, critical thinking, and encourages students to ask questions and seek answers. We see our children apply what they learn at MCSF to their daily activities to draw conclusions, make responsible decisions, and find creative solutions to difficult problems. Our oldest children are looking forward to continuing their Montessori education at MCSF middle school next year.

The Montessori Middle School provides a smaller, personalized experience for adolescents in order to gain self-confidence and self-knowledge; to belong to a community; to learn to be adaptable; to be academically competent and challenged; and to create a vision for their personal future that is empowering.