Expansion approved for NM Montessori charter as demand surges
Andrew Marshall Posted On November 2, 2026 
One of New Mexico’s best performing, highly desirable schools is a public Montessori charter—and following a unanimous vote by the Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education, it’s now set for an expansion.
Montessori of the Rio Grande (MRGC), like public Montessori programs across the country, is bucking the declining enrollment trend facing many public-school districts. As reported by the Albuquerque Journal, MRGC averages over 150 applications for around 20 open slots per school year, necessitating a lottery for admission. School officials told the Journal that a second campus, which would be more centrally located within the district, would more than double MRGC’s current enrollment of 216 over a period of five years.
In contrast, Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) saw two non-Montessori charter schools close due to low enrollment in advance of the current school year, according to previous reporting by the Albuquerque Journal. But MRGC Executive Director Deborah Henwood is confident that the demand for public Montessori is just as high in Albuquerque as it is across the rest of the country, warranting the expansion.
“I believe there is a want and a need in Albuquerque to add a second campus,” she told the APS board in advance of their vote earlier this month. “I am very confident that the children and families will come.”
MRGC’s stellar performance was singled out by the New Mexico Public Education Department, which highlighted the school’s 85% reading proficiency score last year. The department assigned MRGC an overall school score of 78, based on a range of metrics including math, reading, and science proficiencies, math and reading performance growth, attendance, educator credentials, per-pupil expenditures, school climate, and more.
A score of 78 puts the school firmly on the “great” side of the department’s school score range.
MRGC first opened its doors in 2004. The expansion could be ready to accept students as early as the 2028/29 school year.
Andrew Marshall is an award-winning journalist and visual artist.
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