A successful public Montessori program in Virginia is expanding next year with a wider age range and a new school, offering more children free access to Montessori education.
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) launched its Montessori program in the 2025-26 school year at Bucknell Elementary School in Alexandria, Va. Originally launched with pre-K and kindergarten level students, next year the program will include first-graders. The program is open to families living within the West Potomac “pyramid” — the group of elementary schools feeding West Potomac High School. Those schools include: Belle View, Bucknell, Fort Hunt, Groveton, Hollin Meadows, Hybla Valley, Stratford Landing, and Waynewood elementary schools.
Nearby Arlington has a more than 50-year history of public Montessori in its schools.
“My child is in the Montessori program. He is five years old. He loves the program,” said parent Anai Cortez in a video produced by Fairfax County Public Schools. “When he started in the program, he learned how to do the letter sounds and he learned the technique of how to put the sounds of the letters together for them to be able to read … When we go to the store, he already reads what is on the signs of the store, the places that we go. He likes to grab magazines and books, and he can just read.”
Next school year will also see Public Montessori expanding to a new school within FCPS — Great Falls Elementary. Like the initial program at Bucknell, it will begin with multi-age classrooms of pre-K and kindergarten students. Families within FCPS’ Langley Pyramid — Churchill Road, Colvin Run, Forestville, Great Falls and Spring Hill elementary schools — will be eligible to register. Families within the Great Falls boundary are also eligible.
In the video, Nadine Clarke, a teacher with the FCPS Montessori program, encouraged parents to explore the option.
“The best thing I can say that happens beyond the learning is the social … They feel a sense of belonging and I’ve seen that happen over and over in our classrooms,” she said. “Montessori — it is the best approach to give an individualized lesson, a great learning experience for the individual child, so I would say go for it if you want your child to have that kind of experience where the sky’s the limit.”
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.
