There was a moment in the mid-2010s when Montessori was inevitable. The educational philosophy of the century, prioritizing independence from a young age, has become a lifestyle brand. Blocks and other wooden activity sets were spoken of as “Montessori toys.” Parents flocked to outdoor learning, and livestock were involved on farms, often called “Montessori’s Farm.”
“Montessori has been around for a very long time, and I think it has had all sorts of waxes and decline. I have discovered Montessori over and over again for very different ideas for generations.” “As someone who has studied Montessori over a long historic period, what I find very appealing is how it continues to transform itself with new audiences and people for what they want for their children.”
However, the educational environment has changed dramatically over the past five years, and last year, especially last year. The immersion economy, the battle over the choices of school vouchers, and the confusion about what the term “Montessori” means, is Montessori “it” trend in the kindergarten world?
As the prominent chains of Montesso-inspired schools rapidly shrink, questions arise.
A century of ascending and descent – and then rise again
Angeline Lillard realized Montessori’s methods at the age of three, and attended Montessori school with her sister when she revived in the 1960s during a cultural change to individual autonomy. Lillard became a scholar who spent 20 years studying Montessori schools and writing “Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius.”
Interest in philosophy, first created by Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori in the early 1900s, tends to fall during recession periods and grow during economic ups, according to Lillard, who can explain the seemingly widespread presence of the late 2010s.
“All schools get immersed when the economy is not going well,” she says. “Progressive and parenting techniques were strong up until World War II. You can see a cycle with certain challenges and retreat to the practices of the depression era.”
It is associated with wealthy, usually white families, but several Montessori institutions are also directed at helping low-income children. For example, Magnolia Montessori for everyone I made a headline The area is home to low-income residents when it first opened its location in East Austin, Texas in 2014.
Lillard also believes the programming has recently experienced a recent surge due to what she calls the “charter school movement.” Based on the family’s needs, families give up on the path of traditional public schools and instead choose publicly funded private charter schools. Montessori schools, which offer only kindergartens, do not necessarily compete with many public institutions. However, those who provide elementary and middle school education compete for students against public kindergarten to high school.
Today, families can register their children at Wildflower Montessori schools. Or at the Bezos Academy location, it is touted as “Montessosa-inspired” in itself, sponsored by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
Perhaps best known is the Guide Post Montessori, which splattered across the scene in 2016 and bulged into more than 130 locations around the world.
However, at the end of last year, privately supported school chains began to rapidly close locations in Virginia and Ohio, with massive closures so far in 2025. There are five locations in Colorado, two locations each in Minnesota and Iowa. The openings already planned elsewhere were placed in indefinite holds. Other locations remain open, the chain itself has not declared bankruptcy, nor has it announced a folding.
However, the company’s co-founders, Ray and Rebecca Girn, announced in February that they had resigned from the company.
“In our enthusiasm to fulfill the enormous vision of our mission, we have over-expanded ourselves and grown beyond what we can effectively support our school networks both economically and operationally.” Company Blog Posts Adding the company, it was “lovely built over the past nine years” which is in the process of closing a third of the schools.
Guidepost is owned and operated by Higher Education, an education management company focused on Montessori and backed by private venture capital dollars. Edsurge was unable to reach the Guide Post or High Altitude Education spokesman for comments after repeated attempts.
However, some observers believe that the chain’s upset does not mark the end of Montessori programming.
“There’s no reason to think that Montessori is a philosophical vogue,” says Elliot Haspel, a senior fellow at Family Policy Think Tank Capita. “There’s a trend, but Guidepost is not that much about Montessori, and about a profit-driven chain that has made very bad business decisions.”
Lack of guardrails, and trademarks – raise concerns
Tracking the number of Montessori program registrations is difficult. Although schools and teachers have the option to obtain accreditation from the Montessori Association, there is no definition or trademark for “Montessori” so they can undoubtedly instill themselves in the “Montessori School” or follow Bezos’ lead to claim that they were “Montessori inspiration.”
Ambiguity is similar to cleaning equipment carrying labels “eco-friendly.” For consumers, it is not always clear what this actually means.
Learning play and cognition during her PhD, the Lillard program ultimately sent her own child to a Montessausol brand school, but soon found a contradiction. Her children would fill out mathematics worksheets before choosing their activities. The True Montessori Program allows children to choose the order in which they complete the tasks.
“When I didn’t like something at school, I would ask my family and they would say, ‘Well, that’s not Montessori,'” she says. “That’s a problem. My parents don’t know. I know it’s a ‘school in Montessori’, but it’s very diverse and the term isn’t a trademark. ”
The American Montessori Association did not reply to the Edruge request for comment, on that website There are approximately 5,000 Montessori schools in the United States, of which 4,500 are private and the rest are open to the public.
Ellen Frede, recently retired co-director at the National Institute of Early Education, says he agrees that popularity has fluctuated, although it has always been a more niche program.
“It’s not something I’ve learned, it’s tracking what’s going on in Montessori, but when you’re deep in the field, you agree that it’s decline and flow,” she says. “It’s always there. That’s what you know. There’s a Montessori program around you. You know who the kids go, but there’s none of these big programs.”
Current potential dips in Montessori registrations may be due to some of them There are few children in the world Generally, for now, Frede says there are fewer children enrolled in early childhood education programs across many states in the United States.
Ironically, the lack of guardrails that helped widen Montessori philosophy in more mainstream schools could actually undermine the true Montessori program. For example, child-sized furniture is a staple food in Montessori classrooms, and is currently ubiquitous in preschool classrooms in the US and is also used in homeschool techniques.
And for many families, choosing a Montessori simply comes down to what is most accessible. After all, the most common parenting arrangement in the United States is seeking support from family, friends and neighbors.
“In many cases, parents are around and choose what is available due to the lack of marking the US child care system,” Haspel says. “I have a deep belief in Montessori, so I’m sure there are executives of parents who are watching Montessori, but when Montessori goes to the street they are on the street they are doing. Similarly, if they’re not down the street, they go to a different kind of program.
I got caught up in Crossfire, a voucher program
Meanwhile, Montessori schools could face existential threats from today’s political battle for education.
Yale University’s Debs says the charter school got caught up in a crossfire push to the voucher program.
“Today, both sides are separated from charter schools. Republicans support the privatization of vouchers and education, and in the face of this, many Democrats are returning to traditional schools,” Debs says. “This has led to the abandonment of charter schools. The lack of funds for Montessori and the expansion of charter networks is now suspended.”
She said some school districts like that Detroit or Grand RapidsMichigan has opened its own Montessori Public Schools to try and get back to families who went to charter schools.
However, with the rise in state-funded Pre-Ks in many states, Montessori could be left behind. Frede pointed to a state-funded program that requires its own accreditation. Montessori has its own teaching methods and is run primarily by independent owners. This means that their owners must apply for state accreditation of their own will.
“So it’s a double wamy,” she says. “This is a complete move and it’s difficult for Montessori to fit that square peg into a round hole in the pre-k of state funding. Usually they know what their program is and are not open to changing it to suit the situation.
There is also the potential impact of a decline in the economy. Most private schools, including the Montessori program, are supported by private donations, and the constantly weathering economy can make them sparse.
“We had more limited donors than the Montessori model and other types of high-strength programs,” says Debs. It specifically points to Kipp, a national public charter school chain that focuses on university preparation.
“But if cooling is affected by the economic sector or more with regard to the creation of new public schools, I think it’s really difficult to say about the trends in demand for Montessori,” she says. “And I don’t think that has much to do with the parent’s demand for Montessori.”
