The top reported proficiency rate is 85% in English language arts. The lowest is 79% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Montessori Day Public Schools Chartered - Tempe
Montessori Day Public Schools Chartered - Tempe was a charter Montessori school serving a mixed-age primary classroom, identified as grades "M through M," housed in Chandler despite its name. It is now inactive, having closed in 2022, a change that reduced the district to a single remaining campus in Phoenix. For families researching this school, the relevant fact is that it is no longer an operating option in the Tempe or Chandler area.
During its final years, the school left behind a very thin academic record. State testing data is limited to a single school year. Among the few results that were not suppressed due to small numbers, fourth-grade students showed a strong outcome on the state’s AzM2 assessment: in math, a large majority were proficient, and in English language arts, an even larger share met or exceeded the bar. Across all tested subjects and grades where a proficiency rate could be reported, the school’s overall performance placed it in the top quartile relative to districts across Maricopa County—a positive signal. However, because the grade-level results for third and fifth grades were supressed, and because the school’s small size means even a handful of students can swing rates, these results should be read as indicative of a school that served a small cohort well, not as a comprehensive measure.
The school followed the Montessori method, which emphasizes self-directed, hands-on learning and mixed-age classrooms. That pedagogy is a known characteristic that suits families seeking an alternative to traditional instruction. No data on student demographics, free or reduced-price meal eligibility, English learner status, or special education services was provided, so a parent would have needed to ask the school directly for that picture.
The school’s location in Chandler places it in a fast-growing Phoenix suburb that has become a hub for semiconductor and tech employers. The city is a car-oriented stretch of master-planned subdivisions and freeway corridors, anchored by a large regional mall and a historic downtown core. Home values in the area run above the state median, and rents are moderate by metro standards. The broader district, Montessori Day Public Schools Chartered Inc., now operates only one school in Phoenix, so families in the southeast Valley who wanted a Montessori charter within a reasonable drive lost this campus as an option.
In short, Montessori Day Public Schools Chartered - Tempe was a small, Montessori-focused charter that showed promising academic results in the limited data available but closed in 2022. It no longer enrolls students, and the district it belonged to has consolidated to a single site in Phoenix.
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