Spokane Public Montessori, Spokane WA

Original Research by School Decision on Spokane Public Montessori

Spokane Public Montessori is a regular public school within Spokane Public Schools serving students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. It is not a charter school. The school sits in the city of Spokane, the economic and cultural hub of the Inland Northwest, a city whose economy has diversified from its historical base in mining, timber, and agriculture into healthcare, government, education, and logistics. Spokane’s downtown is organized around the Spokane River and Riverfront Park, and the city hosts major events such as the Lilac Bloomsday Run and Hoopfest. Housing in the area is relatively affordable compared to western Washington, though rents have risen.

The school’s enrollment is small for a pre-K through eighth grade building. The student body is predominantly white, with a modest share of multiracial students and a small Hispanic representation. Above a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a substantial share. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available.

The school operates with a Montessori instructional model within a public school framework. Families choosing Spokane Public Montessori are selecting a particular pedagogical approach that emphasizes self-directed learning, mixed-age classrooms, and hands-on work, all delivered in a small school context. This is a plain characteristic of the school, not a judgment on quality.

On state assessments, results were mixed. In English language arts, the school showed a wide spread across grades. A strong majority of sixth graders met proficiency, and half of eighth graders did as well, placing these grades on solid ground. Performance in third, fourth, fifth, and seventh grades was lower, with between roughly a third and a half of students meeting the bar. In math, the picture was more challenging across all tested grade levels, with proficiency rates landing below the midpoint in every grade. Science results, available for fifth and eighth graders, were notably stronger, with the eighth-grade group showing a high level of proficiency. When considered as a whole, the school’s overall proficiency index placed it in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Spokane County. A parent may want to discuss the school’s approach to math instruction and how it supports students who are below grade-level expectations in that subject.

Because the school ends at eighth grade, there is no graduation rate. Chronic absenteeism data was also not available. The district that operates the school, Spokane Public Schools, has recently completed major facility investments, including opening three new middle schools funded by a capital bond. These new schools reshaped middle school feeder patterns across the district, which is a factor families in the district weigh when considering where to live.

The school is a choice within the district for families committed to Montessori education. It sits in a mid-sized city with a genuine downtown, multiple universities, and a set of civic and cultural anchors. For a family looking for a small, public Montessori pathway through middle school, this is a known option with a clear identity. The academic results suggest a school where literacy and science are relative strengths, particularly in the older grades, while math proficiency is an area where the school's approach may not be producing the same outcomes, and a family should ask how the school tracks and addresses that.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 328%

School 28% · District 49% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 435%

School 35% · District 55% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 521%

School 21% · District 38% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 631%

School 31% · District 39% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 726%

School 26% · District 71% · ▼ 45 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 832%

School 32% · District 35% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 342%

School 42% · District 47% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 448%

School 48% · District 46% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 42% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 660%

School 60% · District 43% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 737%

School 37% · District 65% · ▼ 27 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 850%

School 50% · District 50%

▲ 1 pts above state median · even with county median

Science

Grade 543%

School 43% · District 49% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 871%

School 71% · District 41% · ▲ 30 pts above district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

This schoolSpokane School District, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income50%Higher-income38%12 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income31%Higher-income54%24 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income29%Higher-income41%11 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income30%Higher-income70%40 pp gap