Public Montessori programs enhance early learning and reduce costs, confirming the enduring benefits of Montessori education in modern classrooms.
The first national randomized study of public Montessori preschool students revealed that by the end of kindergarten, participants demonstrated stronger long-term gains in reading, memory, and executive function than children from traditional preschools.
The findings are particularly relevant for policymakers, as the Montessori programs achieved these outcomes at significantly lower costs. The study, which followed 588 children across 24 programs throughout the United States, underscores the importance of continuing to track these students’ progress through later grades and beyond.
Researchers from the University of Virginia, the University of Pennsylvania, and the American Institutes for Research led a large-scale national study showing that public Montessori programs for children ages 3 to 6 produce stronger early learning outcomes while being more cost-effective for both schools and taxpayers. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, this first-of-its-kind randomized controlled trial followed nearly 600 students enrolled in 24 public Montessori programs across the country.
By the end of kindergarten, students who gained entry through a random lottery into public Montessori preschools surpassed their peers in reading skills, executive functioning, short-term memory, and social understanding—all while costing about $13,000 less per child than conventional preschool programs. These cost estimates exclude additional potential savings from higher teacher satisfaction and retention, which have been supported by previous data. The results, verified by independent reviewers, stand in contrast to previous studies where preschool benefits often diminished or disappeared entirely by the end of kindergarten.
