A national randomized controlled trial tracking children from age 3 through the end of kindergarten found that students admitted by lottery to public Montessori preschools scored higher on several learning and cognitive measures than peers who attended other programs. The researchers also estimated that districts spent about $13,000 less per child over three years in Montessori programs than in more traditional public preschool models.
Public Montessori preschools delivered stronger end-of-kindergarten outcomes than other early education settings in a large, multi-site randomized study, according to findings published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The trial followed 588 children who entered competitive admission lotteries at 24 public Montessori preschool programs across the United States. Children offered seats in Montessori programs through those lotteries outperformed peers who were not offered seats on measures that included reading, executive function, short-term memory, and social understanding by the end of kindergarten.
The study also reported lower estimated costs for districts. Using a program cost analysis, the researchers estimated that providing public Montessori from ages 3 to 6 cost about $13,000 less per child than traditional public preschool models over the same period. The reported savings were driven largely by classroom staffing structures, including higher child-to-teacher ratios at younger ages and mixed-age classrooms. The authors noted that their $13,000 estimate did not include potential additional savings associated with teacher job satisfaction and lower turnover that other research has linked to Montessori settings.
“These findings affirm what Maria Montessori believed over a century ago—that when we trust children to learn with purpose and curiosity, they thrive,” said Angeline Lillard, a University of Virginia psychologist and the paper’s lead author. “Public Montessori programs are not only effective but cost-efficient.”
Karen Manship, a coauthor and managing director at the American Institutes for Research, said Montessori preschool programs are already used in “hundreds” of U.S. public schools and argued the results could be relevant for policymakers trying to improve outcomes under budget pressure.
David Loeb of the University of Pennsylvania highlighted the method’s origins in early 20th-century Rome, saying the new results suggest Montessori can still benefit children from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds. The researchers reported that impacts were strongest among children from lower-income families, while children across backgrounds showed positive effects.
Maria Montessori opened her first classroom in 1907 in Rome. The researchers and related university materials say Montessori education is now offered in more than 600 U.S. public schools.
The authors called for continued follow-up of participants beyond kindergarten to assess whether the observed academic and cognitive differences persist into later grades and how they might affect longer-term outcomes.
