Montessori Public School of Arlington, 701 S. Highland St.: pre-K to grade 5, 422 K-5 students on Sept. 30, 2026, framework score 95.6. Office: 703-228-8871.

Last checked Oct. 19, 2026. Sources: Montessori Public School of Arlington, Arlington Public Schools, the Virginia Department of Education’s School Quality Profile and the federal NCES school directory.

Montessori Public School of Arlington is an Arlington Public Schools (APS) countywide option school. It sits at 701 S. Highland St., near Columbia Pike, and serves Primary Montessori preschool for 3- to 5-year-olds and kindergarten through fifth grade. It is a countywide option school: it has no attendance zone, and families apply through the APS lottery.

Who to call

  • Main office: 703-228-8871 (fax 703-486-8971)
  • Applications, the lottery and registration: APS Welcome Center, 703-228-8000, option 1; 2110 Washington Blvd., first floor
  • Buses and general questions: APS main line, 703-228-8000
  • Which school serves an address: School and Community Relations, 703-228-6005
Address 701 S. Highland St., Arlington, VA 22204
Grades Pre-K to 5
School day 9 a.m. to 3:50 p.m. (early release 1:30 p.m.)
Website montessori.apsva.us
Division Arlington Public Schools

Principal

Principal Catharina Genove, according to the school’s website.

Enrollment and teachers

  • APS count: 422 students in kindergarten through fifth grade on Sept. 30, 2026, plus 95 in preschool programs, in APS’s official membership summary (PDF).
  • State count: 520 students in fall 2025, including 97 in pre-K, after 528 in 2024 and 517 in 2023, in the School Quality Profile.
  • Federal count: 517 students in the 2023-24 school year, with 33 full-time-equivalent teachers, according to the NCES directory. That works out to about 16 students per teacher.

The program and admission

APS says the Montessori program “provides an interdisciplinary, discovery-based approach to learning following the tenets of Dr. Maria Montessori,” on its schools and programs page. Primary Montessori takes children who turn 3 by Sept. 30 for a full school day, with tuition on a sliding scale based on family income, according to APS. Pre-K applicants can apply both to this school and to the Montessori satellite assigned to their neighborhood school. Students can continue in the Montessori Middle Years program at Gunston Middle School by filling out an intent-to-return form in the spring.

For the 2027-28 school year, lottery applications open Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, on SchoolMint and close at 4 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22, 2027. The live lottery is Friday, Feb. 12, 2027, and families have until 8 p.m. Feb. 26 to accept a first-round seat, according to APS’s option schools page. There is no paper application; the APS Welcome Center helps families who need it.

State report card

Virginia’s School Performance and Support Framework scores each school on mastery on state tests, growth, readiness and graduation, according to APS’s framework page. Schools scoring 90 or more are Distinguished, 80 to 89 Meets Expectations, 65 to 79 Approaching Expectations and below 65 Needs Intensive Support.

  • 2026-27 framework score: 95.6, rated Distinguished, with no federal identification, in the division summary (PDF).
  • Accreditation: Fully Accredited

Standards of Learning pass rates (grades 3 to 5, share of tested students who passed), from the School Quality Profile:

Subject 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26
English reading 89% 90% 87%
Math 85% 84% 85%
Science 88% 79% 79%

Attendance zone

The school has no attendance zone. After fifth grade, students either continue in Gunston’s Montessori Middle Years program or go to the neighborhood middle school for their home address. Check it in the APS boundary locator.

Calendar and bell times

From the APS 2026-27 calendar:

  • Wednesday, Oct. 28: early release, all schools
  • Monday, Nov. 2: end of first quarter
  • Tuesday, Nov. 3: no school for students (Election Day)
  • Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day, no school
  • Nov. 25-27: Thanksgiving break
  • Dec. 23 to Jan. 1: winter break
  • Thursday, March 18, 2027: early release; Friday, March 19: no school (parent-teacher conferences)
  • March 22-26, 2027: spring break
  • Thursday, June 17, 2027: last day of school, early release

The school day runs 9 a.m. to 3:50 p.m., with early release at 1:30 p.m., according to APS. Each elementary school holds a family information session between November and January; see the schedule.

More on Arlington schools

Frequently asked questions

What grades does Montessori Public School of Arlington serve?

Pre-K through fifth grade. APS counted 422 students in kindergarten through fifth grade on Sept. 30, 2026, plus 95 in preschool programs.

How is Montessori Public School of Arlington rated by the state?

It is fully accredited. In Virginia’s 2026-27 School Performance and Support Framework it scored 95.6 and is rated Distinguished, with no federal identification.

How do you get into Montessori Public School of Arlington?

Through the APS option-school lottery. Applications for 2027-28 open Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, and close at 4 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22, 2027, on APS’s SchoolMint portal.

Which middle and high school does Montessori Public School of Arlington feed into?

It has no zone. Students can continue in the Montessori Middle Years program at Gunston Middle School or go to the neighborhood middle school for their home address.

What time does Montessori Public School of Arlington start?

9 a.m. to 3:50 p.m., with early release at 1:30 p.m., according to Arlington Public Schools.