Trustees approved naming the district's newest elementary campus Crowley Montessori Academy.

The new school is located in the Karis development, off Industrial Boulevard in Crowley, and will house the Crowley ISD's Montessori program. It will open in the fall of 2024.

The current Crowley Montessori Academy will move from a wing in Mary Harris Elementary where it has been housed to the new campus, a $33.3 million project, funded through a bond package passed in 2007. It is the only Montessori school within Crowley ISD and one fewer than 50 in Texas.

The Montessori method of teaching focuses on individual and small-group learning, with teachers as guides. Open space and tables are common in a Montessori classroom instead of individual desks and a presentation area for teachers.

“What I love about Montessori is that a teacher can see each individual child uniquely and really bring about their own special gifts and strengths,” said Veronica Delgado, Crowley Montessori Academy principal. “Really, Montessori is preparing a child for life and not just thinking about this one year.”

Some of the features in the new Montessori elementary include collaborative learning and study spaces throughout the campus, natural lighting in all classrooms and a fully accessible playground. There will be an indoor amphitheater for collaboration, presentations and group learning. An outdoor labyrinth will be designed to stimulate creativity and promote social and emotional health. There will be security fencing around all outdoor play areas. Teachers will be Montessori-certified.

When it opens, the school will have 22 classrooms serving up to 484 children from age 3 through fifth grade. The school has been designed to add a second phase that will have 10 to 12 classrooms serving another 220 to 260 students. Enrollment is open to all students within Crowley ISD, although parents will have to apply for their child to be admitted.

Crowley ISD introduced Montessori classes in 2020, and current classes at Mary Harris Elementary serve children ages 3 through fourth grade. There are now 216 children in the program.