Montessori Academy for Peace

www.dps61.org

697 Students

Elementary School Pre-K - 8th

School Overview

Garfield Montessori School, located at 300 Meadow Terrace in Decatur, Illinois, serves as a specialized educational environment within the Decatur Public Schools district. Following the traditional Montessori philosophy, the school focuses on fostering student independence, hands-on learning, and self-directed exploration. The curriculum is designed to accommodate various developmental stages, emphasizing the cultivation of critical thinking skills and a strong sense of community within multi-age classrooms.

As a public magnet school, Garfield Montessori provides families in the Decatur area with an alternative to the traditional classroom model. The school environment is structured to promote both academic rigor and social-emotional growth, encouraging students to progress at their own pace while engaging with a curated set of educational materials. By prioritizing the "whole child" approach, the school aims to instill a lifelong love of learning and personal responsibility in its students.

697

Total Students

39.9

Full-Time Teachers

17.5

Student/Teacher Ratio

N/A

Free/Reduced Lunch

Student Demographics

Student Demographics Data Table

Student Demographics for Montessori Academy for Peace
Demographic	Student Count
White	329
Hispanic	7
Black	227
Asian	6
Two or More	127
American Indian	1

White
329 (47.2 %)
Black
227 (32.6 %)
Two or More
127 (18.2 %)
Hispanic
7 (1.0 %)
Asian
6 (0.9 %)
American Indian
1 (0.1 %)

School Location

School Details

Status:	Open
School Level:	Elementary School
School Type:	Regular School
Charter Status:*	Public Non-Charter
Virtual Instruction:	No virtual instruction
Shared Time Status:	No
District:	Decatur SD 61
Phone:	(217)362-3390
Website:	http://www.dps61.org
Grade Range:	Pre-K - 8th
Total Students:	697
Full-Time Teachers (FTE):	39.9
Pupil/Teacher Ratio:	17.5
NSLP Participation:¹	Yes under Community Eligibility Option (CEO)
Qualified Free Lunch:	0
Qualified Reduced Lunch:	0

* Charter Schools: A public charter school is a publicly funded school that operates independently under a legislative contract (or "charter") with a state, school district, or designated authorizing entity. Charters grant these schools greater operational flexibility over curriculum, staffing, and budgeting in exchange for strict accountability to achieve performance standards established in their charter agreement.

¹ National School Lunch Program (NSLP): The National School Lunch Program is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to eligible children each school day based on household income thresholds or community eligibility options (CEO).

Title I Program Overview: Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) allocates federal financial assistance to local educational agencies and public schools with high percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards.

Grades Taught

Pre-Kindergarten 123

Kindergarten 73

Grade 1 70

Grade 2 62

Grade 3 74

Grade 4 61

Grade 5 63

Grade 6 60

Grade 7 62

Grade 8 48

Grade 9 1