Montessori mom of 2 here. Agree with other posters. Keep the kid in it for K. The reason not to is really financial ( which I know is no laughing matter). If you can afford it it it wouldn't be too much of a sacrifice, I'd do it.

Montessori mom of 4 here. If you can afford to do so, keep your DC there for K otherwise you miss that montessori cycle. K is when you really reap the benefits of being at a montessori school.

My kids are older now and I fully appreciate the gift of Montessori. Stay!! If DD is a spring or summer birthday, consider having her do K at APS too. It's not the same curriculum (obviously) and most kids could use the extra year.

Definitely have her take that 3rd year of Montessori, either at her current school or at an APS Montessori - we finished our older daughter out in her private school, and our younger is in her first year of Montessori at an Arlington public school. Her APS teacher is EXCELLENT.

One other thought, since I just noticed you are in Arlington. You have a public-school Montessori program in your county! It may be worth a peek if you like the Montessori preschool. But I would still opt for stability/consistency in the Montessori program at the Kindergarten level -- in other words, my instinct would be to stay put and let her reap the benefits of being an "upper classman"!

My daughter transitioned to public school after a very enjoyable and challenging Kindergarten year at a Montessori school. Academically, she had all the skills she needed to succeed in public school -- she was reading and writing well, and enjoyed schoolwork. Kindergarten is definitely a capstone year in the 3-6 year old classroom at Montessori schools. At our school, the kids worked in their 3-6 classrooms in the morning and Kindergarteners came together from three classrooms to work together in the afternoon. It was beautiful in every respect -- the children's sense of mastery, their opportunity to lead others in the classroom, their joy at working with the other Kindergarteners. They also had LOADS of field trips -- about two a month on average, something the public schools just can't manage.

My child's experience in grades 1-3 in public school were mediocre to awful, and she became so unhappy that I moved her to private school in 4th grade. I attribute some of this to my particular kid -- very bright, but given the choice between socializing and working, she would socialize every single time. That "choice" really isn't offered in most Montessori schools -- kids are redirected -- but in her public school with a large class and a busy, new teacher trying to deal with diverse needs, it was VERY easy for her to socialize. And there was no redirecting -- kids were just told that they were "in the red" in terms of behavior, and privileges were revoked. (She had to sit out recess, for instance.) She also figured out she was able to skate by on minimal effort in public school, and so she did.

I still would have kept her in Montessori for Kindergarten, and in retrospect I probably should have kept her there for first and possibly second grade too. While she was not the classic "GT" kid, she was far enough ahead that she was quickly bored in her 1st grade class. I think everything evens out by around 3rd grade and it's a good time to transition.

I say this not to discourage you from moving to public school AT ALL -- I just want to share my experience that it can be a rough transition for some kids, for reasons that don't make intuitive sense to public school teachers. Today she is a good, disciplined public high school freshman with a mind of her own and a drive to succeed in anything she truly cares about. I attribute much of that to her excellent start in a Montessori program and a great private school that she attended through 8th grade.

My younger child is a 3rd grader in the same Montessori school, and will continue with Montessori for grades 4-6 because it suits her personality. She would transition flawlessly to public school, I believe, but she gets benefits from the Montessori school that I'm pretty sure the public school can't match, including a strong focus on science and nature.

My DS is currently in his 3rd year in a montessori school and he'll be heading to 1st grade at our local (MD) public school.
We struggled a lot with the decision, but I am so glad we stayed for the final year.

He wasn't reading at the beginning of this year (he has some speech delays that are playing into his reading). I'm sure at the public skill he would have eventually ended up in reading interventio. Instead, he just kept plugging along at his own place, with the teacher focused on exactly the skills he still needed to develop. Now he's a reader. An awesome, loves-to-read, full-up reader. Without any drama or tears.
He'll leave montessori with strong reading skills and good number sense.

More importantly, he really has blossomed socially and maturity-wise this year. I rolled my eyes at the director last spring when she used all the montessori mumbo-jumbo about how things all come together in the 3rd year and they get to be the leader. Well, she was right. Instead of spending this year as the youngest in the school, he spent this year as a leader in his class. He got more responsibility and really solidified skills when helping the younger kids.

I am still a little concerned about his transition to 1st grade, but little kids are so adaptable, and he has such a strong foundation now, that I think he'll be just fine.

We are in a very good FCPS ES school and did Montessori for K. Transition to public 1st was no problem. With Montessori K the class size was smaller and at our M school the kids finally get to be the "leader" with the younger kids in our mixed age classrooms. The K year really is a capstone, if you will, for kids that have been in Montessori for all of preschool. The only downsides were the extra expense and my DS not walking to school with his neighborhood friends in K. We're glad we did it. I know other families that chose FCPS ES for K and their kids are doing fine also.

We have thought a lot about the same thing. We are in Fairfax County. We are going with the final year in Montessori. I visited the public elementary school and I really liked it. I just think the curriculum is more challenging in Montessori. I'm not too worried about the transition to first grade. Our ES is transient so there will be plenty of new kids coming in during 1st grade.

The Montessori program is designed to include the kindergarten year. Your child should finish what was started then move on. Otherwise, it's like skipping one's senior year and missing a very important year of the developmental plan.

So our daughter is up for Kindergarten this fall and we are zoned for Nottingham Elementary in N. Arlington. She has been attending a private montessori since she was 16 months and the school does offer the Kindergarten year at her school as well.

We are having a tough time deciding between the two schools and wonder if anyone has had a similar dilemma? Of course, at first grade she would transfer into the Public elementary school but the curriculum for K definitely seems more advanced at the montessori level.

Also, for those who did choose K in montessori I am looking for some feedback on the transition into public school for first grade?

Thanks much!