Overview
Montessori Magnet School is a public magnet school in Albany, New York, serving students from prekindergarten through grade 5 [2][3]. It operates within the City School District of Albany, the district whose website publishes the school’s address, daily schedule, staff contacts, and program description [2]. The school’s instructional identity is built around the Montessori Method: it describes a program that blends Montessori philosophy and hands-on materials with New York State learning standards and the district’s instructional resources [2].
In New York State records, the school is identified by NYSED institution ID 800000055730 and BEDS code 010100010014, and its principal is listed as John Powell on the New York State Education Department (NYSED) data profile [1]. This profile describes only that Albany school; the state’s records and identifiers above are the most reliable way to distinguish it from other schools that use “Montessori” in their names.
Location and School Identity
Montessori Magnet School is listed at 45 Tremont St., Albany, NY 12205, with a published telephone number of (518) 475-6675 [1][2]. The school’s official page is hosted on the City School District of Albany website at https://www.albanyschools.org/schools/montessori [1][2]. The district office address and main telephone number shown on the same site are 1 Academy Park, Albany, NY 12207, and (518) 475-6000 [2].
Two distinctions are worth keeping in mind when reading any school listing. First, a school’s street address does not establish that a student living nearby is eligible to attend it; magnet schools in particular may use an application or assignment process rather than a neighborhood attendance zone. Second, a school’s site may host information for a specific school year, so dates matter when comparing figures across sources. The retrieved sources for this profile do not describe an attendance boundary for Montessori Magnet School, and they do not state whether neighborhood residence confers any enrollment priority.
Grades and Academic Programs
Montessori Magnet School serves grades prekindergarten through 5 [2][3]. The school day begins at 8 a.m. and ends at 2:30 p.m. [2]. According to the school’s own page, students who attend the elementary school continue to Stephen and Harriet Myers Middle School for grades 6–8 [2].
The school’s stated magnet theme is the Montessori Method. In its own words, the program seeks to blend “the philosophy and hands-on materials of Maria Montessori, the guidance provided by the New York State learning standards and the instructional resources provided by our district,” with the goal of a student body that works “within the clear boundaries set by our teachers” while exploring standards-connected interests as independence grows [2].
As a general matter, Montessori education is an approach that typically emphasizes hands-on learning materials, mixed-age groupings, and guided independence rather than whole-class instruction alone. Families researching the school should confirm with the school directly how any particular element of Montessori practice is implemented at this site, since the retrieved sources do not describe specific classroom structures, curricula, class sizes, or specialized programs beyond the magnet theme itself [2].
Enrollment and School Data
Two enrollment figures appear in the available evidence, and they do not agree. The NYSED data profile lists a total of 286 students [1]; the retrieved excerpt of that page does not state the reporting year for the figure. A third-party school profile that cites the National Center for Education Statistics and the New York State Education Department lists 322 students for the year it labels 2026–27 [3]. Because the two numbers come from different sources and periods, this profile reports both rather than choosing one. Readers who need an authoritative current count should consult the NYSED data profile linked in the verification section below.
The same third-party profile reports assessment results as ranges: mathematics proficiency of 70–74 percent and reading/language arts proficiency of 50–54 percent, compared with New York State averages of 52 percent in mathematics and 49 percent in reading, along with a science proficiency figure of at least 90 percent [3]. These figures describe the share of tested students scoring at or above the state’s proficiency standard on the relevant state assessments, and the aggregator labels the reporting period 2026–27 [3]. Several limitations apply. The values are published as ranges rather than exact percentages, they reflect a single testing window, they do not measure student growth over time, and they are aggregated by a third party rather than issued directly by the state. Proficiency rates describe one narrow dimension of a school and should not be treated as a summary of overall school quality.
The same source reports a student–teacher ratio of 13:1, compared with a New York State level of 11:1, and a teacher population of 24 teachers that it says has grown by 9 percent over five school years [3]. It also reports minority enrollment of 59 percent, describing the student body as majority Black and Asian [3]. Demographic composition is a description of who attends a school; it is not evidence about school quality or about how any individual student would perform there. The source additionally lists a partial grade-level distribution — 36 students in prekindergarten, 44 in kindergarten, and 51 in grade 1 — with the remainder of the listing truncated in the retrieved excerpt [3].
The NYSED profile page also includes sections for school climate, attendance, and suspension reporting, but the retrieved excerpt does not include values for those measures [1].
Admissions and Enrollment
The sources examined for this profile do not describe the school’s application procedure, eligibility rules, deadlines, or whether enrollment is determined by lottery, application, or another assignment method. Because Montessori Magnet School is described as a magnet school [3] and presents a magnet theme [2], families should not assume that living near 45 Tremont St. creates eligibility or priority. In New York State, magnet school enrollment practices vary by district and can change from year to year, so the reliable path is to confirm requirements with the school office at (518) 475-6675 or with the City School District of Albany before relying on any secondhand description [2].
Student Services and Family Information
The school’s website lists named contacts for student support, the school nurse, and the PTA, as well as a route for special education questions [2]. For special education matters, the page directs families to the district Special Education Office at (518) 475-6150, extension 14309, and lists Sub-CSE chairperson contacts by grade level — one for prekindergarten and one for grades K–5 across Arbor Hill, Delaware, Giffen, Montessori, New Scotland, and Pine [2].
Staff names, telephone extensions, and office assignments are operational details that change, so readers should treat the contacts above as the ones published at the time this evidence was retrieved and confirm them on the school or district website before relying on them [2]. The retrieved sources do not address transportation eligibility, school meals, language-support services, or building accessibility for this school, and this profile does not infer that any such service is available.
Magnet Theme and Community Context
Montessori Magnet School’s distinguishing feature, as presented in its own materials, is its combination of a Montessori approach with state learning standards and district resources, rather than a single published curriculum [2]. The school also states that its elementary students feed into Stephen and Harriet Myers Middle School for grades 6–8, which is useful context for families planning beyond the elementary years [2].
The retrieved sources do not provide a founding date, enrollment history, or other verified milestones for the school, so no historical narrative is offered here. Any claims about the school’s founding, awards, or long-term reputation would require documentation that was not part of the evidence reviewed for this profile.
How to Verify Current Information
Because enrollment counts, staffing, assessment results, and admissions procedures are updated on different schedules, readers should check primary sources directly:
- The school’s page on the City School District of Albany website, https://www.albanyschools.org/schools/montessori, for the current address, hours, program description, staff contacts, and special education routing [2].
- The NYSED data profile for institution ID 800000055730, https://data.nysed.gov/profile.php?instid=800000055730, for state-reported enrollment, school climate, attendance, suspension, and accountability information, along with the BEDS code 010100010014 [1].
- The City School District of Albany, at (518) 475-6000 or 1 Academy Park, Albany, NY 12207, for district-level enrollment and assignment questions [2].
Where this profile reports figures from a third-party aggregator, those figures are identified as such and should be treated as secondary to current state and district records [3].