About Sedona Charter School
Sedona Charter School, Arizona's oldest charter school, is a tuition-free Montessori elementary and middle school founded in 1995. Our small-school environment provides a safe space for your child to flourish academically and personally. We believe in fostering creativity, independence, and a love of learning.
Montessori Method
Our Montessori school challenges each child to achieve excellence through an individualized program, which includes a schoolwide musical strings program. We inspire a passion for learning, instill a sense of personal responsibility, and cultivate a respect for the environment and involvement in the community.
Our Team
Our team at Sedona Charter School is dedicated to providing a safe, nurturing, and engaging learning environment for our students. We believe that every child has the potential to succeed, and we work hard to help them reach their full potential. Our experienced and passionate teachers use the Montessori approach to education to help students develop their academic, social, and emotional skills. We are committed to working closely with parents to ensure that each child receives the support they need to thrive.
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Years Established
600+
Graduates
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Testimonials
About Sedona Charter School
Founded in 1995, Sedona Charter School is the oldest charter school in Arizona. Over the years, this school has established a place of honor within the educational reform movement and among families who value excellence in education.
Located on nearly five acres in a quiet West Sedona neighborhood, and adjacent to the public library, the campus was designed from the ground up to support a Montessori educational environment for up to 160 students in grades one through eight. Our kindergartners attend school at our affiliate for three-to-six-year-olds: Sedona Montessori School.
In this small-school atmosphere, our students reach high levels of academic achievement, scoring well on standardized tests, winning in national and regional language, arts, science, and math competitions. They also gain the skills they need to go on to become leaders and high-performing students in high schools and universities across the country.
The Montessori method
The Montessori method forms the foundation of the Sedona Charter School curriculum. It has been said that teachers in other schools can quickly spot Montessori-educated students in their classrooms due to their ability to think, solve problems, exhibit self-motivation, and self-manage. They know what questions to ask to get help quickly to start and complete projects.
Maria Montessori was a brilliant, innovative physician who revolutionized educational thinking a century ago. Her approach emphasizes individualized, self directed learning in which students choose from a variety of materials and processes to help them master a subject or concept. Other key elements of Montessori include:
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Respect for self, others, and the environment
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Presentation of concepts from the global to the specific
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A daily learning journal and weekly contract
Our children are taught by an intensely focused teaching team in multi-age, multi-grade classrooms. Each team is guided by an experienced Principal Educator formally trained in the Montessori method. The teachers work to ensure that each student has the opportunity to excel, both academically and as a good citizen, in an environment that is physically and emotionally safe for all children. We follow guidelines established by the American Montessori Society, in which we have maintained membership since 2005.
Our low student-teacher ratio, which ranges between 10:1 and 15:1, enables the students to receive ongoing individualized assistance. In addition, our teachers have developed elaborate planning and monitoring systems that provide continual feedback to students, parents, and teachers.
Our Vision
Sedona Charter School's vision is to create a world where people collaborate using empathy, respect, and excellence to achieve social justice and sustainability. We aim for individuals to find their intrinsic purpose and recognize the value in themselves and others. For children at the school, we strive to develop qualities like honesty, integrity, responsibility, compassion, and stewardship. Parents are expected to support the school's mission and Montessori program, while teachers are to model and facilitate the vision for the child. School leadership is envisioned to embody traits like cooperation, adaptability, commitment, honor, and effective communication.
Through the alumni of Sedona Charter School, we aspire to create a world in which:
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People use empathy, respect, and a commitment to excellence as they work together to overcome challenges, achieve social justice, and ensure a sustainable future.
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Each person finds and fulfills his or her intrinsic purpose.
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People recognize the value in every human being including themselves, and every culture including their own.
We envision the children of Sedona Charter School developing these qualities:
Honesty • Integrity • Responsibility • Self-discipline • Perseverance • Respectful behavior • Friendship • Compassion • Empathy • Awe of the world • Curiosity • Appreciation for the arts • Sense of humor • Pursuit of quality work • Joy of accomplishment • Involvement in the local and global community • Stewardship of the earth
Our Team.
Our team at Sedona Charter School is dedicated to providing a safe, nurturing, and engaging learning environment for our students. We believe that every child has the potential to succeed, and we work hard to help them reach their full potential.
