How we built this directory

Most school directories are filled with whatever a school (or an advertiser) submits. We started from public records instead: 768 Montessori schools that California currently licenses or that filed with the Department of Education this year.

Sources

• California Community Care Licensing Division ↗

  Every licensed child care center and infant center. Most Montessori preschools are licensed here, which gives us each one's status, capacity and first license date — and a link to its inspection history.

• California Department of Education — school directory ↗

  Public and charter schools that run Montessori programs.

• California Department of Education — Private School Affidavits ↗

  Private schools file an affidavit every year. A 2025–26 filing is how we know a private K–12 school is still operating, and which grades it teaches.

• U.S. Department of Education — Private School Universe Survey ↗

  Addresses and grade spans for private schools, used to place schools that don't hold a child care license.

What counts as a Montessori school

Anything licensed or registered under a name that includes “Montessori”. The word isn't trademarked, so the name alone doesn't tell you how a school teaches — accreditation and teacher training do, and we'll add both as we verify them school by school. Programs at schools whose name doesn't say Montessori aren't listed yet.

How we read the records

• A campus with several licenses (say, a preschool and an infant center) is one listing.
• Infant-center licenses mean infant and toddler care; child care center licenses mean preschool (primary).
• Grades come from the school's own Department of Education filing.
• Closed, pending and inactive licenses are left out.

Records last refreshed 2026-11-14.