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Children who have participated in a Montessori education tend to have better academic outcomes than children who haven’t. In one study, researchers found that students who had been enrolled in a Montessori program from preschool through fifth grade performed better than their peers in math and science once they reached high school. In other words, students were still reaping the benefits of an early immersion in Montessori education years after they left the Montessori environment.

In addition to improving traditional academic outcomes, the Montessori method equips students with the social skills necessary to successfully navigate a variety of situations both inside and outside the classroom. Students are able to interact with older and younger peers in multi-age classrooms, allowing them to teach and to learn from one another. The decreased emphasis on traditional achievement measures such as letter grades allows students to build a collaborative, rather than competitive, atmosphere. Ultimately, Montessori students tend to develop high levels of social sensitivity and maturity.

Students who have participated in Montessori classrooms have been found to have higher levels of “executive functions,” which are a host of essential skills that include paying attention, shifting easily between tasks and using self-control to resist temptations. Executive functions are associated with success later in life, which is why it’s important that a Montessori education provides an ideal environment for executive functions to develop.

Montessori is a highly child-directed method, meaning that children are free to tailor their education to their unique interests. In contrast with traditional education, which holds a more “one size fits all” approach, the Montessori method gives children the opportunity to build upon their strengths. Engaging in self-directed learning with the freedom to answer unscripted questions pushes children to take control of their education. Furthermore, instead of asking children to answer only the questions they’re given, the Montessori method allows children to realize that they can be creative in the questions that they ask. This gives children the chance to truly take ownership over their own education.

Although this might not be one of the most obvious benefits of a Montessori education, it’s certainly one of the most important. Enrolling your child in a Montessori-based school gives you and your child access to a vibrant community of parents, children, and educators who all place a high value on the importance of education. Children have the opportunity to make lifelong friends, and parents become part of a supportive network.