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Baker Montessori School
Ella J. Baker Montessori School, formerly Woodrow Wilson Montessori School and Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, is a public K-8 Montessori school in the Cherryhurst Addition subdivision in the Neartown area of Houston, Texas. A part of the Houston Independent School District (HISD), Baker serves as the neighborhood elementary school for a section of Neartown, including a portion of Montrose. It also serves as a magnet school for all of HISD's territory. As of 2014[update] it is one of three public Montessori programs in Houston. It was the first HISD school to use the Montessori style for all students, as well as housing HISD's first Montessori middle school program.
The land that currently houses Baker Montessori was previously occupied by the summer house of Mirabeau Lamar, a President of Texas; it was located on the Oak Grove acreage site. The acreage was broken up in 1923. Construction began in 1924 and the school opened in 1925.
For much of its history it was a standard neighborhood elementary school. Tom Behrens of the Houston Chronicle described Wilson as "the showplace school of the city for many years".
From 1986 to 1996, Wilson Elementary served a section of River Oaks as the neighborhood program of River Oaks Elementary School had been removed.
In the 2000s Wilson Elementary experienced a decline in enrollment since the surrounding neighborhood had fewer families with children attending school. In 2005 there were 410 students. A group of area parents suggested converting Wilson into a Montessori school. HISD and the group, All Montessori School Project, negotiated for two years to determine how the school would be established. Not all area parents agreed with the proposal; 208 parents had signed a survey stating opposition.
In 2005 HISD announced that Wilson was scheduled to be converted into a PreK-8 school using a Montessori program for all students. Friends of Montessori agreed to assist the effort and signed a two-year agreement to assist the conversion of Wilson; it was scheduled to raise $6,000 to buy the materials used for the Montessori program. All teachers were to be Montessori-certified, and existing teachers staying at Wilson were to undergo training to deliver the curriculum. Parents acquired an additional $345,000 in the period 2003-2008 to convert Wilson into a Montessori campus. The 7th and 8th grades were to be established at Wilson by late 2009.
In 2008 there were 440 students. That year Jennifer Radcliffe of the Houston Chronicle wrote that "Parents rave about Wilson". After the Montessori program was established, enrollment at Wilson increased; in the 2013-2014 school year, the school had 501 students, including 90 middle school students. The expected enrollment for the 2014-2015 school year was 530.
In 2016 groundbreaking occurred for an expansion of the campus. The original building is to be renovated, and a three-story structure designed by Smith & Co. Architects will be added on. The total cost will be $18.9 million, and the campus will have a total area of almost 58,000 square feet (5,400 m2) of space.
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Baker Montessori School
Ella J. Baker Montessori School, formerly Woodrow Wilson Montessori School and Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, is a public K-8 Montessori school in the Cherryhurst Addition subdivision in the Neartown area of Houston, Texas. A part of the Houston Independent School District (HISD), Baker serves as the neighborhood elementary school for a section of Neartown, including a portion of Montrose. It also serves as a magnet school for all of HISD's territory. As of 2014[update] it is one of three public Montessori programs in Houston. It was the first HISD school to use the Montessori style for all students, as well as housing HISD's first Montessori middle school program.
The land that currently houses Baker Montessori was previously occupied by the summer house of Mirabeau Lamar, a President of Texas; it was located on the Oak Grove acreage site. The acreage was broken up in 1923. Construction began in 1924 and the school opened in 1925.
For much of its history it was a standard neighborhood elementary school. Tom Behrens of the Houston Chronicle described Wilson as "the showplace school of the city for many years".
From 1986 to 1996, Wilson Elementary served a section of River Oaks as the neighborhood program of River Oaks Elementary School had been removed.
In the 2000s Wilson Elementary experienced a decline in enrollment since the surrounding neighborhood had fewer families with children attending school. In 2005 there were 410 students. A group of area parents suggested converting Wilson into a Montessori school. HISD and the group, All Montessori School Project, negotiated for two years to determine how the school would be established. Not all area parents agreed with the proposal; 208 parents had signed a survey stating opposition.
In 2005 HISD announced that Wilson was scheduled to be converted into a PreK-8 school using a Montessori program for all students. Friends of Montessori agreed to assist the effort and signed a two-year agreement to assist the conversion of Wilson; it was scheduled to raise $6,000 to buy the materials used for the Montessori program. All teachers were to be Montessori-certified, and existing teachers staying at Wilson were to undergo training to deliver the curriculum. Parents acquired an additional $345,000 in the period 2003-2008 to convert Wilson into a Montessori campus. The 7th and 8th grades were to be established at Wilson by late 2009.
In 2008 there were 440 students. That year Jennifer Radcliffe of the Houston Chronicle wrote that "Parents rave about Wilson". After the Montessori program was established, enrollment at Wilson increased; in the 2013-2014 school year, the school had 501 students, including 90 middle school students. The expected enrollment for the 2014-2015 school year was 530.
In 2016 groundbreaking occurred for an expansion of the campus. The original building is to be renovated, and a three-story structure designed by Smith & Co. Architects will be added on. The total cost will be $18.9 million, and the campus will have a total area of almost 58,000 square feet (5,400 m2) of space.