Frequently Asked Questions

We currently offer Preschool classes for 3 year-old and 4 year-old children. We offer Elementary classes Kindergarten through 5th grade.

The program is free for children in Kindergarten through 5th grade. There is a fee for the Preschool program.

The tuition rate listed is subject to change yearly. We participate in UPK.

Preschool families have two options for enrollment:

• 1⁄2 day is 7:50 a.m. – 11:05 a.m., Mon – Fri, approximately $350/month based on a 9-month payment plan*
• Full day is 7:50 a.m. – 2:50 p.m., Mon – Fri, approximately $550/month based on a 9-month payment plan*

* Preschool rates are individualized based on UPK eligibility. Please call the front office, 328-4100 for more information on pricing calculations. 

We are a school with no neighborhood boundaries; all families go through a Choice Application process to attend Buena Vista. The application process begins during the District’s Choice Open Enrollment window (December 15 – February 15) the year before your child would begin school. The Choice Application can be found on the District 11 website at https://www.d11.org/Choice.

Once you complete the Choice Open Enrollment Application, you will be on a wait list until February when we begin to process applications. Although the choice window technically closes on February 15, we at Buena Vista continue to accept families onto our wait lists throughout the school year. Applications then become inactive at the end of the school year.

Each of our Primary classrooms has no more than 20 children consisting of no more than 10 Preschoolers and no more than 10 Kindergarteners. Lower Elementary (Grades 1st, 2nd, and 3rd) and Upper Elementary (Grades 4th and 5th) classrooms are designed to be large enough to foster independence but small enough to allow for appropriate guidance and supervision—2 adults for 22 to 28 children.

Mixed-age groups naturally reflect family, neighborhood, and workplace environments. In a mixed-age classroom, younger children have the opportunity to learn from older classmates and older children gain confidence from sharing their experiences. This interaction fosters self-directed learning and creates a stimulating classroom atmosphere.

The staff at Buena Vista undertook a comprehensive process to align the Montessori lessons with the Colorado Academic Standards (2020) and we give benchmark  tests every quarter to ensure all children are progressing.

Individualized work plans guide daily work and include lessons the teacher will give, lessons for the child to practice, and areas of free choice based on individual interest. Teachers conference with children about their work on a regular basis and adjust their learning path based upon their mastery of particular areas of study.

Montessori schools are ideal for gifted children since they can extend their learning and pursue their interests throughout the school day. We also have a Gifted & Talented Interventionist who works specifically with gifted children on a part-time basis to ensure that they have opportunities to engage further in creative work, critical thinking, and problem solving.

Buena Vista Alumni have confirmed through the years that the education they received in our Public Montessori School prepared them to be successful in any Middle School. They actively pursue learning that continually challenges them to think critically and remain curious about the world.

Most Buena Vista children begin 6th grade at Holmes Middle School (District 11), Manitou Springs Middle School (District 14) or North Middle School (District 11).

Yes. As a Public School in Colorado Springs School District 11 we align our curriculum to the current Colorado State Standards (2020).

Teachers in our Primary and Lower Elementary programs have both certification from an accredited Montessori organization (AMS [American Montessori Society] or AMI [Association Montessori Internationale]) and hold a current Colorado State Teaching License.

In our Upper Elementary classrooms, although not formally Montessori Certified, the classroom teachers have received training and support from outside professionals and Buena Vista staff to incorporate the Montessori Philosophy into their curriculum, assessment and instruction. They expertly provide a bridge between the Lower Elementary Montessori classroom environment and the Public Middle School classroom environment. They also hold a current Colorado State Teaching License.

In all classrooms, Licensed Teachers and Unlicensed Educational Assistants will teach your child.

Through observation, reflection, collaboration, and modification of the learning environment, aware adults will support children in traveling the path to normalization and independence.

Buena Vista operates from a “Principles Approach''. We utilize only two expectations or rules...be respectful and be safe. These positive, pro-social behaviors are taught through “Grace and Courtesy” lessons. These lessons are built into the Montessori Curriculum and are taught using the Three Period Lesson. The lessons are taught in the context of the environment or situation for improved retention and successful generalization to other environments/situations.

No. This is a myth and misconception common to those beginning to research the Montessori Philosophy. Children at Buena Vista experience a structured, thoughtful, prepared environment and are presented with materials and curriculum that encourages exploration, critical thinking and discovery.

Yes. Buena Vista regularly has more than 95% of families attend Parent-Teacher Conferences, an active PTA (Parent-Teacher-Association) and a large percentage of families volunteer during the school day, for after school clubs, attend school events or participate in surveys.

Yes. Buena Vista follows the District 11 Time Schedule (currently 7:50am - 2:50pm) and the District 11 Calendar. The current Calendar can be found on the District website: https://www.d11.org/calendars/district-calendar

• Primary children have 30 minutes for lunch.
• Lower Elementary children have 20 minutes for lunch.
• Upper Elementary children have 15 minutes for lunch.

• Full-day Primary children have 30 minutes of outside time in the morning and 30 minutes in the afternoon. Half-day Primary children have 30 minutes of outside time in the morning.
• Lower Elementary children have 20 minutes of outside time in the afternoon.
• Upper Elementary children have 15 minutes of outside time in the morning and 25 minutes of outside time in the afternoon.

Every child has approximately 2-3 hours of work time each day. Within the work time, children may work  independently, in pairs or small groups. Additionally, they may work with their classroom teacher or educational assistant. Every child has an individual work plan, developed by the classroom teacher, to guide their work each week.

Buena Vista children traditionally score higher than or on par with their D11 peers. For example, District 11 began using Renaissance Star Assessments for Math and Reading in the 2022-2023 school year and Buena Vista children, on average, outperformed their District 11 peers.

Buena Vista has a wide variety of extracurricular offerings, updated quarterly. A few examples include:

• Preschool Author’s Purpose
• Preschool Crafty Science
• Preschool Animal Science
• Kindergarten Origami
• Kindergarten Spanish
• Kindergarten American Sign Language (ASL)
• Lower Elementary Storybook Stem
• Lower Elementary Crafting
• Lower Elementary Traveling the National Parks
• Lower Elementary Coding Lab
• Upper Elementary Cooperative Games
• Upper Elementary Mystery History
• Upper Elementary Advanced Art
• Upper Elementary Coding Lab

District 11 provides transportation to children within certain boundaries using a program called HopSkipDrive. Most families transport their children to Buena Vista Elementary School.

https://www.d11.org/transportation

The number of children who apply and are accepted varies from year to year. For the 2022-2023 school year all families who applied for Kindergarten through 5th Grade and then were put onto the waiting list were offered a spot before the end of Quarter 1. Our Primary classrooms continue to have a waiting list.

No. Some families engage in Montessori work at home and many do not. If you are interested in adding Montessori work to your home, a few examples would include inviting the child to:

• clear their plate from the table
• pick out their clothes the night before school and get dressed by themselves in the morning
• feed and provide fresh water to a household pet
• help with the laundry
• water the plants
• clean up toys, games, puzzles etc... each night before bedtime
• help plan the meals or snacks for the week

Montessori works best when children begin at a young age and continue through the Elementary years. Once a child has attended a traditional school, the transition into a Montessori school can be difficult. Children who are able to concentrate and work independently thrive in the Montessori environment whereas children who need more direction often do better in environments that offer a different structure.

For families who submit an application for more than one child to begin attending Buena Vista in the same school year, we will consider the children as “one” and enroll them as a pair or group. If the children are part of the Lottery Process (most often occurs for Preschool; occasionally for Kindergarten and/or 1st Grade) if one child from the family is chosen via the lottery their sibling(s) will automatically be accepted into the program.

When assigning children from the same family into individual classrooms, we will place each child into a separate classroom. Family requests for siblings to be placed into the same classroom must be approved by the Principal.

Yes. As a Montessori School, field trips are known as “Going Out”. For our Primary classes, the field trips come to Buena Vista. Each year children experience a series of experiences from High Trails Outdoor Education and the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

Our Lower Elementary classes, for example, have  presentations by KKTV Weather in school and Go Out to the Air Force Academy Planetarium. They also have the opportunity to participate in one overnight experience.

Our Upper Elementary classes, for example, have presentations by the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and
Colorado State University in school. They Go Out to the Department of Defense Starbase as part of  their Youth Outreach Program. They also have the opportunity to participate in one or more overnight
experiences.

A Primary Day Includes:

• Circle Time
• Uninterrupted Work Time (Morning for Half-Day; Morning & Afternoon for Full-Day)
• Library Time
• Snack Time (Morning)
• Restroom Breaks (throughout the day)
• Morning Recess
• Morning Specials (Preschool)
• Lunch (for Full-Day)
• Afternoon Recess (for Full-Day)
• Nap Time (Preschool)
• Afternoon Specials (Kindergarten)
• Clean Up / Pack Up / Classroom Jobs

A Lower Elementary Day Includes:

• Circle Time / Morning Meeting
• Uninterrupted Work Time
• STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art & Math) in the Library
• Math / Language / Reading / Writing Lessons
• Lunch
• Recess
• Story Time / Read Aloud
• Afternoon Specials (Art, Music, PE or Library)
• Uninterrupted Work Time / Lessons
• Clean Up / Pack Up / Classroom Jobs

An Upper Elementary Day Includes:

• Morning Meeting
• Morning Specials (Art, Music, PE or Library)
• Lessons for Math and Language Arts
• Uninterrupted Work Time
• Lunch
• Recess
• STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art & Math) in the Library
• Lessons for Science and Social Studies
• Uninterrupted Work Time
• Clean Up / Pack Up / Classroom Jobs