Montessori Renaissance Academy (MRA) is a private, nonsectarian, nonprofit Montessori school in Anoka, Minnesota, serving children from 16 months through 8th grade. The school has operated continuously for more than 22 years, through a transition from private ownership to its current nonprofit structure, with the same curriculum and many of the same teachers throughout. It holds 501(c)(3) nonprofit status.
Address: 1333 5th Ave, Anoka, MN 55303
Phone: (763) 323-0741
Website: anokamontessori.org
Grades Served: Toddler (16 months) through Grade 8
Student-to-Teacher Ratio: 8.4:1
Extended Care: Before-school care from 7:00 AM; after-school care until 5:30 PM
Montessori Renaissance Academy is an independent, nonprofit school in Anoka, MN that delivers Montessori education from toddlerhood through 8th grade. It is privately governed, tuition-funded, and has no religious affiliation.
MRA draws from both AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) and AMS (American Montessori Society) methodologies. Teachers hold credentials from multiple certifying bodies. The school does not restrict itself to a single certification body’s approach; the standard applied is what the evidence indicates is best for each child.
On standardized assessments, MRA students test an average of two to three grade levels above their national peers. Elementary programming aligns with national academic standards.
A student-to-teacher ratio of 8.4:1 supports the individualized instruction that produces these results. Most district schools operate above 20:1.
MRA is one of the few schools in the Anoka area and broader Twin Cities metro that sustains the Montessori approach from early toddlerhood through the end of middle school. Families do not need to find a new school at each transition, and children build executive function, independence, and self-directed learning habits across a decade-plus of consistent practice.
Classroom groupings are multi-age throughout: Children’s House spans roughly ages 2.5 to 6; Elementary 1 covers grades 1–3; Elementary 2 covers grades 4–6; Middle School is grades 7–8.
MRA’s teachers hold Montessori credentials from multiple certifying bodies, including AMS. The school draws from both AMI and AMS methodologies. The deciding factor is what the evidence indicates is best for a given child, not adherence to one certification body’s model.
MRA has a dedicated technology program and tech classroom, which is uncommon in Montessori schools. What MRA does not do is introduce screens or laptops into the regular classroom environment. The two are intentional design choices that work together: the Montessori classroom stays hands-on and materials-based, while the tech program builds digital competency and citizenship in a context designed for it.
At the younger ages, students begin with digital citizenship: responsible and ethical use of technology as a foundational skill. In Elementary 2 (grades 4–6), students add robotics. In middle school, technology is incorporated more directly into daily work to prepare students for the expectations of high school and beyond.
MRA maintains a music program, also uncommon in Montessori schools. Music and technology run alongside core Montessori curriculum, not as optional enrichment.
For the youngest students, MRA operates as a licensed child care facility under the State of Minnesota. Not all private schools include toddler and preschool programs.
MRA is governed by a fiduciary board of directors, and several of those board members are current parents. The board also includes community members and business leaders, which keeps MRA embedded in the local community.
At the operational level, the school’s size means teachers know students across multi-year cycles and parents can speak directly with staff and board members. There is no district intermediary.
Toddlers begin at MRA as young as 16 months. The program introduces the Montessori method early, with emphasis on independence and practical life skills: self-care routines, free movement through the classroom, and foundational Montessori materials. Children choose their work, sit where they like, and build concentration habits from the start. This program operates under Minnesota’s licensed child care requirements.
Children move into Children’s House at around 32 months and remain through the end of kindergarten in a consistent, multi-age environment. Class hours are 8:15 AM to 2:45 PM. Academic foundations in language, math, sensorial development, and practical life are built through hands-on Montessori materials. Younger children learn from observing older peers; older children reinforce their own understanding by helping teach.
Grades 1–3 work in a mixed-age classroom. Class hours are 7:40 AM to 2:10 PM. Montessori materials support major subject areas, transitioning progressively toward more abstract work as students develop. Programming aligns with national academic standards. MRA students in this range test, on average, two to three grade levels above national peers on standardized assessments.
Grades 4–6 continue in a multi-age Montessori classroom, with increasingly abstract work and growing independence from physical materials. Class hours are 7:40 AM to 2:10 PM. The robotics program begins at this level, alongside the music program and continued digital citizenship education.
MRA’s middle school program is uncommon in Montessori education; most Montessori schools end at 6th grade or earlier. Class hours are 7:40 AM to 2:10 PM. Grades 7 and 8 combine Montessori principles with direct preparation for high school. Students begin working with textbooks as the curriculum converges toward more traditional structure. Technology use increases at this level, reflecting the expectations students will encounter in high school. MRA 8th graders go on to a mix of public and private high schools and specialty programs. The independence and self-direction built across their years at MRA travels with them.
Most Montessori schools in the area are either religiously affiliated or publicly funded charter schools. MRA is a private, nonsectarian, independently governed school with more than 22 years of continuous operation. It is one of the few in the region that spans 16 months through 8th grade under consistent Montessori philosophy, with no affiliation filtering who can attend and no public funding structure shaping what gets taught.
Children direct their own work within structured environments designed for that purpose. Multi-age classrooms mean students aren’t tracked by birthdate. Rather, they move through material based on demonstrated mastery. Teachers observe and guide rather than lecture. That structure produces students who test, on average, two to three grade levels above their national peers on standardized assessments.
MRA’s position is that purposeful technology education and the Montessori classroom environment are not in conflict — they require different spaces. The regular classroom stays hands-on and materials-based, with no screens or laptops. The tech program runs in a dedicated tech classroom. Students learn digital citizenship at the younger ages, move into robotics in grades 4–6, and integrate technology more directly in middle school as preparation for high school. The goal is students who are capable and responsible technology users — not students who have been handed a device and left to it.
Elementary programming aligns with national academic standards. For the youngest students, the program operates under Minnesota’s licensed child care requirements. Progress is tracked through ongoing observation and individualized lesson records. The outcome data supports the approach: MRA students test an average of two to three grade levels above national peers.
MRA’s teachers hold Montessori credentials from multiple certifying bodies, including AMS. The school itself does not currently hold institutional Montessori accreditation. Families who want to verify the authenticity of the program should ask about teacher credentials, classroom structure, and multi-age groupings — the operational markers of genuine Montessori practice.
At roughly 143 students across all grades, the school’s size produces a structure that large schools cannot replicate: teachers who know students across multi-year cycles, board members who are also current parents, and direct accountability between governance and the families served. Students are known individually. That is not a byproduct of being small — it is the design.
The middle school program at MRA is built specifically for this question. Grades 7 and 8 combine Montessori principles with direct preparation for high school — textbooks, increased technology use, and a curriculum that converges toward traditional structure — while retaining the independence and self-direction built across the prior years. MRA 8th graders move into a mix of public and private high schools and specialty programs.
No. MRA is a private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit school. It is independent, tuition-funded, and has no religious affiliation. Our education aligns with national standards.
No. MRA is a fully independent private school, not a publicly funded charter. This is a meaningful distinction in the Anoka area, where other Montessori options are typically charter schools or religiously affiliated.
MRA serves children from 16 months through 8th grade.
1333 5th Ave, Anoka, MN 55303 — in Anoka County, accessible from the northern Twin Cities metro. Families from Anoka, Ramsey, Champlin, Coon Rapids, Andover, and surrounding communities attend.
8.4:1, compared to a typical public school ratio above 20:1.
On standardized assessments, MRA students test an average of two to three grade levels above their national peers.
More than 22 years, through a transition from private ownership to its current nonprofit structure. The curriculum and many staff members have remained consistent throughout.
Partial scholarships are available. Contact the school for details.
Yes. Before-school care begins at 7:00 AM. After-school care runs until 5:30 PM.
Class hours are 7:40 AM to 2:10 PM.
Yes, busing is available for Kindergarten through 8th grade.
Contact MRA at (763) 323-0741 or visit anokamontessori.org.
Montessori Renaissance Academy is located in Anoka, Minnesota — a city of approximately 18,000 in Anoka County at the confluence of the Rum and Mississippi Rivers, about 25 miles north of Minneapolis. The school is accessible from communities including Ramsey, Champlin, Coon Rapids, and Andover.
For enrollment inquiries, contact Montessori Renaissance Academy at (763) 323-0741 or visit anokamontessori.org.