Dallas ISD will open a new Montessori Dual Language school in North Dallas in response to high demand for the program.
The school, which will be located at the E.D. Walker Middle School campus, will open next academic year and is taking applications. The school will initially be available to students in pre-K through second grade, and it will add a grade level each year, up to fifth grade.
“We have seen how families love our Montessori schools and are excited to provide this additional option for students,” says Angie Gaylord, the deputy chief of the DISD Office of Transformation and Innovation.
Through the dual-language program, students will have the opportunity to learn English and Spanish, while the Montessori program encourages self-discovery and independence among students.
This will be the second DISD Montessori school in the Preston Hollow area. The other is George Bannerman Dealey Montessori Academy, located at 6501 Royal Lane.
Last year, more than 2,500 students applied to DISD Montessori schools, with only 700 spots available across the city. At Dealey, there were 504 applications for only 66 seats.
Renovations are set to end this summer. Projects include:
- A two-story pre-K and elementary addition, which will contain 20 classrooms and fit 440 new students;
- A remodel of the current building;
- A digital media space outfitted with the latest technology and features;
- Renovations to classrooms and administration and athletic areas;
- A new P.E./gym space for the new kindergarten-fifth grade addition with a storm shelter;
- Updates to visual and performing arts UIL;
- Updated entrances for elementary and middle schools;
- And a new playground for the new kindergarten-fifth grade addition.
The sixth, seventh and eighth grades at E.D. Walker will remain classified as a neighborhood school.
