While the present study did not identify a consistent pattern of performance across
grade levels, the lack of significantly higher scores for students in the Montessori school suggests that assertions regarding the academic achievement efficacy of Montessori programs should be viewed with caution. Current results contradict those of other studies that found Montessori students’ demonstrated superior academic growth
and achievement (e.g., Daux, 1995; Dawson, 1987). Minimally, results of the current
study suggested that Montessori students were similar in the majority of achievement
comparisons to students from magnet and traditional non-magnet schools. A more critical finding, however, was that 8th-grade students from the Montessori school demonstrated substantially lower language arts achievement than students from the other three programs.