Montessori

Montessori Schools in Iowa

A Montessori school teaches in mixed-age rooms where children choose their own work; the name is not protected, so ask how closely each school follows the method. Montessori programs that post tuition across the US charge a median of $280 a week for full-time preschool (2026).

Montessori schools listed: 33
towns: 24
towns have their own Montessori schools page: 2
of all Iowa daycares: 1%

MontessoriIowa

What puts a daycare on this listIts name or it describes a Montessori program.The word Montessori is not protected, so any school may use it; ask whether lead teachers hold a Montessori credential.

Montessori

What Montessori school costs in Iowa

Montessori preschool tuition posted on daycare websites across the US, per week (2026): $280; The median of 247 daycares that post a full-time rate; half post between $206 and $361. Posted rates run above the 2022 survey: they are newer, and mostly from centers.
Preschool-age care at a center, per week, in the middle Iowa county (2022): $138; The median of 99 county medians, from $128 in the lowest county to $160 in the highest.

Posted rates: tuition that daycares publish on their own websites, 2026, full-time rates only, one rate per daycare. County prices: U.S. Department of Labor, National Database of Childcare Prices, 2022 (median full-time weekly price).

Iowa

Largest towns for Montessori schools in Iowa

Cedar Rapids3 schools North Liberty3 schools Cedar Falls2 schools Clive2 schools Iowa City2 schools Urbandale2 schools West Des Moines2 schools Ackworth1 school Ankeny1 school Bondurant1 school Boyden1 school Coralville1 school

Programs

Programs in Iowa

Counts come from the state record and what each daycare says it offers. A daycare without a tag may still offer the program; ask.

Program	Listed
All daycares	3,122
Take infants	168
Child care centers	1,478
Accept subsidy	33
In-home daycares	1,644
Christian & church daycares	143
Montessori schools	33
Preschools & pre-K	345
Early morning daycare	290
Part-time daycare	74
Drop-in daycare	17
Bilingual daycare	13
Head Start	118

The Iowa state record

Iowa Department of Health and Human Services licenses daycares in Iowa.

License list: The state's public list of licensed child care
Ages served: On some licenses only; elsewhere shown where the daycare gives them
Inspections: Every visit the state publishes back to 2021
Cited rules: Each cited rule, in the state's own wording

Search the Iowa state records

Before you enroll

Choosing a Montessori school in Iowa

1
Ask about credentials
Ask whether lead teachers hold a Montessori credential, such as AMI or AMS training, and from which training center.
2
Watch a work period
A Montessori room has a long, quiet work period with children choosing materials. Ask to observe one.
3
Check the license
Listings show the state license and, where the state publishes it, the inspection record. Where no license record is matched yet, the listing says so.
4
Ask about cost and hours
Many Montessori programs run half days. Ask about full-day and extended-day options and fees.

Iowa

Cost, inspections and ratios in Iowa

Daycare cost in IowaWeekly prices by age and county What Iowa inspectors citeThe rules cited most, and what they mean Staff-to-child ratios in IowaHow many children each adult may care for Tour checklist for IowaQuestions to ask when you visit

A to Z

All 24 Iowa towns with Montessori schools, A to Z

A2 towns

Ackworth1 school
Ankeny1 school

B2 towns

Bondurant1 school
Boyden1 school

C5 towns

Cedar Falls2 schools
Cedar Rapids3 schools
Clive2 schools
Coralville1 school
Council Bluffs1 school

D4 towns

Davenport1 school
Decorah1 school
Des Moines1 school
Dubuque1 school

G1 town

Glenwood1 school

H1 town

Hiawatha1 school

I1 town

Iowa City2 schools

J1 town

Johnston1 school

M1 town

Marion1 school

N1 town

North Liberty3 schools

P1 town

Perry1 school

U1 town

Urbandale2 schools

W3 towns

Waukee1 school
West Des Moines2 schools
Woodbine1 school

Nearby

Nearby states

Illinois182 schools Minnesota148 schools Wisconsin62 schools Nebraska37 schools Missouri36 schools South Dakota698 daycares

Questions

Questions about Montessori schools in Iowa

How many Montessori schools are in Iowa?

33 Montessori schools are listed in 24 Iowa towns. The word Montessori is not protected, so any school may use it; ask whether lead teachers hold a Montessori credential.

Which Iowa town has the most Montessori schools?

Cedar Rapids, with 3 listed. Next are North Liberty (3) and Cedar Falls (2).

What is the difference between Montessori and daycare?

A Montessori school follows Maria Montessori's method: mixed-age rooms, hands-on materials and long blocks of time where children choose their work. A daycare may follow any approach. Many Montessori schools are licensed as child care, and some run full days for working parents.

How much does Montessori preschool cost?

Montessori programs that post their tuition charge a median of $280 a week for full-time preschool across the US (247 programs, 2026). Half-day programs cost less; ask each school.

Who licenses daycares in Iowa?

Iowa Department of Health and Human Services licenses daycares in Iowa. It publishes its inspections and the rules it cited, and we copy them onto each listing.