Salida Montessori Charter School

Salida Montessori Charter School operates as a close-knit K-5 school in SALIDA, Colorado, one of the schools within State Charter School Institute. Current enrollment sits at 186 students spanning grades pre-K through 8. Enrollment runs roughly 51% below the state mean of about 379.

Salida Montessori Charter School is one of 49 schools operated by State Charter School Institute, a district that serves 21,411 students overall.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Salida Montessori Charter School lists that the student body is overwhelmingly White (83%). Beyond that, the school records 12% Hispanic, 4% multiracial.

On the resource side, The school currently runs with 14 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 13.5:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 16.6:1, putting Salida Montessori Charter School tighter than the state norm the norm.

In the surrounding community, community-level numbers for Chaffee County indicate median household income runs about $84,132, 47% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 5%. Across Chaffee County's 12 public schools (combined enrollment of about 2,462 students), Salida Montessori Charter School is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Longfellow Elementary School, roughly 0.2 miles away. 6 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.

The school occupies a town-based site. As a public charter, Salida Montessori Charter School runs on public funding but with greater curricular and operational autonomy than a typical district school.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Salida Montessori Charter School has grew 109%, going from 89 students in 2018 to 186 in 2025. Over the same period, the Hispanic share rose from 1% to 12%. The student-to-teacher ratio grew from 8.4:1 in 2018 to 13.5:1 today.

On this page, posts here usually surface around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.