Mission Montessori on the Desert, a private school, opened in 1995.

JoDene Tryon, an educator for over twenty-five years, founded the school to offer a beautiful learning environment for children ages 2 through 6 and using the methods of education developed by Dr. Maria Montessori. The school is located within St. Anthony on the Desert church, at 12990 E. Shea Boulevard.

The history of Mission Montessori is founded on authentic Montessori practices and quality teaching. While our students excel in academics, the goal of Montessori education is the development of the whole child.

In May 2000, at the request of parents who were anxious for their children to have the opportunity to continue their Montessori education into the elementary years, Mission Montessori was granted a state charter. Mission Montessori Academy, the first Montessori school to be chartered by the Arizona State Board of Education, opened August 14, 2000.

Mission Montessori School was granted a use permit by the City of Scottsdale and in December 2003, opened a second campus located at 11050 N. 96th Street. The elementary then expanded its program to include 4th, 5th and 6th grades.

In the summer of 2009 we added a third campus at 9575 E. Larkspur, which became an extension for our toddler, primary, and lower elementary programs.

The summer of 2011 produced a lot of changes. We converted the Larkspur building to use for the upper elementary classes and also added a brand new charter Middle School program. The 96th St. Academy campus became exclusively 1st through 3rd grade. We also added a fourth campus at 9390 E. Cactus Rd, to be used as a second school for our toddler and primary programs.