Patagonia Montessori Elementary School has closed its doors, a decision that has raised concerns among community members, some of whom are trying to save the region’s only Montessori program.
The school’s board voted in March to close the school at the conclusion of fiscal year 2026, raising questions about what led to the decision and about the future of the 31 private preschool and charter school students enrolled at the school. There also have been concerns about how the nonprofit corporation that runs the school will wind down its affairs and dispose of its property.
A letter written by the school’s principal, Jessi Beebe, said she and her husband decided to leave Patagonia to be closer to family. Also, “it has become increasingly difficult to hire Montessori trained teachers. With most of our teachers and staff moving away at the end of this school year, we feel this is the right time to close our doors,” she wrote.
The closure marks the end of a small but deeply rooted educational community. For many in Patagonia, the decision raises broader questions about what led to the school’s sudden decline – and what happens next for the students and families it serves.
In her letter to the community, Beebe also cited staff departures, rising costs and declining enrollment. The school’s board of directors, which includes Beebe, Fay Main, and Natalie Mills, explored alternatives but ultimately felt there was no other recourse.
“This was not a decision that was undertaken lightly at all,” Mills said.
The end of a family tradition
Patagonia Montessori Elementary School is an Arizona nonprofit public charter school that serves students from preschool through eighth grade. Since 1998, the school has existed as an alternative to traditional public education, emphasizing individual learning, real-world experience and community engagement.
For local parents who align with Montessori teaching methodology, the closure of PMES removes their only option. Chavah Krikorian sent her two eldest sons to PMES, and her youngest, 11-year-old Ezra, attends the school this spring. Krikorian, also a former member of the school’s board, said she was sad when she first heard about the closure.
“The school has been a part of our lives for 16 years,” she said.
For families like Krikorian’s, the loss is both personal and practical. The school’s Montessori model – originally designed by Maria Montessori in the early 1900s – encourages experiential, student-led learning, something parents say might be difficult for public schools to replicate.
As opposed to a traditional school setting, in Montessori “there’s limited technology,” Krikorian said. “My kid can come home from school, and we’re dumping rocks and sand out of his shoes at the front door.”
Since its founding in 1998, the school has served as the only Montessori option in the region, drawing families from across Santa Cruz County. PMES was founded by Linda Fong, Binx Selby and the late Patty O’Dea. Eventually, around 2000, the trio found an empty, rundown storefront on Naugle Street, and Patagonia Montessori Elementary School was born. It later moved to Third Avenue near North Avenue. For more than 20 years, the school has remained the region’s only Montessori option.
Hope for the future
Community members say its closure represents more than the loss of a school.
“Many people in this community either had a child who was a student or know someone who did,” said Patagonia resident David Budd. “It’s been an important part of the community.”
Budd said the news has been met with confusion and sadness, particularly among families who had planned to enroll their children in the coming years.
“My granddaughter was going to start there this fall, but there will be no school for her to attend,” he said.
He and 10 other community members signed a letter sent to the board in late May calling on its members to explore ways to continue operations.
“Our hope is that the outgoing Board of the school will ask some of those community members to join the Board, or form a new one, with the aim of using any remaining assets to pursue the original mission: quality educational options, on the land, for the local community,” the letter states. “Few communities of this size have the professional expertise, volunteer base, and overall community enthusiasm that Patagonia has shown repeatedly. A full community group working on education at the existing site is a very promising prospect.”
As of June 2, the board members had not responded, Budd said.
In good standing
The school was reportedly in good financial standing in 2024. Financial performance records reviewed by the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools show that PMES received a “Good Standing” rating for fiscal year 2025, meaning it met the board’s financial standards.
State financial records also indicated there was “no substantial doubt” about the school’s ability to continue operating, and the school was not in default on any loans or facility agreements.
A prior audit found only one minor discrepancy: the enrollment date listed on an enrollment form did not match the school’s records. The two dates were only two days apart. Ashley Berg, the executive director for the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools, said the correct entry date was provided to the Arizona Department of Education and the issue was not considered serious. No follow-up action was needed, she said.
PMES board members say the situation changed quickly, and conversations about closure began near the end of February 2026, just weeks before the March 19 vote. Mills said the closure stemmed from multiple ongoing factors, echoing Jessi Beebe’s letter, and specifically the difficulty in hiring qualified Montessori teachers at competitive wages.
By late February, she said, the situation had become “untenable,” and added that the burden had largely fallen on Beebe.
Community members have raised questions about the school’s financial trajectory and long-term planning.
Because the school operates as a nonprofit, its closure does not involve a traditional liquidation process. Mills said no final decisions have been made regarding the school’s assets or property, which at one time was about 40 acres.
“The community would like to be informed and have a chance to come to future board meetings,” Budd said.
Next steps
Attention is now turning to what comes next for the school’s 31 students, many of whom will need to transition to nearby public or charter schools ahead of the next academic year. Patagonia Public Schools Superintendent Kenny Hayes said the district became aware of the closure on March 19 and has since been working to prepare.
“But we are confident that we can meet the learning needs of all students,” Hayes said.
Hayes noted that the district is already nearing capacity and will be monitoring open enrollment more closely in the coming months. The district is also planning transition efforts for incoming students, including inviting current Montessori fifth graders to participate in middle school orientation programs.
The district planned to hold a fifth-grade orientation in May and would keep parents updated on the district website and Facebook page.
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