Albuquerque School Board Approved Charter Expansion
The board voted to allow a second campus for Montessori of the Rio Grande to increase student capacity.
Updated on Oct. 9, 2026 in Primary Education
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The Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education has unanimously approved a plan to open a second campus for Montessori of the Rio Grande. The expansion aims to address high demand for the charter school, which currently faces an annual shortage of available seats.
Why it matters
School leadership pursued the expansion after identifying consistent demand for additional student capacity. The school currently receives 155 applications each year for just 23 available openings.
The school, which opened 22 years ago, currently serves 216 students with an 85% reading proficiency rate and 48% math proficiency rate. The expansion could grow total enrollment to 450 students over the next five years.
The players
Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education
This is the governing body responsible for overseeing school district policies and charter school authorizations in Albuquerque.
Montessori of the Rio Grande
This is a charter school that has operated in the North Valley for 22 years using the Montessori education model.
The details
The board must authorize all major operational changes for the charter school, which currently serves kindergarten through fifth grade. Admissions are conducted through a lottery system to manage the high volume of applications.
Timeline
The APS Board of Education voted to approve the expansion on October 7, 2026.
The new campus is projected to open near Kirtland Air Force Base in August 2028.
Culture Shift
This expansion follows a pattern set by charter schools nationwide that seek to scale operations to meet persistent waitlist demand. It reflects a growing movement among high-performing charter programs to extend their reach beyond original campus boundaries.
Families interested in the Montessori program will benefit from increased capacity, potentially shortening wait times for the school's lottery-based enrollment. Residents near the proposed site may see changes to local traffic and community development as plans for the 2028 opening progress.
The takeaway
The unanimous vote highlights the role of lottery systems in managing demand for specialized charter schools. Parents should continue to monitor board communications for updates on the site selection process leading up to 2028.
What happens next
The school and district will work toward the projected August 2028 opening date for the new campus near Kirtland Air Force Base.
Further reading
Learn more about local school developments in the Primary Education section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Abqjournal.
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