Nottingham Elementary vs Montessori Public School of Arlington

Nottingham Elementary and Montessori Public School of Arlington sit 4.1 miles apart in Arlington, Virginia, and both rank among the state's elite elementary schools — but the gap is real. Nottingham Elementary holds an overall rating of 9.3/10 against Montessori Public School of Arlington's 9.0/10, and that edge extends to state rank: Nottingham Elementary is #12 of 1,850 schools in Virginia while Montessori Public School of Arlington ranks #33. Both placements are exceptional, but families weighing the two schools deserve to see the difference clearly.

The academic scores tell a sharper story. Nottingham Elementary earns a 9.2/10 on academic proficiency against Montessori Public School of Arlington's 7.7/10 — a 1.5-point delta that reflects a meaningful gap in tested achievement. The picture reverses on growth: Montessori Public School of Arlington scores a perfect 10.0/10 versus Nottingham Elementary's 9.3/10, meaning students at Montessori Public School of Arlington are progressing faster relative to their starting points than peers at Nottingham Elementary, even if absolute proficiency levels are lower. Which number matters more depends on where a child is starting.

The two schools differ substantially in demographics and classroom structure. Montessori Public School of Arlington enrolls 517 students compared to Nottingham Elementary's 374, and carries a 15.7:1 student-teacher ratio against Nottingham Elementary's 14.4:1. The starkest contrast is economic diversity: free and reduced lunch eligibility runs 28% at Montessori Public School of Arlington versus just 3% at Nottingham Elementary — a difference that shapes the peer environment and reflects the distinct neighborhoods each school draws from.

Both schools serve grades PK through 05, so the grade span is identical. The structural distinction is the model itself: Montessori Public School of Arlington applies Montessori pedagogy within Arlington Public Schools, emphasizing self-directed learning and mixed-age collaborative work. Nottingham Elementary operates as a traditional neighborhood elementary. Families choosing between a proven conventional program near the top of Virginia's rankings and a public Montessori alternative with the highest possible student growth score are facing a genuine values-based decision, not simply a quality gap.