Wold Architects & Engineers, a national full-service planning, architecture and engineering firm with a local office in Denver and extensive educational design expertise, recently celebrated the completion of the new St. Vrain Community Montessori School (SVCMS). The 54,000-square-foot, publicly funded district PreK-8 charter school within St. Vrain Valley Schools is designed to become the school’s long-awaited forever home. The new facility brings preschool, elementary and middle school learners together in a purpose-built environment that supports Montessori principles, hands-on learning and strong connections to the surrounding landscape.
Located on a 10-acre site surrounded by city and county open space, the new school was designed as a village-like environment that reflects how SVCMS students learn and grow at each stage of development. Learning spaces are scaled to support increasing independence and freedom of movement as students progress, with direct connections to porches and outdoor work areas that extend learning beyond the classroom and strengthen students’ relationships with the surrounding landscape.
“The completion of this school marks an extraordinary milestone for our students, families and community,” said Jessica Rawlings, head of school at St. Vrain Community Montessori School. “For years, we imagined a forever home for our students that would fully support our Montessori mission, and this new facility embodies that vision. It will create a more dynamic learning experience for more children in our community, helping them grow into thoughtful, imaginative and resourceful stewards of the world around them.”
A defining feature of the school is its two-acre working farm, which serves as the culmination of environmental study for seventh- and eighth-grade students and reflects Montessori’s Erdkinder, or “children of the earth,” concept. Through practical work and rotating apprenticeships, students take an active role in food production, land care and resource stewardship, with opportunities to apply those experiences through community partnerships, produce donations and an active farm stand, currently selling pickles, baked goods, pottery and art.
The design was shaped by extensive community and stakeholder engagement with families, staff and district leadership, whose input informed learning environments grounded in Montessori principles. Child-scaled furniture, natural light and materials, limited fixed casework so learners can manipulate the environment, open floor areas and immediate access to outdoor spaces all support movement and independence while extending the prepared environment beyond the classroom.
The facility includes a library, central cafeteria and community room, a dedicated maker space and a music room that doubles as a stage for performances in the gymnasium. These shared resources support both daily learning and broader community use, reinforcing the school’s role as a learning hub and community resource.
“This project represents the caliber of learning environment that can emerge when design is deeply connected to a school’s mission,” said Josh Grenier, education practice leader at Wold Architects & Engineers. “The new St. Vrain Community Montessori School is organized around prepared environments for each stage of development, with spaces and furnishings scaled to support students’ independence and hands-on discovery. We’re proud to have helped create a lasting home that reflects the school’s values and will support generations of Montessori learners.”
Like many public charter schools in Colorado, SVCMS faced significant challenges securing a permanent facility due to the financial limitations associated with charter school facility funding. The 2024 St. Vrain Valley Schools bond, approved by approximately 74% of the community, made the new facility possible and reflects the district’s commitment to equitable learning environments and long-term support for Montessori education.
Now open, the new school welcomes SVCMS students, families and guides to the forever home they have long envisioned: a place where generations of learners will grow, discover and build community together for years to come.
