Principal: Mr. Donald Jones
Address:  2119 Chapel Hill Road  Durham, NC 27707
Hours of Operation: 7:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Phone : 919-560-2894       Fax: 919-560-9403
Enrollment: 300 

School Mission

Our mission is to guide the development of adolescents in the areas of academics, community and self in a public Montessori learning environment which fosters independent thinking and engaged learning.

 School Vision

We envision an environment that fosters Maria Montessori’s idea of valorization for all students, which includes joy, self-discipline, independence, and the ability to work with others.

 Enrollment 

Lakewood Montessori has an attendance boundary and is also a lottery school. Incoming 6th grade students who live in the attendance boundary will be assigned to Lakewood Montessori and do not need to enter the lottery.

Rising 5th grade students from DPS Montessori programs have priority admission in the lottery if they-

• Submit a magnet school lottery application listing Lakewood Montessori as their 1st choice, and
• Meet the DPS Choice School Lottery deadline 

Remaining openings are filled through the DPS Magnet Lottery process.

The vast majority of our magnet seats are at the 6th grade level. We occasionally have open 7th grade seats and do not admit students in the 8th grade.

To see if you reside within our attendance boundary, click HERE.

For information on school tours, click HERE.

For questions, contact our Magnet Coordinator, Meg Graham at 919-560-2894 or via email at margaret_graham@dpsnc.net

 A Brief History

In 1994, DPS brought the philosophy of Dr. Maria Montessori to the district when Morehead Elementary School was made a magnet school operating with Montessori philosophy.  In August 2004, George Watts Elementary School became DPS’s second Montessori elementary school.

Parental demand for a secondary Montessori program was so high that the school board provided the opportunity for Durham families to access Montessori education at the secondary level through the creation of a Montessori Magnet Middle School.

The first class was slated to start in the fall of 2010; however, prior to that, in April 2008, Durham County Government, Durham Public Schools, and the YMCA of the Triangle announced a joint venture initiating the redevelopment of the Lakewood YMCA to house both the Y and the new school.

Then Chair of the Durham County Board of Commissioners Ellen Reckhow said, "This is a triple win for the community, the school district and the YMCA.  Durham County is delighted to partner with the Durham Public Schools and Triangle YMCA to provide an exciting new educational opportunity for middle school students, while retaining the YMCA as a community focal point."

In the fall of 2010, Lakewood Montessori opened with a sixth grade-only class of 75 students housed at Watts while renovations to the Lakewood building were being completed.  With the addition of one grade level per year, Lakewood reached its full capacity of 300 students in grades 6-8 in the fall of 2012.

In 2015, Lakewood Montessori was named a North Carolina School to Watch by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform. Lakewood earned its redesignation by Schools to Watch in 2018. For the past four years, Lakewood has been recognized by the Magnet Schools of America for its outstanding academic achievement and integration of our magnet theme.