ENID, OK - Cimarron Montessori School has announced on their website that they will be closing the doors at the end of this year. Hundreds of families over the years have watched their kids grow up at Cimarron.
Enid Buzz owner, Curtis Tucker, sent his two daughters to Cimarron for a few years before they started Enid Public Schools. "Our girls loved attending Cimarron and they thrived on the Montessori system," Tucker said. Tucker, at one time, served as President of the Board at Cimarron.
"The school will be missed," said Tucker, "The Montessori system was a great alternative for families looking for a unique learning experience." Tucker also said he felt that Cimarron was more like a family than a school.
The message from Cimarron read:
"After many years of deferred and costly maintenance and renovations on our aging building, a steep decline in enrollment, financial improprieties, and the school’s inability to generate sufficient revenue to meet annual operating expenses, Cimarron Montessori School is compelled to cease operations at the end of the current 2020-2021 school year.
Over the course of the last several years, school officials have searched for solutions to facility needs, deficient enrollment, and the growing financial burden of maintaining and operating aging facilities. In March of 2021, CMS commissioned a facilities assessment by Wallace Engineering Structural Consultants of Oklahoma City. Due to the age of our original building being approximately 120 years old, there are very serious structural issues that must be addressed in order to continue to operate safely. The cost to repair the school facilities far exceeds our financial ability to repair the building. Despite much effort, it was simply not financially feasible to operate the school.
We are especially grateful for the selfless dedication of the school staff, teachers, and administration, as well as the parents and benefactors who have worked hard to keep our beloved school in operation. We will be working to help families find suitable school placements for their children."
Cimarron Montessori is a non-profit board-run school at 419 W. Maple Avenue in Enid, Oklahoma. They had a toddler program and primary programs serving kids from 2 to 9 years old. They were truly Montessori, subscribing to the same ideals for children’s education that Maria Montessori proposed over 100 years ago. They put a value on the individual child and diversity in the classroom.
