Best Special Needs Schools in Marquette, Michigan (2026)

Discovery Central Forest School opened in downtown Marquette in September 2010. In 2023 we moved to our current home on Silver Creek Road, where a forest trail and play system wind through the surrounding acreage. Our approach is play-based, Reggio Emilia inspired and nature focused, and children spend as much time outdoors as possible in every season. Our preschool enrolls children from 30 months to 5 years old, and potty training is not required. We run three classes: Pine, a half-day class of 10 children with 2 teachers; Oak, a full-day class of 12 children with 2 teachers; and Maple, our full-day GSRP classroom for 20 four-year-olds with 3 teachers. Families choose two, three or five days a week, and early drop-off and late pick-up are available for full-time families. For children 5 and up, our Aspen Class is a homeschool-hybrid option that meets two days a week to study ecosystems, habitats and natural cycles outdoors. Each summer we also run outdoor programs for both age groups with gardening, art and forest exploration.

• Private forest preschool
• Forest school
• Reggio Emilia inspired
• Play-based learning

North Star Montessori Academy is a free public Montessori school for preschool through 8th grade on Wright Street in Marquette. Our classrooms combine multiple grades, so students learn alongside older and younger peers, and teachers follow each child's interests through observation rather than moving the whole class down a single path. Montessori here means self-directed activity, hands-on learning, and collaborative play, with freedom within limits: students work inside parameters set by their teachers and take an active part in choosing what to focus on. Students also build practical life skills like time management, organization, problem-solving, and communication. When conflicts arise, students resolve them on their own and in small groups through restorative justice practices. We run a middle school program for our oldest students and a before and after school program for families who need extra hours. Our special education team evaluates students for specific learning disabilities, and families connect through our PTO.

• Public charter Montessori school (PreK-8)
• Montessori
• Multi-age classrooms
• Restorative justice practices