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Montessori program 1991 – present (building opened 1972)
Founded: The Ralph J. Bunche school building was built as a Fort Wayne Community Schools elementary school in 1972 and named for Ralph J. Bunche, the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize winner. In 1991 Bunche became a magnet school offering a Montessori program for students from age three through fifth grade.
Course: In 2003 Bunche was granted accreditation by the American Montessori Society — Fort Wayne Community Schools identifies it as the first public Montessori school in the United States to receive that accreditation. In 2006 the school was changed to an early childhood center for three- to six-year-olds, and its older grades moved to the new Towles Intermediate School (second rung).
Fate: Operating as Bunche Montessori Early Childhood Center, one of the district's magnet schools, with no geographic attendance area.
Sources:
- Bunche Montessori Early Childhood Center, FWCS, "Our History" (bunche.fortwayneschools.org).
- Fort Wayne Community Schools, "Stories of Success" (2026) — program history from 1991.