Bunche, a Montessori magnet school in Fort Wayne, has a waiting list of families who want their children to attend the school. Under the choice system, parents can apply for their children to attend any of the system's 53 schools. Bunche is one of the most popular magnet programs in the Fort Wayne schools. With 304 students and a waiting list, Bunche has the lowest student transience rate among the city's elementaries. All teachers are trained and certified in Montessori methods.
Children are in mixed-age classrooms and work at their own pace, using materials they have chosen.
The teacher determines which new activities to introduce and at what rate. Bunche is an inner-city school, created in a former neighborhood school that had served a population that was 98 percent black. Curlie Young lives a block away and chose Bunche for her son Bruce, a kindergartner, after learning about Montessori methods. Young grew up in Fort Wayne and attended its segregated elementary schools as a child. She likes the city's neighborhood school, magnet and choice approach.