Atlanta Adventist Academy, 3870 Cascade Rd SW, Atlanta, GA 30331, US

A part of the Cascade Heights community since 1992, Renaissance was established by parents and Montessori-certified teachers in part to address the shortage of Montessori schools in the southwest Atlanta area. Originally located at Bethel United Methodist, the school moved to its current location at Incarnation Episcopal Church on Cascade in 1996. According to co-founder and director Rita Merk, Renaissance currently has 90 students in four classes: two primary classes (ages 2 1/2 to 5); one elementary class (grades 1-3); and one upper elementary class (grades 4-5). Merk said the student-teacher ratio can vary but it is currently about 10 to one. Renaissance and other Montessori schools are based on a teaching approached developed by Maria Montessori during the early 1900s in Italy. The teaching method emphasizes freedom, artistic development and independent learning.