Legacy of Dr. Josie R. Johnson Montessori

Legacy of Dr. Josie R. Johnson Montessori School seeks to provide an excellent, equitable education to scholars in North Minneapolis.

JJ Legacy serves children Pre-Kindergarten and students grades Kindergarten through sixth grade in our free public charter school in North Minneapolis with a mission to provide an excellent, equitable education to an intentionally diverse student body. The school is led by Tonicia Abdur Salaam, an educational social justice leader. She, along with former Principal Jamal Abdur Salaam, has created a foundational approach with an intense focus on a learning community broadened to include leveraging Montessori pedagogy in collaboration with evidence-based practices, specifically, Dr. Wade Nobles' world-renowned research and pedagogy, Nsaka SunSum (Touching the Spirit). This powerful pedagogy offers a full educational experience that honors the whole child in order to combat white supremacy in education. 

At JJ Legacy, we believe all children can be at the center of that important development, by finding their cultural and racial identity in education along with their purpose in the learning environment.

By accounting for the absent narratives in the classroom, we are able to bring full circle the educational experiences all children deserve through an understanding of the child’s identity and experiences both culturally and racially. At JJ Legacy, we believe All children can be at the center of that important development, by finding their cultural and racial identity in education along with their purpose in the learning environment.

JJ Legacy is racially and economically diverse.  81% qualify for free and reduced-price lunch. We believe that by doing the challenging, inspiring, critical work of building an equitable, diverse community in our four walls, we can not only foster the kind of community we believe in today, but can help students develop the skills to build the world we know is possible tomorrow.

 For more information, or to find out about enrollment, feel free to contact us at office@jjlegacy.org.  Thank you for your support of our community at Legacy of Dr. Josie R. Johnson Montessori!