Karl Zierhut

This year will mark Mr. Karl’s 31st year in education, and 12th year as the Rising Sun Head of School. Mr. Karl is proud to be a founding member of the Rising Sun Montessori School leadership team. He began his work at RSMS prior to the school’s opening in 2014.  Over the past 11 years, he has overseen the growth and development of the Montessori school program from 73 students in grades 1-6 in the fall of 2014 to over 175 students in grades TK-8th grade this fall.

Mr. Karl’s role as Head of School is to ensure that the vision and mission of the foundin board members is fulfilled by offering an authentic, free Montessori education to students in the greater Sacramento region. Rising Sun is one of the most diverse schools in Northern California and we are proud to say that we offer students an environment of learning, socialization, and growth that mirrors the world that they will inherit.

RSMS prioritizes fostering student growth by encouraging self-paced learning, independent thinking and action, self-confidence, and strong relational skills that benefit students lifelong. It nurtures intrinsic motivation by empowering students to solve problems autonomously.  As a result, Rising Sun has established itself as one of the highest performing Charter Montessori schools in the state of California.

Over the past decade, Rising Sun students have demonstrated that they are among the highest performing students in the area as demonstrated by annual state assessments in Math, Science and English Language Arts.
Mr. Karl is very thankful for the amazing staff of teachers who will be leading and guiding our classrooms this fall. We have such a unique and diverse blend of leaders, assistants and administrators all of whom love children and work hard to ensure they learn and grow in a safe environment.

When Mr. Karl finds free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife Robin and their seven boys, five of whom are either current or former Rising Sun students. Mr. Karl and his family reside in El Dorado Hills.