Bridge International Academies

What Bridge International Academies does

Bridge International Academies is a for-profit social enterprise operating under NewGlobe Schools Inc that delivers low-cost primary and pre-primary education to underserved communities across five countries: Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Liberia, and India (Andhra Pradesh). Founded in 2009 by Shannon May and Jay Kimmelman, the company reaches over one million children through two primary channels: directly operated community schools that charge approximately $8 per month in tuition, and government public-private partnerships providing educational technology, teacher training, and school management services to 1,003 government schools.

The core technology platform comprises Android-based e-ink tablets loaded with standardized, research-backed lesson plans and teacher guides, enabling consistent instructional delivery across remote and low-infrastructure environments. Teachers receive structured training in the 'Big Four' teaching skills along with continuous coaching. The methodology has been independently validated by a randomized control trial led by 2019 Nobel laureate Michael Kremer, which documented 0.89 additional years of learning for primary pupils and 1.48 for pre-primary pupils — among the largest learning gains measured in international education.

The business model combines tuition revenue from community schools, multi-year government PPP contracts, and impact investment from development finance institutions including the World Bank Group/IFC and formerly British International Investment (exited 2022). Bridge employs over 5,500 staff and operates with support from donors including the Gates Foundation, Omidyar Network, and Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. In 2022 the company underwent a strategic pivot away from owning schools toward supporting government education systems through technology and technical partnerships.

Name

Bridge International Academies

Legal name

Bridge International Academies

Website

https://bridgeinternationalacademies.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Bridge International Academies, operating under NewGlobe Schools Inc, delivers low-cost primary education to over one million underserved children across five countries in Africa and India through community schools and government public-private partnerships, using standardized tablet-based lesson plans and teacher training.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Low-Cost Primary Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

International Curriculum Early Learning Academies (e.g., IB Early Years) (EDACADAK)

Keywords

• Low-cost primary education
• Community school operations
• Teacher training programmes
• Educational technology platform
• Government education partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Community School Tuition Fees: Bridge community schools charge low monthly fees to parents, with a global average of approximately $8 USD per month per child. Revenue is generated from these tuition payments, supplemented by scholarship programmes for the poorest families.
2. Government PPP Contracts: Bridge supports government education systems through public-private partnerships, providing educational technology, teacher training, and school management services to government schools. In some PPP models (e.g., Liberia), parents do not pay fees as the government funds the programme.
3. Impact Investment and Development Finance: Bridge receives investment from development finance institutions and social impact investors including British International Investment (exited 2022), World Bank Group/IFC, and Gates Foundation to fund expansion and operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bridge International Academies operates community schools and supports government education systems through public-private partnerships, providing standardized primary and pre-primary education to underserved communities across Africa and India. The model combines in-depth teacher training, structured lesson plans delivered via Android e-ink tablets, and real-time data monitoring to deliver measurable learning outcomes. The company also offers remote learning resources and gender-sensitive instructional design across its network.

Product overview

Bridge International Academies operates a portfolio of education programs under NewGlobe Schools, comprising four community school programs across Africa and India (Bridge Kenya, Bridge Uganda, Bridge Nigeria/Lagos, Bridge Andhra Pradesh) and government partnership models. The core offering combines community school operations with government system support, delivering primary and pre-primary education through standardized teaching methodologies, teacher training and support programs, and technology-enabled lesson delivery via Android e-ink tablets. The company serves over one million children across five countries, employs over 5,500 staff, and also provides remote learning resources including mobile quizzes, audio lessons, and virtual classrooms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bridge Andhra Pradesh: Community school programme in Andhra Pradesh, India under NewGlobe Schools
• Bridge Kenya
• Bridge Lagos
• Bridge Uganda

Products and services

• Bridge Community Schools Directly operated network of community schools in underserved communities across Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and India providing primary and pre-primary education through standardized teacher training, structured lesson plans, and technology-enabled delivery at approximately $8 USD per month per child, with full scholarships for the poorest families.
• Government Education System Support (Public-Private Partnership) Technical partnership model in which Bridge supports government education ministries through public-private partnerships, providing educational technology, teacher training, and school management services across 1,003 government schools in Africa and India, including the Partnership Schools for Liberia (PSL), EdoBEST in Nigeria, and government school support in Kenya and Uganda.
• Teacher Training and Professional Development Comprehensive teacher training programme delivering the 'Big Four' teaching skills, continuous coaching, professional development, and use of structured tablet-based lesson guides to enable teachers to deliver interactive lessons, small group instruction, and 1-to-1 teaching. Available to Bridge teachers in owned schools and to government teachers under PPP contracts.
• Bridge at Home Remote Learning Resources Remote learning programme delivering mobile interactive quizzes, audio lessons, and virtual classrooms designed for low-infrastructure environments with limited connectivity, leveraging technologies prevalent in local communities such as basic mobile phones.

Quantifiable outcome

• Primary pupils gain 0.89 additional years of learning (equivalent to learning in 2 years what peers learn in nearly 3 years)
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Michael Kremer (Harvard/University of Chicago)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 20192019 Nobel Prize-winning economist Michael Kremer led a ground-breaking randomized control trial study of Bridge methodology in Kenya. The study confirmed learning gains among the largest ever measured in international education, providing independent validation of Bridge's approach.
• Education World ForumminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBridge co-founders presented at the Education World Forum in London alongside UNESCO, World Bank, and education ministers from around the world, showcasing Bridge's model and learning outcomes.
• United Nations Global CompactcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBridge is a UN Global Compact participant, committed to advancing universal principles on human rights, labour, and anti-corruption, and contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals including SDG4 on Quality Education.
• Global Schools ForumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBridge is a member of the Global Schools Forum, a membership body providing a collective voice to non-state actors involved in delivery of SDG4. Hosted its 2019 annual meeting in Nairobi where Bridge opened its first school in 2009.
• Million Lives Club / Rockefeller Foundation / IDIAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBridge became inaugural Vanguard member of the Million Lives Club, recognizing innovators and social entrepreneurs who have impacted over one million lives. Unveiled at the October OECD meeting to increase visibility among donor governments.
• Education CommissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Education Commission, led by Gordon Brown, advocates for education reform and has stated that PPPs are integral to delivery of SDGs. Bridge works with the Commission to support the advancement of SDG4.
• Government of KenyacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBridge operates community schools in Kenya and is selected by the Kenyan Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) as a partner to pilot the new Kenyan curriculum. Bridge Kenya pupils have consistently outperformed national averages in KCPE exams for over 8 consecutive years.
• Government of Nigeria / Edo StatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBridge serves as technical partner for EdoBEST programme, delivering statewide public sector transformation in Edo State, Nigeria. Bridge supports government teachers and classrooms across the state.
• Government of UgandacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBridge operates schools in Uganda in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Sports. Some Bridge schools are fully licensed by the MOE&S. Bridge Uganda pupils have outperformed national averages in PLE exams for 4 consecutive years.
• Government of LiberiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBridge is a provider in the Partnership Schools for Liberia (PSL) programme, a PPP where Bridge and other operators run free public schools. Pupils in Bridge PSL schools learned twice as much as peers in neighbouring government schools.
• Government of Andhra Pradesh, IndiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBridge operates schools in Andhra Pradesh, India under the Bridge Andhra Pradesh programme, providing early childhood and primary education to underserved communities.
• Brookings Institution Center for Universal EducationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBridge was profiled in the Brookings Institution's 2016 report 'Millions Learning,' examining 14 organizations telling the story of where and how quality education has scaled in low- and middle-income countries.
• World Economic ForumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBridge was profiled (Page 135) in the World Economic Forum's 'The Business of Education in Africa' report, which highlights the role of private sector in improving quality, access, and relevance of education in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• MIT Legatum Center for Development and EntrepreneurshipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMIT profiled Bridge's model of delivering quality education at a very low price using a highly efficient and rapidly scalable system as a case study.
• Harvard Business SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarvard Business School published a detailed case study analysis of the Bridge model in 2010, examining the company's approach to education delivery in developing markets.
• Inter-American Development BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe IDB featured Bridge as a case study in its 2014 report on market-based solutions for the bottom of the pyramid, covering Bridge's history, technology, design, scalability, learning gains, and economic impact.
• UNICEFminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNICEF profiled Bridge for its 2018 report on the use of ICT to raise learning outcomes, with particular attention to Bridge's use of technology for increasing quality and teaching standards whilst lowering costs.
• UK National Endowment for Science, Technology & the Arts (NESTA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNESTA featured Bridge in its 2019 report 'Making the most of technology in education,' drawing together lessons from nine international examples of inspiring practice where technology impacts large numbers of teachers and students.
• Jacobs FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJacobs Foundation commissioned LEK to produce a 2020 report exploring the potential of privately-run schools to benefit societies, featuring Bridge as a case study.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Educate!: Educate! works in Uganda and other East African countries to equip youth with skills for employment and entrepreneurship, including partnerships with government secondary schools. It overlaps with Bridge in operating across East Africa with a social-impact, government-aligned model, but focuses on secondary and youth employability.
• onebillion: onebillion is a UK-based non-profit that develops numeracy and literacy apps for children in low-income countries, deployed via tablets to schools and governments in Africa and South Asia. It overlaps with Bridge in the tablet-based, government-partnered delivery model for foundational learning in low-resource settings.

Direct peers

• EIDU: EIDU is a Germany-headquartered edtech company that provides digital learning content, lesson plans, and teacher support to low-cost schools in Kenya and other African markets, including via partnerships with government systems. It is the closest direct competitor to Bridge's teacher-tablet / government-PPP model.
• Rising Academies: Rising Academies operated a network of affordable, high-quality schools in Sierra Leone and Liberia under a public-private partnership model with measurable learning outcomes, closely paralleling Bridge's PSL engagement. It is one of the most directly comparable operators in the low-cost school + government PPP space in West Africa.
• Omega Schools (Ghana): Omega Schools runs a chain of low-cost private schools in Ghana providing quality basic education to low-income families, with an emphasis on standardised instruction and accountability. It is a comparable low-cost private school operator in West Africa, though smaller in scale than Bridge.
• Enko Education: Enko Education operates a network of low-cost private secondary schools across multiple African countries, targeting middle-income families underserved by public systems. It overlaps with Bridge in serving African families with affordable, structured international curricula, but at the secondary level.

Regional players

• Pratham Education Foundation: Pratham is one of India's largest non-governmental education organisations, running large-scale literacy and numeracy programmes for underprivileged children, including in partnership with state governments. It is comparable to Bridge in mission, evidence-based approach, and India footprint, but is a non-profit rather than a for-profit operator.
• African Leadership Academy: African Leadership Academy is a South Africa-based college preparatory secondary school and leadership development institution for high-achieving African students. It is comparable in mission (developing African talent through quality education) and geography, but operates at the secondary level with a scholarship-based model.

Broad incumbents

• Byju's: Byju's is one of India's largest edtech companies, offering K-12 and test-prep digital learning products at scale. It is comparable as a large-scale education provider in India, though it is a consumer/subscription edtech business rather than a school operator.
• Khan Academy: Khan Academy is a global non-profit providing free, high-quality educational content used by learners and schools worldwide, including in low-income contexts. It is comparable as a globally recognised, evidence-driven education provider with significant reach in underserved communities, though it is a content platform rather than a school operator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BridgeIntlAcads
• Facebookfacebook.com/bridgeinternationalacademies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds8 records

Investors16 records

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bridge International Academies