Maple Bear Global Schools

What Maple Bear Global Schools does

Maple Bear Global Schools Ltd. is a Canadian-headquartered education company that operates a global franchise network of bilingual schools delivering instruction based on Canadian educational pedagogy. The company traces its origins to the Canadian Education Centre Network (CECN), a non-profit supported by the Government of Canada and the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, with the first school opening in India in 2005; it reached 500 schools across 37 countries serving over 70,000 students as of April 2026. The product portfolio spans Bear Care infant care (ages 6 weeks to 24 months), Preschool, Elementary, Secondary/High School, plus the proprietary Digital Learning Community online platform launched in 2020 and the Global Connections Program for cross-border student collaboration around UN Sustainable Development Goals. Curriculum is written and continually updated by a team of Canadian educational experts, and the Maple Bear Faculty plus Instructional Coaches Program provide training and academic quality assurance to 3,000+ teachers worldwide.

The business operates a franchise/licensing model: independent entrepreneurs and investors acquire the right to operate Maple Bear schools using the company's proprietary curriculum, training, and brand under locally adapted standards, with the firm capturing licensing/royalty revenue and providing ongoing operational and academic support. Distribution is supported by a dedicated ownschool.maplebear.ca franchise funnel, an annual Global Schools Conference (the 2nd held in Whistler, BC in October 2025), and regional operational hubs in Toronto (global HQ) and São Paulo (LATAM regional HQ). Maple Bear is controlled by Grupo SEB (Sistema Educacional Brasileiro), one of the world's largest educational groups, with the Zaher family holding board chair and board member seats alongside the founding leadership of Rodney Briggs; José Henrique Melo serves as CEO.

The company pursues ongoing geographic expansion, having added Czech Republic (Olomouc, 2024), Paraguay, Uzbekistan (2024), Australia and Ghana (2025), with Bulgaria (Plovdiv, fall 2026) announced. Recent institutional partnerships with the University of Toronto and Rosseau Lake College aim to strengthen academic pathways for students. Pricing is set locally by independently owned schools, and the company does not publicly disclose revenue.

Name

Maple Bear Global Schools

Legal name

Maple Bear Global Schools Ltd.

Website

https://maplebear.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Maple Bear Global Schools is a Canadian-headquartered franchise network operating 500+ bilingual schools in 37 countries under a proprietary Canadian-pedagogy curriculum, serving over 70,000 students from infant care through high school and licensing independent entrepreneurs to deliver the brand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood and K-12 Bilingual Education

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

International/Global Curriculum Schools (IB, Cambridge, etc.) (EDAJABAG)

Keywords

• Canadian bilingual education
• Early childhood education
• Bilingual school programs
• Education franchise licensing
• K-12 bilingual curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

North Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Franchise Licensing: Maple Bear generates revenue through a franchise model where school owners pay licensing fees for the right to operate Maple Bear schools using the proprietary Canadian methodology, curriculum, training, and brand. The franchise model offers turnkey approach to school ownership combining academic excellence with operational expertise.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Maple Bear Global Schools Ltd. is a Canadian-founded franchise network that licenses its proprietary English/French bilingual curriculum and Canadian pedagogical methodology to independent school operators worldwide. The company licenses the Maple Bear brand, curriculum, teacher training systems, and quality assurance frameworks, enabling franchisees to operate preschool, elementary, and secondary schools (plus infant care) across more than 35 countries.

Product overview

Maple Bear Global Schools is a Canadian education franchise network offering bilingual education programs across 500+ schools in 37 countries. The portfolio includes early childhood programs (Bear Care for infants 6 weeks to 24 months, Preschool), Elementary, and Secondary/High School programs. Supporting the core academic offerings are the Digital Learning Community (DLC) - a proprietary online learning platform launched globally in 2020 - and the Global Connections Program for cross-cultural collaboration on sustainability. The Maple Bear Faculty provides teacher training and quality assurance through instructional coaching and academic reviewers. All programs use a proprietary curriculum developed by Canadian educational experts, with the company operating under a franchise model for school ownership.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bear Care Infant Care & Early Learning Program
• Maple Bear Preschool Program
• Maple Bear Elementary Program
• Maple Bear Secondary / High School Program
• Digital Learning Community (DLC)
• Global Connections Program
• Global Connections for Sustainability Program (GCP)

Quantifiable outcome

• Canada ranks in top 10 in all three PISA domains among OECD countries since PISA's inception in 2000
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and core.

• University of TorontoflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025New strategic partnership announced at the 2nd Annual Maple Bear Global Schools Conference in Whistler, BC. Marks an exciting step forward in Maple Bear's ongoing commitment to excellence and collaboration in global education.
• Rosseau Lake CollegeflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025New strategic partnership announced at the 2nd Annual Maple Bear Global Schools Conference in Whistler, BC. Part of Maple Bear's commitment to strengthening educational partnerships and providing pathways for students.
• Dr. Karyn GordonminorOthers · 1 October 2025Thought-provoking keynote presenter at the 2nd Annual Maple Bear Global Schools Conference, speaking on 'The Three Chairs of Leadership' exploring emotional intelligence and effective leadership.
• Nikolas BadmintonminorOthers · 1 October 2025Globally recognized futurist who challenged conference attendees to imagine what's next for education and how Maple Bear can continue to lead with innovation and purpose.
• UNICEF BrazilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2018Maple Bear committed $100K USD to support UNICEF Brazil's Active Search initiative targeting out-of-school children. The program uses an online tool to locate children not registered in school, capture reasons why they aren't, and follow them through enrollment. Donation supported development of training materials for adolescent engagement in vulnerable areas covering more than 1,800 municipalities.
• Casa HopecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Non-profit organization in São Paulo, Brazil supporting families living in poverty with resources for children's cancer treatments, including food, accommodations, and classrooms. Maple Bear Brazil highlights this cause as part of their Terry Fox initiative and community giving back program.
• GRAACCminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Non-profit childhood cancer research and treatment facility in São Paulo where many children from Casa Hope receive treatments. Visited by Maple Bear during Darrell Fox's Brazil visit in 2018.
• Terry Fox FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Global partnership for cancer research fundraising. Maple Bear students have raised more than $500,000 CAD since 2017. Maple Bear Global Schools made a gift of $25,000 to the Foundation. The partnership teaches students values of empathy, humility, generosity, and collaboration through Terry Fox's inspiring story.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• China Maple Leaf Educational Systems: Operates K-12 schools internationally on a Canadian-curriculum foundation with a franchised/licensed and owned-school hybrid. Maple Leaf is the closest analogue to Maple Bear by curriculum heritage, K-12 scope, and cross-border expansion model, though it is more concentrated in Greater China.
• Nord Anglia Education: Premium international K-12 school group operating 80+ schools across 30+ countries with proprietary curriculum and university partnerships (e.g., MIT, Juilliard). Directly comparable to Maple Bear in international premium K-12 positioning, though Nord Anglia operates owned schools rather than a franchise model.
• Cognita Schools: Global K-12 school group with 100+ schools across more than 20 countries, backed by Jacobs Foundation. Comparable to Maple Bear in broad international K-12 footprint and multi-curriculum portfolio spanning British, International Baccalaureate, and national systems.
• GEMS Education: One of the world's largest private K-12 operators with hundreds of schools across the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas, operating premium and mass-market segments. Comparable to Maple Bear on geographic breadth and premium-priced international education at scale, though GEMS is a direct operator rather than a franchisor.
• Dulwich College International: Premium international school network operated by Dulwich College (UK), with schools across Asia and beyond delivering British curriculum. Comparable to Maple Bear on international premium K-12 positioning and brand-anchored expansion, with similar focus on affluent, internationally-minded families.
• International Schools Partnership (ISP): PE-backed international K-12 group with 80+ schools across multiple regions operating British, IB, and national curricula. Directly comparable to Maple Bear as a multi-country international school platform pursuing programmatic scale and quality benchmarking.
• Inspired Schools: PE-backed international premium schools network operating across Europe, Africa, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific with British and international curricula. Comparable to Maple Bear in capital-backed international K-12 expansion and premium positioning.
• Brighton College: UK-founded premium school brand that has aggressively internationalized (UAE, Singapore, Bangkok, etc.) by exporting curriculum and brand. Comparable to Maple Bear on exporting a single-country education brand internationally to serve premium bilingual/English-medium families.
• Wellington College International: Premium UK school operating international campuses across China, Thailand, and other markets on a licensed/franchised model. Closely mirrors Maple Bear's strategy of monetizing a single-country premium brand internationally through licensing rather than corporate-owned schools.

Others

• Grupo SEB (Sistema Educacional Brasileiro): Brazilian educational conglomerate and Maple Bear's parent entity. While not a competitive peer, Grupo SEB is the only direct investable proxy to Maple Bear exposure for someone seeking access to the international bilingual K-12 segment via the Brazilian-listed parent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@MapleBearGlobal
• Facebookfacebook.com/MapleBearGlobalSchools
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maple-bear-global-schools
• Instagraminstagram.com/maplebearglobal
• Xx.com/MapleBear

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Maple Bear Global Schools