Kensington School

What Kensington School does

Kensington School is a privately held early childhood education provider operating 16 physical school campuses across the Chicago metropolitan area and surrounding suburbs. Founded in 1969 by Barbara Marlas in LaGrange, Illinois, the company delivers full-day educational and childcare programs spanning infant care (6 weeks) through full-day kindergarten (5 years), unified under the proprietary "Growing Up Kensington" curriculum framework that combines project-based learning, traditional academic foundations, and experiential education. Core technology is non-differentiated classroom infrastructure: SMART Boards for interactive learning and the Tadpoles mobile application for daily parent-teacher communication (photos, videos, notes, daily reports, learning portfolios). Curriculum-specific assets include the Kensington Tinkerlab (STEAM enrichment with robotics, coding, woodworking, and 3D printing), organic gardens at each school, and the "Mrs. Health and Happiness" wellness program featuring on-site registered nurses at every campus.

The business operates as a B2C tuition-based subscription/recurring-revenue model. Parents pay private tuition for early childhood education services; pricing is quote-based through an admissions team rather than publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is sales-led: families discover the school through website inquiries, social media (Facebook, Instagram), content marketing (blog, video gallery), word-of-mouth referrals (formally tracked on inquiry forms), and scheduled on-site tours. Distribution is concentrated in the Chicago metro and affluent western and northern suburbs (Arlington Heights, Hinsdale, Naperville, Glenview, Geneva, St. Charles, Wheaton, Western Springs, LaGrange, Elmhurst, Park Ridge), with newer Chicago city entries in Lincoln Park, Bucktown (Fall 2025), and West Loop (planned 2026).

Kensington School holds NAEYC accreditation (the "gold standard" in early childhood education, maintained across its schools and specifically reaccredited at the Naperville campus), serves tens of thousands of children cumulatively over its 55+ year history, and graduated 154 kindergartners in a single year across seven locations. The company is family-owned and operated by the Marlas Family, with no disclosed private equity, venture capital, or external institutional investors.

Name

Kensington School

Legal name

Kensington School

Website

https://kensingtonschool.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Kensington School is a privately held, family-owned early childhood education provider operating 16 NAEYC-accredited campuses across the Chicago metropolitan area. It delivers tuition-based infant-through-kindergarten programs and enrichment services to suburban and urban Chicago families under the proprietary "Growing Up Kensington" curriculum.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education

NAICS

Educational Services (61), Educational Services (611), Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

General Preschools (Play-Based) (EDACABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Full-Day Nursery Programs (EDACACAD), Nursery School Programs (2–4 Years) (EDACACAB), Nursery School Wraparound Care (Extended Hours) (EDACACAG)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Private preschool programs
• Infant daycare services
• Kindergarten readiness curriculum
• Project-based learning schools

Headquarters

HQ city

Burr Ridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices17 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Early Childhood Education Tuition: Tuition-based revenue from infant care, toddler, preschool, pre-kindergarten, and kindergarten programs. Private pay from families for childcare and educational services across all 15+ school locations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kensington School is a private early childhood education provider offering tuition-based programs from infant nursery (6 weeks) through full-day kindergarten at 16 physical campuses across the Chicago metropolitan area. The offering is unified under the proprietary "Growing Up Kensington" curriculum featuring age-differentiated instruction, project-based learning, STEAM enrichment via Kensington Tinkerlab, organic gardens, and on-site registered nurses as part of the Health and Happiness wellness program. Supplemental fee-based services include Camp Kensington summer camp and Kensington Enrichment School.

Product overview

Kensington School is an early childhood education provider offering a single unified educational service spanning infant care through full-day kindergarten. The core product portfolio includes age-differentiated programs: Infant Nursery (6 weeks-15 months), Toddler Program (15-24 months), Preschool Prep (2-3 years), Preschool (3-4 years), Pre-Kindergarten/Junior Kindergarten (4-5 years), and Kindergarten (5 years). These programs are unified under the 'Growing Up Kensington' curriculum framework emphasizing project-based learning and experiential education. Supplemental offerings include the Kensington Tinkerlab (STEAM enrichment with robotics, coding, woodworking), Kensington Organic Garden, Camp Kensington summer camp, Wings Kindergarten Camp, Kensington Enrichment School (small group classes), and Health & Wellness Program with on-site nurses. The company operates 16 physical school locations across the Chicago metropolitan area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kensington Tinkerlab: STEAM learning lab for science, technology, engineering, art, and math exploration
• Kensington Organic Gardens
• Camp Kensington
• Mrs. Health and Happiness

Products and services

• Infant Nursery Program Early education program for infants aged 6 weeks to 15 months, featuring Infant Possibilities curriculum, sensory exploration, and Infant Treasure Baskets. Designed for families with infants requiring full-day childcare and developmental programming.
• Toddler Program Developmentally appropriate curriculum for children aged 15-24 months, featuring the On Kensington Lane Cognitive Development Program, sensory project-based learning, and toddler sign language. Targeted at families seeking structured toddler education.
• Preschool Prep Program Early preschool education for children aged 2-3 years emphasizing cognitive development through the On Kensington Lane program, beginning project-based learning, language development with Pickles the Puppy puppet, and Natural Wood Investigations.
• Preschool Program Preschool education for children aged 3-4 years featuring Animal Island Reading Readiness Program, Handwriting Without Tears, Scooter the Traveling Bear, mindfulness curriculum, and Project Based Learning. Designed for families seeking foundational preschool education.
• Pre-Kindergarten (Junior Kindergarten) Program Pre-kindergarten curriculum for children aged 4-5 years building foundational skills with Jolly Phonics, Handwriting Without Tears, MathStart Lending Library, mindfulness curriculum, observational drawing, Spanish, and yoga. Prepares children for kindergarten entry.
• Kindergarten Program Full-day kindergarten providing bridge from preschool to first grade with instruction in Language Arts (Jolly Phonics, Handwriting Without Tears, Michael Heggerty Phonemic Awareness), Singapore Dimensions Mathematics, Science, Geography/Social Studies, Health and Wellness, and Kensington Tinkerlab twice weekly.
• Camp Kensington Summer Camp Project-based learning summer camp program connecting children to the outdoors with engaging summer themes, nature exploration, and activities including Outdoor Water Days, Mud Kitchens, and art projects. Available to enrolled and prospective families during summer months.
• Wings Kindergarten Camp Summer program for children entering or completing kindergarten, featuring first field trips and continued quality teaching from regular Kensington School staff.
• Kensington Enrichment School Small group enrichment classes for children aged 3-5 years offering additional educational experiences in literacy, math, science, art, music, physical fitness, dance, and related subjects. Supplementary to core preschool programs.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KensingtonSchoolECE/?ref=hl
• Instagraminstagram.com/kensington_school
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kensington-schools

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries16 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 Kensington School