Merryhill School

What Merryhill School does

Merryhill School is a privately-held, for-profit operator of 28+ private school campuses across California, Colorado, Nevada, and Texas, providing education from infant care (6 weeks) through 8th grade. Founded in 1949 in Sacramento by Dorothy and Howard Tompkins, the company has transitioned through multiple ownership structures — Dr. Donald Leisey in the 1970s, Rocking Horse Child Care Centers in 1989, Nobel Education Dynamics / Nobel Learning Communities in 1992, and ultimately Spring Education Group — and now operates under Spring Education Group, Inc., a corporation majority-owned by Hong Kong-based Primavera Holdings Limited. Headcount sits in the 1,001–5,000 range.

The company's educational platform is centered on its proprietary "Links to Learning" curriculum, developed and maintained by Spring Education Group's Education Department. The curriculum structures learning across seven integrated components (language & literacy, mathematical thinking, social-emotional learning, wellness, creative expression, scientific exploration, and citizenship), delivered through six age-appropriate stages from infant care through Pre-K. Supporting technology includes the Links 2 Home family communication application (daily photo updates, curriculum-linked activity descriptions, meal/nap tracking, two-way parent-teacher messaging) and iPad-based digital literacy and coding instruction for K-8 students. Specialty classes in Spanish, music, art, physical education, and technology supplement core academics.

Merryhill monetizes primarily through recurring tuition subscriptions across its portfolio of programs (Infant, Toddler, Beginners 2-3, Intermediates 3-4, Pre-K, Elementary K-5, and Middle School 6-8), with fees varying by program level and location. Supplementary recurring revenue comes from Before & After School extended-day care and Summer Camp programs (day camp, academic, specialty, and sports camps). A B2B2C Employer Partnership Program offers up to 10% tuition discounts to employees of 70+ corporate partners across 18 states, serving as both a customer acquisition channel and an incremental enrollment driver. Marketing and distribution are direct-to-consumer, centered on the merryhillschool.com website with location-based find-a-school functionality, supplemented by content marketing (blog, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook), SEO, and employer partner referrals.

Name

Merryhill School

Legal name

Spring Education Group, Inc.

Website

https://merryhillschool.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Merryhill School operates a network of 28+ private school campuses across California, Colorado, Nevada, and Texas, delivering education from infant care through 8th grade under a proprietary Links to Learning curriculum, funded by recurring tuition, extended-care, summer camp, and employer partnership channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private K-8 Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Services (61)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

General Preschools (Play-Based) (EDACABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Extended Day Programs at Preschools & Childcare Centers (EDACAHAB), Nursery School Programs (2–4 Years) (EDACACAB)

Keywords

• Private preschool education
• Elementary school programs
• Early childhood learning
• Before after school care
• Summer camp programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Henderson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Private School Tuition: Tuition revenue from preschool through 8th grade programs, with fees varying by program level and location.
2. Before & After School Care: Extended day programs offering before and after school care with activities such as sports, dance, theater, chorus, music lessons, art, and engineering.
3. Summer Camp Programs: Day camp, academic camps, specialty camps, and sports camps offered during summer months with various activity blocks.
4. Employer Partnership Discounts: Corporate partnerships providing employees tuition discounts of up to 10%, with no cost to partner companies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Merryhill School operates a network of private schools providing daycare, preschool, elementary, and middle school education for children from 6 weeks through 8th grade. The school also offers before and after school care, summer camp programs, and specialty classes (Spanish, music, art, physical education, technology). All programs are anchored on the proprietary "Links to Learning" curriculum and are delivered at more than 28 physical campuses across California, Colorado, Nevada, and Texas.

Product overview

Merryhill School is a private school network providing education from preschool (6 weeks) through 8th grade across California, Colorado, Nevada, and Texas. The company operates on a unified platform architecture centered on its proprietary Links to Learning Curriculum, which is applied across all age groups and programs. The core product portfolio includes Infant, Toddler, Beginners (2-3 yrs), Intermediates (3-4 yrs), and Pre-K programs for preschoolers; Elementary and Middle School programs (K-8) for older students; and Summer Camp and Before & After School programs for extended care. Supporting the educational offerings are Specialty Classes (Spanish, Music, Art, PE, Technology), the Links 2 Home communication app, and family communication tools including monthly folders, reports, conferences, and family boards. The Links to Learning Curriculum provides the foundational framework across all programs, with seven components: Language & Literacy, Mathematical Thinking, Social-Emotional Learning, Wellness, Creative Expression, Scientific Exploration, and Citizens of the World.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Infant Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% of Pre-K families feel their child is ready for kindergarten, especially if started by age 2

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Corporate Employer PartnerscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEmployer partnership program with over 70 corporate partners offering employees up to 10% tuition discounts. Available at 130+ schools across 18 states. No cost for partner companies to participate.
• Laurel Springs SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccredited online private school for students K-12 partnering with Merryhill School for summer camp programs.
• Envision by WorldStridesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNation's largest accredited educational travel and experiences organization partnering with Merryhill School for summer camp programs.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Chesterbrook Academy: Chesterbrook Academy is a private preschool through elementary school brand operated by Spring Education Group (Merryhill's parent company). Operates under the same platform and curriculum architecture as Merryhill, serving similar families in Eastern US markets that complement Merryhill's Western footprint.
• Stratford School: Stratford School operates private preschool through 8th grade programs across California, mirroring Merryhill's age range and West Coast footprint. Both brands operate under the Spring Education Group umbrella, share curriculum resources, and target similar middle-to-upper-middle-class families seeking rigorous K-8 education.
• Primrose Schools: Primrose Schools is a national franchised private preschool system serving infants through Pre-K and after-school care. Comparable to Merryhill in age range, proprietary curriculum approach, and tuition-based subscription model, though franchised rather than corporate-owned.
• Challenger School: Challenger School operates private preschool through 8th grade campuses in California, Utah, Texas, Idaho, and Nevada with rigorous academic curriculum. Direct competitor in core CA/NV/TX markets with comparable K-8 program range and similar tuition-based subscription model.
• The Goddard School: The Goddard School operates franchised private preschools nationwide serving infants through Pre-K with a proprietary play-based curriculum. Competes directly with Merryhill's preschool programs and offers similar family communication tools and employer partnership-style marketing.

Emerging players

• Guidepost Montessori: Guidepost Montessori operates a growing network of Montessori-based preschools and elementary programs nationwide. Competes with Merryhill for similar family demographics but differentiates via the Montessori pedagogy versus Merryhill's Links to Learning curriculum.

Others

• Fusion Academy: Fusion Academy operates private 1-on-1 middle and high schools nationwide with personalized curriculum. While serving a different grade range and delivery model than Merryhill, both compete for families seeking alternatives to traditional K-12 education in suburban US markets.
• Kumon North America: Kumon operates a franchised supplemental education program for math and reading serving preschool through high school. While not a direct preschool competitor, Kumon addresses the same parental demand for academic enrichment and rigor that Merryhill positions itself around.

Broad incumbents

• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: Bright Horizons is the largest publicly-traded provider of employer-sponsored childcare and early education with centers across the US. Comparable to Merryhill in the preschool/daycare space but operates at much larger scale and is deeply embedded in the B2B employer channel that Merryhill is building.
• La Petite Academy: La Petite Academy is a national chain of private preschools and childcare centers serving infants through Pre-K, owned by Learning Care Group. Comparable to Merryhill in age range and tuition model but operates at much broader scale across the US.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Links_To_Learning
• Facebookfacebook.com/MerryhillSchool
• Instagraminstagram.com/merryhillschool
• Xx.com/merryhillschool

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Merryhill School