National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector

What National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector does

The National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector (NCMPS), founded in 2012 and headquartered at 125 Whiting Lane in West Hartford, Connecticut, is a private nonprofit that supports and sustains public Montessori schools, leaders, and teachers in the United States. It is the only national organization focused exclusively on the public Montessori segment, addressing a defined addressable market of 590+ U.S. public Montessori programs within a broader universe of roughly 3,500 U.S. Montessori schools. NCMPS reports cumulative reach of 5,000+ adults, 500+ schools and organizations, and 50,000+ children, supported through direct services, teacher training, coaching, and professional development.

NCMPS's core technology is a web-based learning management system for professional development courses and the DERS (Developmental Environment Rating Scale) observation platform, a classroom assessment tool that measures child and adult behaviors and environmental attributes associated with developmental outcomes including executive function, linguistic and cultural fluency, and social fluency. Its proprietary portfolio also includes the Montessori Assessment Playbook, Montessori Curriculum to Standards Alignment (MCSA) digital tool, Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) curriculum, Executive Function Tools, and the Essential Elements for Public Montessori framework, with integration into the Transparent Classroom platform. The organization builds and operates a three-part community ecosystem: Montessori Census (school database), MontessoriPublic (newsletter/print newspaper), and Teach Montessori (job board and training center locator). Named partners include Milwaukee Public Schools, Tulsa Public Schools, San Antonio ISD, San Diego USD, Austin ISD, Detroit Public Schools, Cleveland Metro Schools, and Breakthrough Montessori Public Charter School.

NCMPS monetizes through a diversified, subscription-heavy revenue model: individual memberships at $95/year, school memberships tiered from $1,190 to $4,430/year based on enrollment, DERS training at $305 plus a $130/year subscription, professional learning courses ranging from free webinars to a $4,999 enterprise back-to-school bundle, conference registration at $725/attendee, and book sales through direct and Amazon channels. Significant operating support also flows from philanthropic funders including Bezos Academy, Buffett Early Childhood Fund, City Bridge Foundation, Harold Simmons Foundation, Trust for Learning, MKF, and PAI. No revenue or financial figures are publicly disclosed, and the organization operates without venture capital or a parent entity.

Name

National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector

Legal name

National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector

Website

https://public-montessori.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NCMPS is a U.S. nonprofit founded in 2012 that supports public Montessori schools, teachers, and leaders through teacher residencies, professional learning courses, field-tested assessment tools (DERS, MCSA, Assessment Playbook), and a national community network serving 250+ schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Montessori Education Services and Tools

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Instructional Coaching & Teacher Professional Learning (School-Embedded) (EDAJAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Instructional Delivery & Pedagogy (School-Led) (EDAJAFAB), Executive Function & Learning Coaching (Organization/ADHD Coaching) (EDAJALAI)

Keywords

• Public Montessori education
• Teacher professional development
• Montessori teacher residency
• Classroom assessment tools
• Montessori school accreditation

Headquarters

HQ city

National City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual and School Memberships: Annual membership programs providing professional learning discounts, digital access to curriculum tools, and other member benefits. Individual membership at $95/year; School membership ranges from $1,190-$4,430/year based on school size.
2. Professional Learning Courses: Online and in-person professional development courses for teachers, coaches, and school leaders. Courses range from free webinars to multi-week intensive trainings ($35-$4,999). Includes live facilitated courses and self-paced options.
3. DERS Products and Training: DERS Training & Certification bundle at $435 (includes $305 sign-up fee and $130 annual subscription), plus annual subscription renewal at $130/year for continued platform access.
4. Conference Revenue: Annual Public Montessori Conference and Retreat registration at $725 per attendee.
5. Assessment Products: Sale of Montessori Assessment Playbook and Visual Thinking Strategies books through Amazon and direct channels.
6. Donations: Accepts donations through Every.org platform supporting the organization's mission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

NCMPS sustains public Montessori education by selling field-tested assessment and curriculum tools (DERS observation platform, Montessori Assessment Playbook, MCSA, VTS, Essential Elements), delivering Montessori teacher preparation through residencies, providing school services (startup, accreditation, coaching, program review), and offering fee-based professional learning courses for teachers, coaches, and school leaders. It also operates a national community network (MontessoriPublic, Montessori Census, Teach Montessori).

Product overview

NCMPS offers a portfolio of field-tested assessment tools and professional development resources for public Montessori schools. The core products include the Montessori Assessment Playbook (a book-based assessment manual), Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) for literacy development, Montessori Curriculum to Standards Alignment (MCSA) for standards alignment, and the Developmental Environment Rating Scale (DERS) - a web-based classroom observation platform. These tools are complemented by the Executive Function Tools, Essential Elements framework, and integration with Transparent Classroom. NCMPS also provides professional learning courses (live and self-paced), teacher preparation through Montessori Teacher Residencies, and Individual/School Memberships offering discounts and digital access to resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Montessori Assessment Playbook A strategy manual and tool collection for implementing an assessment model grounded in Montessori philosophy and supporting human flourishing, intended for public Montessori schools, teachers, and coaches.
• Developmental Environment Rating Scale (DERS) A web-based classroom observation and assessment platform that measures child and adult behaviors and environmental attributes associated with developmental outcomes such as executive function, linguistic and cultural fluency, and social fluency and emotional flexibility; used by public Montessori schools, coaches, and leaders.
• Montessori Curriculum to Standards Alignment (MCSA) Digital tool providing alignment between Montessori curriculum and educational standards, available for Primary and Elementary levels, for public Montessori schools and teachers needing standards-aligned instruction.
• Individual Membership Annual individual membership at $95/year providing a 10% discount on professional learning courses and digital access to Montessori Curriculum to Standards Alignment (Primary and Elementary) for individual teachers, coaches, and leaders.
• School Membership Annual school membership offering professional development discounts and access to NCMPS resources for entire school staff, priced $1,190-$4,430/year based on school size.
• DERS Training and Certification Bundle 6-hour online asynchronous course preparing users to use the DERS Observation Platform effectively for classroom observation and continuous improvement, bundled with first-year subscription ($435 total: $305 sign-up + $130 first-year subscription).
• DERS Subscription Annual Renewal Annual subscription renewal at $130/year providing 365 days of access to the DERS app and membership in the DERS network of users.
• Professional Learning Courses Live and self-paced online professional development courses for teachers, coaches, and leaders in public Montessori schools, covering areas such as Child Study Training, Coaches Training, Montessori Fundamentals for School Leaders, Assistants Training, Classroom Teaming, Substitutes Orientation, and Executive Function, with pricing ranging from free webinars to $695 per course.
• Back-to-School Professional Learning Bundle Site-licensed bundle priced at $4,999 providing unlimited access to four courses (Montessori Assistants Training, Montessori Classroom Teaming, Montessori Fundamentals for Everyone, Montessori Substitutes Orientation) for entire school staff during a school year.
• Annual Public Montessori Conference and Retreat Annual 2.5-day in-person public Montessori conference and retreat, priced at $725 per attendee, bringing together educators for professional development, networking, and community building.
• Montessori Teacher Residency MACTE-accredited, state-licensed Montessori teacher preparation program delivered via NCMPS residencies for public school teachers, including cohort-based trainings in locations such as Washington, DC, Memphis, San Antonio, and Austin.
• School Startup and Expansion Services Direct consulting and strategy services supporting public school districts and charter operators in launching and expanding public Montessori programs, including design, planning, and implementation support.
• NCMPS School Accreditation Accreditation program reviewing public Montessori schools against NCMPS standards for recognition and continuous program improvement.
• Essential Elements Review Implementation review service assessing public Montessori programs against the NCMPS Essential Elements framework, providing diagnostic feedback and improvement recommendations.
• Coaching for Leaders and Coaches Ongoing coaching engagements delivered by NCMPS staff for school leaders and instructional coaches in public Montessori settings to strengthen practice and program quality.

Quantifiable outcome

• 250+ public schools supported through training, workshops, and direct services
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and partner.

• Montessori CensuscoreOthersNCMPS operates the Montessori Census (montessoricensus.org), a database collecting data about Montessori schools (public and private) in the U.S. and around the world. Users can search by ages served and location, and see schools on an interactive world map. This is a core NCMPS resource and community connector.
• MontessoriPubliccoreOthersNCMPS publishes MontessoriPublic (montessoripublic.org), a website and print newspaper sharing news and information about public Montessori. Multiple copies are mailed to every public Montessori school in the Montessori Census. This serves as the primary communication channel for the public Montessori community.
• Teach MontessoricoreOthersNCMPS operates Teach Montessori (teach-montessori.org), a Montessori job posting board and training center locator. Users can search for and post jobs, learn about teacher training, and find training centers. Core community resource for teacher recruitment and professional development.
• American Montessori SocietypartnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMS is a key funder and partner organization. NCMPS refers schools to AMS for membership and resources.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Learning Forward: National professional association for educator learning and development across all K-12 contexts. Comparable to NCMPS as a provider of teacher professional learning and coaching resources, but serving the entire K-12 spectrum rather than Montessori specifically.
• ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development): Major education association providing curriculum, instructional leadership, and professional development resources to educators and school leaders. Overlaps with NCMPS in professional learning and curriculum support but operates broadly across all K-12 content areas.

Direct peers

• Montessori Foundation: A nonprofit that supports Montessori education through parent education, school leadership resources, and community programs. Comparable to NCMPS as a complementary mission-driven organization serving the broader Montessori community with overlapping teacher and family support services.
• Association Montessori Internationale (AMI): Global Montessori organization offering teacher training, credentials, and school affiliation across age levels. AMI overlaps with NCMPS in serving Montessori educators and schools and is one of the primary institutional alternatives for credentialing and curriculum support.
• American Montessori Society (AMS): The largest U.S. Montessori membership organization, offering teacher credentials, school accreditation, conferences, and professional development. AMS overlaps with NCMPS in supporting Montessori schools and teachers but operates more broadly across public and private sectors, making it a directly comparable peer.
• Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE): The accrediting body for Montessori teacher education programs, referenced in connection with NCMPS's residency launch support. Highly comparable as a credentialing and quality assurance organization serving the same public Montessori ecosystem.

Emerging players

• International Montessori Council (IMC): An alternative Montessori membership body offering school consultation, teacher education, and resources. Directly comparable to NCMPS in serving Montessori schools and teachers, though with a smaller footprint and somewhat different program emphasis.

Others

• Education Trust: Nonprofit focused on educational equity and closing achievement gaps in K-12 public schools through research, advocacy, and policy work. Thematically adjacent to NCMPS through its focus on public education improvement and equitable access, though operating in advocacy rather than direct service.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MontessoriNCMPS

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector