Calgary Montessori School

What Calgary Montessori School does

Calgary Montessori School is a privately owned and operated Montessori early-childhood and elementary education institution based in Calgary, Alberta. Founded in 1919 by Margaret and William Potts, it is the longest continuously operating Montessori school in North America, with direct pedagogical lineage to Maria Montessori through co-founder Margaret Potts. The school serves families with children from 19 months through Grade 6, offering four age-based programs — Toddler (19-36 months), Preschool (3-5 years), Kindergarten (5-6 years), and Elementary (Grades 1-6) — delivered across four campuses in Calgary (Britannia, North, West, and Killarney) plus a centralized Admissions Office. The Elementary program was re-established in September 2015 after a multi-year pause, with enrollment growing from 9 students in 2015/16 to 32 students by 2017/18.

The school's core technology is the Montessori Method itself — a child-centered pedagogical framework built on prepared environments and self-correcting didactic materials across Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, and Mathematics domains, designed to support progression from hands-on learning to abstraction. The Elementary curriculum is aligned with the Alberta Program of Studies while remaining within Montessori methodology. The Kindergarten and Elementary programs are accredited by Alberta Education, and the Preschool is licensed by Alberta Child and Family Services. Elementary teachers hold both AMI Montessori and Alberta B.Ed. certifications. There are no disclosed AI, software, or digital platform components; the institution operates as a traditional service-based educational provider.

The business model is recurring monthly tuition billed directly to families. Toddler, Preschool, and Kindergarten fees are set by the Alberta Government Affordability Grant, while Elementary tuition is $875 CAD per month for Grades 1-6. Go-to-market is primarily local: the school markets through its website, social media, in-person campus tours, and direct phone/email inquiry. The school is family-governed, currently led by Alison O'Dwyer (granddaughter of the founders, 35 years of tenure), with an independent Board of Directors overseeing accredited programs. Customer concentration is structurally low — serving individual families across multiple campuses — and revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Calgary Montessori School

Legal name

Calgary Montessori School

Website

https://calgarymontessorischool.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Calgary Montessori School is a privately owned early-childhood and elementary education institution in Calgary, Alberta, founded in 1919, serving families with children aged 19 months through Grade 6 across four campuses using the Montessori Method.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private K-12 Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Educational Services (61)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Montessori Early Learning Academies (EDACADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Montessori K–12 Schools (EDAJABAD), Montessori Preschools (EDACABAC)

Keywords

• Montessori education
• Private preschool
• Elementary education
• Early childhood education
• Toddler programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Calgary

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Program Fees: Monthly fees charged to families for Toddler, Preschool, Kindergarten, and Elementary programs. Toddler and Preschool fees are determined by Alberta Government Affordability Grant. Elementary program priced at $875/month CAD for Grades 1-6.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Calgary Montessori School is a private Montessori education institution operating four campuses plus a dedicated Admissions Office in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1919, the school delivers authentic Montessori-based instruction across four program levels: Toddler, Preschool, Kindergarten, and Elementary, serving children from toddler age through elementary grade levels.

Product overview

Calgary Montessori School offers a comprehensive Montessori education program with four distinct age-based offerings: Toddler Program (19-36 months), Preschool Program (ages 3-5), Kindergarten Program (ages 5-6), and Elementary Program (Grades 1-6). These programs are delivered across five campuses (Admissions Office, Britannia, West, North, and Killarney) in Calgary, Alberta. The school is the longest continuously operating Montessori school in North America, founded in 1919.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Toddler Program

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Kids & Company: National Canadian childcare and early-learning provider with corporate and individual family programs. Comparable to CMS in serving Calgary families seeking paid early-childhood education, though operating a different pedagogical model.
• Childventures Early Learning Academy: Canadian private early-learning and childcare operator with multiple locations including Alberta. Comparable to CMS in serving affluent families seeking premium early-childhood programs, though uses a different pedagogical approach.
• BrightPath Kids: Large Canadian private early-childhood education and childcare operator with multiple locations across Alberta. Comparable to CMS because it serves the same toddler/preschool demographic in Calgary, though at much greater scale and without the Montessori specialization.

Regional players

• Edge School: Calgary private school combining academics with athletic development for K–12. Comparable to CMS as another Calgary independent school competing for private-paying families, though differentiated by its athletics-centric positioning.
• Ambrose University Early Learning Centre: Calgary-based early-learning programs associated with a postsecondary institution. Comparable to CMS as another Calgary provider of structured early-childhood education for local families.

Direct peers

• Webber Academy: Independent K–12 school in Calgary with university-prep focus. Comparable to CMS because it competes for Calgary families willing to pay private-school tuition for elementary and middle-school grades.
• Montessori School of Calgary (independent operator): Other independently-operated Montessori schools in the Calgary area offering toddler, preschool and elementary programs. Comparable to CMS because they compete head-to-head for the same Montessori-seeking Calgary families across overlapping program levels.
• West Island College: Independent school in Calgary offering programs from kindergarten through Grade 12. Comparable to CMS as a Calgary-based private school competing for the same family demographic at the elementary level.
• Calgary Academy: Independent private school in Calgary serving students from early learning through Grade 12, including specialized programs. Comparable to CMS because it competes directly for Calgary families seeking private K–12 education outside the public system.
• Rundle College: Calgary-based independent K–12 school offering personalized education. Comparable to CMS because it competes for the same Calgary families seeking private elementary education, particularly at the Grade 1–6 tier where CMS's elementary program operates.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CalgaryMontessoriSchool
• Instagraminstagram.com/calgarymontessori/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/calgary-montessori-school

Compliance2 records

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 Calgary Montessori School