Franciscan Montessori Earth School

What Franciscan Montessori Earth School does

Franciscan Montessori Earth School (FMES) is a private Catholic Montessori school located on a 10-acre campus at 14750 SE Clinton Street in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1977 by the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist, the school serves students from age 30 months through 8th grade, organized into three sequential programs: Children's House (PreK-K), Elementary (1st-6th grade), and Middle School (7th-8th grade). The institution combines Dr. Maria Montessori's educational methodology with Franciscan spiritual principles, emphasizing respect for self, others, and environmental stewardship. With approximately 31 employees, FMES is a single-site nonprofit operation serving the Portland metro area.

Name

Franciscan Montessori Earth School

Legal name

Franciscan Montessori Earth School

Website

https://fmes.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Private Catholic Montessori school in Portland, Oregon, serving students age 30 months through 8th grade. Founded in 1977 by the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist, it operates on a 10-acre campus combining Montessori methodology with Franciscan spiritual formation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private K-12 Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111), Educational Services (61)

SIC

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

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDACABAC

Montessori Preschools

Education/Early Childhood Education/Preschools & Pre-K Programs

SECONDARYEDAJABAD

Montessori K–12 Schools

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/Private & Independent K–12 Schools

Keywords

• Montessori education
• Private K-12 education
• Early childhood education
• Catholic education
• Montessori preschool

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition Revenue: The school generates revenue primarily through annual tuition payments from enrolled students. Tuition varies by program level: half-day Children's House ($9,288/year), full-day Children's House ($12,000/year), Elementary ($13,776/year), and Middle School ($15,660/year). Payment options include annual (with 2% discount), semi-annual (with 1% discount), or monthly payments through Blackbaud Tuition Management.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Franciscan Montessori Earth School provides Catholic Montessori-based education for children from 30 months through 8th grade on a 10-acre campus in Portland, Oregon. The school delivers toddler, primary, elementary, and middle school programs integrated with Franciscan spiritual formation, alongside before/after care and summer camp services.

Product overview

Franciscan Montessori Earth School is a single-site educational institution offering a comprehensive Montessori curriculum from early childhood (age 30 months) through 8th grade. The school operates on a unified campus with three main academic programs—Children's House (PreK-K), Elementary (1st-6th grade), and Middle School (7th-8th grade)—supplemented by enrichment programs including Montessori Aspect (childcare), Atrium (spiritual formation), Athletics, and Camp FMES. The school emphasizes environmental stewardship through its Earth Experiences program and outdoor gardening activities on its 10-acre campus. This is not a technology product platform but rather a traditional educational institution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Children's House Program Montessori toddler and primary program for children ages 30 months through kindergarten, providing the foundational Casa experience integrated with Franciscan spirituality.
• Elementary Program Montessori elementary education for grades 1 through 6, with individualized learning, integrated curriculum, and earth-based experiences.
• Middle School Program Montessori middle school program for grades 7 and 8, designed to prepare students for prestigious private high schools and beyond.
• Montessori Aspect (Before and After Care) Hourly before- and after-school care service priced at $8 per hour, available to enrolled students and their families.
• Camp FMES Summer day camp program hosted at the FMES campus, extending the school's Montessori and nature-based learning into the summer season.

Quantifiable outcome

• Graduates gain admission to prestigious local private high schools including La Salle, Central Catholic, Jesuit, and St. Mary's Academy

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Wildwood School: Independent progressive K-12 school in Portland with experiential and whole-child pedagogy similar to FMES. Competes for the same educationally engaged Portland families but operates at a larger scale.
• St. Mary's Academy: Portland Catholic girls' high school that draws from FMES. While a high school rather than a K-8 competitor, it shares the Catholic identity and competes indirectly for faith-aligned Portland families across the K-12 spectrum.
• Catlin Gabel School: Established Portland private PreK-12 progressive school. While broader and secular, it competes for the same affluent, education-focused Portland families and is a documented FMES graduate feeder.
• Oregon Episcopal School: Portland private K-12 school with a religious (Episcopal) heritage analogous to FMES's Catholic identity. Competes for mission-driven Portland families and is a documented FMES graduate destination.

Regional players

• Austin Montessori School: Mid-sized private Montessori school in Austin, Texas offering PreK through middle school programs with similar tuition and mission-based positioning. Provides a comparable scale benchmark outside the Portland market.
• Berkeley Montessori School: AMI-affiliated Montessori school in Northern California serving toddler through middle school. Operates a comparable Montessori tuition-based model outside FMES's Portland geography, useful as a regional benchmark.

Direct peers

• Portland Montessori School: Long-established Portland-area Montessori school serving toddler through middle school programs with similar pedagogy and family demographic. Directly competes with FMES for the same Portland Montessori family pool.
• West Hills Montessori School: Portland-metro Montessori school offering early childhood through elementary programs. Competes with FMES for Portland families seeking authentic Montessori education with comparable tuition positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/franciscan-montessori-earth-school

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 Franciscan Montessori Earth School