IMA - Instituto Maria Auxiliadora

What IMA - Instituto Maria Auxiliadora does

IMA - Instituto Maria Auxiliadora is a private Catholic K-12 educational institution located in Rio do Sul, Santa Catarina, Brazil, founded in 1928 and operated by the Filhas de Maria Auxiliadora (FMA) religious congregation as part of the Rede Salesiana de Escolas network under the Inspetoria Nossa Senhora Aparecida (BAP). The institution delivers a continuous educational track spanning Berçário (nursery), Educação Infantil, Ensino Fundamental I and II, and Ensino Médio, complemented by extracurricular projects (Projetos/Extraclasse) and ancillary digital resources branded IMA UP, IMA Downloads, and IMA News. Its pedagogical backbone combines the Italian Reggio Emília approach — implemented with input from pedagogues Marina Castagnete and Paola Strozzi — with the Salesian educational tradition rooted in the Preventive System of Don Bosco. Proprietary or distinctive components include the Berçário Sentidos da Vida program (multisensory spaces, sensory gardens, hydromassage, and a multiprofessional team of pedagogues, occupational therapists, social workers, and nursing assistants) and the Coleção Girolhar didactic material collection used across early-childhood stages.

The business model is tuition-based and non-profit; tuition levels and financial results are not publicly disclosed. Enrollment is solicited through WhatsApp, telephone, and on-campus visits at the single Rio do Sul facility. There is no digital delivery, franchising, multi-campus structure, or distance-learning component, and the organization does not raise external capital. Operational footprint is bounded by 47 employees, a single physical campus, and one city; institutional communications are conducted primarily through the institutional website and Instagram.

Additional community-facing activity includes partnerships with Cáritas Diocesana and Pastoral do Imigrante for refugee and immigrant family support, engagement with the JCI public-speaking competition circuit, and inter-school coordination with peer Salesian institutions such as Colégio Auxiliadora. Student outcomes cited include ENEM scores in the 940-960 range, multiple JCI finalist and second-place finishes, and acceptances to Brazilian universities. The institution has no equity investors, no M&A activity, no disclosed funding rounds, and no expansion beyond its established single-campus configuration.

Name

IMA - Instituto Maria Auxiliadora

Legal name

Instituto Maria Auxiliadora

Website

https://ima-rs.com.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1928

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Instituto Maria Auxiliadora is a private Catholic K-12 school in Rio do Sul, Brazil, operated by the Filhas de Maria Auxiliadora order within the Salesian network, offering continuous education from nursery through high school under a Reggio Emília and Salesian pedagogical framework.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private K-12 Education (Catholic / Salesian)

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Reggio Emilia-Inspired Early Learning Programs (EDACADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Reggio Emilia–Inspired Preschools (EDACABAD)

Keywords

• K-12 education
• Early childhood education
• Catholic school education
• High school education
• Salesian education

Headquarters

HQ city

Rio do Sul

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Instituto Maria Auxiliadora is a private Catholic K-12 school operating from Berçário (nursery) through Ensino Médio (high school). It delivers formal classroom education rooted in the Salesian (Dom Bosco) Preventive System and, for early childhood, the Italian Reggio Emília approach, supplemented by pastoral activities, citizenship projects, and ENEM/vestibular exam preparation. The school is operated by the Filhas de Maria Auxiliadora religious congregation and is part of the Rede Salesiana de Escolas.

Product overview

IMA - Instituto Maria Auxiliadora is a Salesian educational institution offering a comprehensive educational program from Berçário (nursery) to Ensino Médio (high school). The school operates as a unified educational ecosystem with its core products being the sequential educational stages: Berçário Sentidos da Vida, Educação Infantil, Ensino Fundamental 1, Ensino Fundamental 2, and Ensino Médio. These are complemented by supplementary programs including extracurricular projects, IMA UP, IMA Downloads, and IMA News. The institution is characterized by its Salesiano (Salesian) pedagogy inspired by Dom Bosco, the Reggio Emília approach particularly in early childhood education, and a strong focus on citizenship formation, ENEM/vestibular preparation, and youth protagonism through the Articulação da Juventude Salesiana (AJS).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Berçário Sentidos da Vida: Early childhood education program for babies implementing Reggio Emilia pedagogical approach with sensory and cognitive development focus.

Products and services

• Berçário Sentidos da Vida Nursery program for babies inspired by the Italian Reggio Emília approach, focused on sensory development and comprehensive care delivered by a multiprofessional team of pedagogues, occupational therapists, social workers, nursing assistants, and support educators. Offered to families seeking high-quality infant care and early stimulation in Rio do Sul, SC.
• Educação Infantil Full-day early childhood education program for children from Maternal to Infantil 3, emphasizing identity, citizenship, cooperation, solidarity, and justice through the Italian Reggio Emília approach with multissensorial spaces integrated with outdoor areas.
• Ensino Fundamental 1 (Anos Iniciais) Elementary school program (years 1-5) focused on participatory education, building reading, writing, logical reasoning, and critical thinking skills, complemented by Projeto Contraturno after-school activities.
• Ensino Fundamental 2 (Anos Finais) Middle school program (years 6-9) promoting youth protagonism and beginning preparation for vestibular and ENEM national exams, including citizenship projects, oratory competitions, and mathematics clubs.
• Ensino Médio Three-year high school program consolidating students' formation in concepts, skills, attitudes, and values while preparing for vestibular exams and the ENEM national exam, including Itinerários Formativos under the New High School reform.
• Projetos Extraclasse (Extracurricular Projects) After-school and out-of-class projects and activities, including Projeto Contraturno, citizenship projects, oratory competitions, mathematics clubs, missionary initiatives (AMJ), and pastoral activities linked to the Articulação da Juventude Salesiana (AJS).

Quantifiable outcome

• ENEM essay scores of 960 and 940 points achieved by students
• +4 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor, major and core.

• Colégio Auxiliadora de Campos NovosminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Salesian school partner that collaborated with IMA on the Páscoa Juvenil Salesiana project, where students from both institutions traveled together to deliver donations and participate in activities at Lar Padre Jacó in Itajaí.
• Cáritas DiocesanamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 June 2021Partnership for refugee support campaigns. IMA collaborated with Cáritas Diocesana and Pastoral do Imigrante to collect donations for Venezuelan, Haitian, Peruvian, and Cuban refugees in Rio do Sul, benefiting over 500 refugees with clothing, blankets, and food.
• Pastoral do ImigrantemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 June 2021Immigration pastoral service working with refugees in Rio do Sul. Jointly organized emergency donation campaigns for refugees with IMA and Cáritas Diocesana.
• Associação Pró Menor Lar Padre Jacó (Itajaí)minorOthers · 1 January 2021Salesian social institution for children and adolescents in Itajaí. IMA students regularly deliver donations and participate in Easter youth activities at this facility, which serves approximately 200 children and teenagers.
• Articulação da Juventude Salesiana (AJS)coreOthers · 1 January 2018Salesian Youth Articulation network within the school that coordinates voluntary activities, missionary experiences, and youth leadership programs. Students from IMA participate alongside other salesian presences from Massaranduba, Rio do Sul, Itajaí, Ascurra, and Joinville.
• Rede Salesiana de EscolascoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1928IMA is part of the Rede Salesiana de Escolas, a national network of Catholic educational institutions following the Salesian system of Don Bosco. This partnership provides pedagogical support, training, events, and integration with the broader Salesian mission of educating youth through the Preventive System.
• Inspetoria Nossa Senhora Aparecida (BAP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe BAP Inspectorate is the regional governing body of the Salesian congregation that oversees IMA. Inspector Sister Alaíde Deretti conducted a canonical visit in June 2026 to strengthen the educational and pastoral mission of the institution.
• Polícia Militar de Rio do SulminorOthersLocal military police partnership for school security programs including Proerd (Drug and Violence Resistance Educational Program), increased school patrols, and joint safety protocols developed through a municipal commission.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Colégio Santa Catarina (Curitiba): Long-established private Catholic K-12 school in southern Brazil with a strong academic reputation and integrated formation mission. Comparable in regional positioning, faith-based ethos, and full Berçário-through-Ensino Médio offering.
• Colégio Salesiano: Other units of the broader Rede Salesiana de Escolas that operate under the same Salesian Preventive System, share faculty training pipelines, and serve comparable Catholic K-12 segments in Brazil. IMA's own network affiliation makes these the closest day-to-day functional peers.
• Colégio Marista (Rede Marista): Brazilian Catholic K-12 network operated by the Marist Brothers with a similar faith-based, community-oriented mission and comparable campus-based private school delivery model. Competes for the same value-driven Catholic family segment.
• Colégio Adventista: National Adventist K-12 network offering tuition-based private education with a strong values and formative ethos. Comparable as a religious-affiliated private school targeting families seeking structured formation alongside academics.
• Colégio Loyola: Jesuit-affiliated private K-12 school in Belo Horizonte known for academic rigor and Ignatian pedagogy. Comparable as a religious private school that combines demanding academics with a distinct value-formation framework.
• Colégio Auxiliadora (Rede FMA - Filhas de Maria Auxiliadora): Other schools in the Filhas de Maria Auxiliadora congregation network that share IMA's Salesian identity, Catholic mission, and frequently the Reggio Emilia-inspired early-childhood approach. The most structurally comparable peer, including direct institutional siblings like Colégio Auxiliadora de Campos Novos.

Broad incumbents

• Colégio Bandeirantes: Traditional elite private K-12 school in São Paulo with strong university placement track record. Comparable on the academic-outcomes axis that drives IMA's value proposition, though far larger and secular.
• Colégio Positivo: One of the largest private K-12 groups in Brazil, operating multiple campuses with strong digital infrastructure and bilingual tracks. Comparable as a competitor in the broader Brazilian private school market, though at substantially greater scale and with a less faith-specific positioning.
• Colégio Maple Bear: Large Brazilian bilingual (Canadian curriculum) private K-12 chain rapidly expanding across the country. Comparable as a private-school alternative targeting middle-class families, though differentiated by language and international curriculum focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/set
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/ima-instituto-maria-auxiliadora

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 IMA - Instituto Maria Auxiliadora