Pono
Pono was a NYC-based nonprofit alternative learning center (2011-2025) offering democratic, child-led outdoor education for ages 2-16, founded by Dr. Maysaa Bazna; its vision continues through the City to Sanctuary program.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersNew York City, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Pono does
Pono was a New York City-based alternative education institution operating as "NYC's first democratic, urban, outdoor learning center" from 2011 through 2025. Founded and directed by Dr. Maysaa Bazna (Ed.D., Columbia University Teachers College; professor at Columbia Teachers College, CUNY, and Hunter College), the school served children ages 2-16 and their families with a child-led, democratic education philosophy that rejected aptitude tests, interviews, and standardized curriculum. The core offering centered on experiential learning — over 100 trips annually across NYC and neighboring states, plus one international trip per year — together with 150+ lessons annually delivered by visiting teachers (authors, engineers, paleontologists, dancers, historians, activists). A 640-acre partner wildlife sanctuary in Westchester County served as the nature-education hub.
Pono's revenue model combined annual tuition ($16,535 for 2023-2024, with 65%+ of students on tuition assistance), a tiered summer camp ($775-$4,305), 90+ virtual classes for children ages 2-18 ($80-$460), the City to Sanctuary outdoor subscription ($160/month), an NYC Excursions field-trip program, a $50/month consultancy membership with the founder, and tax-deductible donations via Friends of Pono, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The school concluded operations in 2025; the website is now maintained as an archive, with the educational vision continuing through City to Sanctuary in NYC public schools. There is no proprietary technology stack; Pono was a service-based, founder-led nonprofit with deep community ties and earned media from the award-winning "We the Children" documentary.
Pono firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pono
- Legal name
- Friends of Pono
- Website
- https://pono.nyc
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Pono was a NYC-based nonprofit alternative learning center (2011-2025) offering democratic, child-led outdoor education for ages 2-16, founded by Dr. Maysaa Bazna; its vision continues through the City to Sanctuary program.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pono industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Alternative Education Services
- NAICS
- Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Reggio Emilia-Inspired Early Learning Programs (EDACADAB)
Keywords
Where Pono is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Pono business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Tuition: Annual tuition for the learning center program. The 2023-2024 academic year tuition was $16,535 plus a 3.5% credit card fee.
- Summer Camp Programs: Seasonal summer camp programs with weekly pricing ranging from $775 for one week to $4,305 for seven weeks. Included outdoor excursions and sanctuary visits.
- Virtual Classes and Workshops: Online enrichment classes for children ages 2-18 covering diverse topics including STEM, arts, humanities, and movement. Prices ranged from $80 to $460 depending on class length and format.
- NYC Excursions Program: Field trip program for students ages 12-16 offering firsthand knowledge through trips to museums, businesses, farms, and other destinations in and around NYC.
- Donations: Tax-deductible donations to Friends of Pono, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The organization aimed to raise $50,000 for a dedicated scholarship fund.
- City to Sanctuary Program: Extracurricular outdoor program open to NYC children ages 6-14, offering trips to the partner sanctuary in Westchester County. Priced at $160 per month or $160 per trip.
- Consultancy Membership: Annual membership at $50/month providing virtual meetings with Dr. Maysaa Bazna for parents or educators wanting to create their own democratic learning programs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Full-time Annual Tuition (2023-2024) |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Summer Camp Weekly Rate |
| Subscription | Monthly | City to Sanctuary Monthly Subscription |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Virtual Classes |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Virtual Summer Camp Programs |
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | Donation Tiers |
| Subscription | Monthly | Consultancy Membership |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Pono product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pono was a democratic, urban, outdoor learning center that provided child-directed education for children ages 2-16 in New York City. Its offerings centered on experiential learning through 100+ annual trips, a 640-acre partner wildlife sanctuary, 150+ visiting teacher lessons per year, summer camp, virtual classes, and a consultancy membership for parents and educators.
Product overview
Pono was New York City's first democratic, urban outdoor learning center that operated from 2011-2025. The organization offered a portfolio of educational programs including the core City to Sanctuary outdoor program (ages 6-14), NYC Excursions (ages 12-16), Pono Summer Camp (ages 11-15), and 90+ Virtual Classes. Additional offerings included Mentorships, Workshops for parents on democratic education at home, and the Consultancy Membership for educators wanting to replicate the Pono model. Pono also produced the award-winning documentary 'We The Children.' The school concluded its chapter as a school in 2025, with its educational vision continuing through new programs and initiatives via City to Sanctuary.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- City to Sanctuary: Pono's innovative extracurricular outdoor program for NYC children ages 6-14, continuing after Pono's closure.
- We The Children
Products and services
- City to Sanctuary Extracurricular outdoor program for NYC children ages 6 to 14, offering trips to the partner wildlife sanctuary in Westchester County (640 acres) where children explore, discover, and engage with nature. Priced at $160 per month or $160 per trip.
- NYC Excursions Field trip program for students ages 12 to 16 providing firsthand knowledge through trips to art studios, museums, businesses, factories, makerspaces, historical monuments, parks, sanctuaries, and farms in and around New York City.
- Pono Summer Camp Summer camp program for children ages 11-15 where campers explore NYC destinations on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and connect with nature at the partner sanctuary in Mount Kisco, NY on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Weekly pricing from $775 (1 week) to $4,305 (7 weeks).
- Virtual Classes (90+ Quality Live Online Classes) High-quality interactive online lessons and virtual field trips for kids taught by Pono faculty, visiting teachers, and students, covering 90+ topics chosen by children with small class sizes. Available globally with classes offered in different time zones, priced from free to $460.
- Consultancy Membership with Dr. Maysaa Bazna Annual membership program at $50/month for parents or educators who want guidance on creating democratic learning environments, with bi-weekly virtual meetings with Pono's founder and director Dr. Maysaa Bazna.
- Full-Time Annual Tuition Program Pono's full-time annual tuition program for the democratic, urban, outdoor learning center located at 2002 5th Ave, Harlem, NYC. The 2023-2024 academic year tuition was $16,535 plus a 3.5% credit card fee. More than 65% of students received need-based tuition assistance.
Quantifiable outcome
- Children at Pono went on over 100 trips a year to destinations in and around New York City
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Pono
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Pono technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Pono partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- City to SanctuarycoreCity to Sanctuary is Pono's innovative extracurricular outdoor program that continues Pono's educational vision. The program offers outdoor education through trips to the partner sanctuary in Westchester County for NYC children ages 6-14. Since 2020, it has been offered in NYC public schools, continuing Pono's outdoor environmental education mission.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Pono competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Calhoun School: A progressive independent school on Manhattan's Upper West Side serving grades 3-12 with a child-centered, project-based approach. Comparable to Pono as an NYC independent school emphasizing progressive education, though older, larger, and more academically structured.
- City and Country School: A long-established progressive independent school in Manhattan (founded 1914) serving ages 2-13 with experiential, child-centered pedagogy. Comparable to Pono in NYC location, age range, and progressive educational philosophy, though larger and more institutionally established.
- Brooklyn Free School: A small, non-profit democratic school in Brooklyn serving grades K-12 with a Sudbury-inspired model. The closest direct geographic and philosophical peer to Pono within NYC, competing for the same alternative-education family segment.
- Green Meadow Waldorf School: A Waldorf (Steiner) school in Rockland County, NY serving early childhood through grade 12 with an arts-integrated, developmentally-paced pedagogy. Comparable to Pono as an alternative K-12 institution in the greater NYC region, though with a different specific pedagogical tradition.
- Sudbury Valley School: The founding and most prominent democratic/free school in the U.S., where children direct their own learning without required classes. Directly comparable to Pono in democratic education philosophy, though operates as a larger, established day and boarding school outside Boston.
- The School in Rose Valley: A progressive, child-centered independent school in suburban Philadelphia serving preschool through grade 6, founded on experiential and democratic principles. Comparable to Pono in alternative education philosophy, smaller scale, and outdoor/experiential orientation.
- Putney School: A progressive boarding and day school in Vermont emphasizing experiential learning, arts, and student-directed work. Comparable to Pono in alternative, child-centered pedagogy and strong outdoor program, though operates as a full boarding school with a larger campus.
Broad incumbents
- Nature's Classroom Institute: The largest outdoor education residential program in the U.S., serving K-12 schools with multi-day nature-based learning experiences. Comparable to Pono in outdoor environmental education for school-age children and partnership-based delivery to schools, though operates as a B2B service to existing schools rather than as a school itself.
- Outward Bound USA: The largest outdoor experiential education provider in the U.S., offering wilderness programs for youth and adults. Comparable to Pono in outdoor/experiential learning emphasis and trip-based pedagogy, though serves as a complement to schools rather than a full-time alternative.
- Bank Street College of Education / School for Children: A leading NYC institution known for progressive, child-centered education with an affiliated lab school. Comparable to Pono as a long-established NYC progressive education institution, though significantly larger and more academically structured with formal teacher training programs.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Pono social profiles
Digital presencePono financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pono leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Pono funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pono M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Pono
What does Pono do?
Pono was a democratic, urban, outdoor learning center that provided child-directed education for children ages 2-16 in New York City. Its offerings centered on experiential learning through 100+ annual trips, a 640-acre partner wildlife sanctuary, 150+ visiting teacher lessons per year, summer camp, virtual classes, and a consultancy membership for parents and educators.
Is Pono a public or private company?
Pono is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently closed.
When was Pono founded?
Pono was founded in 2011. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Pono based?
Pono is headquartered in New York City, United States, in the North America region.
How does Pono make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Tuition is the primary driver. The others are summer Camp Programs, virtual Classes and Workshops, NYC Excursions Program, donations, city to Sanctuary Program and consultancy Membership.
Who are Pono's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Calhoun School, City and Country School, Brooklyn Free School, Green Meadow Waldorf School, Sudbury Valley School, The School in Rose Valley and Putney School. Broad incumbents are Nature's Classroom Institute, Outward Bound USA and Bank Street College of Education / School for Children.
Does Pono have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pono.
What industry is Pono in?
Pono's product category is Alternative Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDACADAB, Reggio Emilia-Inspired Early Learning Programs. Its NAICS code is 611110.