Urban Montessori Charter School

What Urban Montessori Charter School does

Urban Montessori Charter School (UMCS) was a public charter school located at 4551 Steele St, Oakland, California, founded in 2014 (per company history; firmographic data lists 2012 as year_founded — discrepancy noted) to deliver Montessori education rooted in peace, independence, and deep respect for children to the families of Oakland. The school operated tuition-free as a charter under agreement with the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), generating operating funds through state per-pupil ADA allocations supplemented by private donations and parent community support. Its core product was K-8 Montessori instruction, with no proprietary technology platform beyond standard school communications via ParentSquare. In 2020, the organization extended its mission by establishing the Public Montessori Institute of Oakland, a teacher training center supporting educators and other schools.

In 2026, after twelve years of operation, UMCS ceased operations as a school. Head of School Daniel Bissonnette announced the closure to families, indicating the mission of public Montessori education will continue next year at Brookfield Elementary under OUSD with a reduced footprint of one primary and two elementary classrooms (pending OUSD hiring), led by Ms. Denisse, Ms. Laura, and Ms. Jodi. The organization also stated that UMCS will live on as the Public Montessori Institute of Oakland, its teacher training subsidiary. As of the input data, the entity has no active revenue-generating operations, no funding rounds, no M&A activity, and a headcount of 39 employees inherited from the closed school. No parent company, holding entity, or institutional investors were identified.

Name

Urban Montessori Charter School

Legal name

Urban Montessori Charter School

Website

https://urbanmontessori.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Urban Montessori Charter School was an Oakland, California public charter school providing tuition-free Montessori education to local families; the school ceased operations in 2026 after twelve years, with its mission continuing through the Public Montessori Institute of Oakland teacher training center and a reduced program at Brookfield Elementary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Charter K-12 Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter Montessori/Waldorf/Classical/Expeditionary (Pedagogical Models) (EDAJACAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Elementary Schools (EDAJAAAB), Montessori Preschools (EDACABAC)

Keywords

• Public charter school
• Montessori education
• K-12 education
• Teacher training
• Alternative education

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Urban Montessori Charter School is a public charter school in Oakland, California that delivers Montessori education to children, rooted in peace, independence, and deep respect for children. The school served the Oakland community for twelve years before closing in 2026, with its mission continuing through the Public Montessori Institute of Oakland teacher training center and at Brookfield Elementary.

Product overview

Urban Montessori Charter School operated as a single unified public charter school offering Montessori education. The school has closed after twelve years, with its mission continuing through the Public Montessori Institute of Oakland, a teacher training center that will support schools, teachers, and communities with Montessori education resources and training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Montessori Education (UMCS)
• Public Montessori Institute of Oakland
• Brookfield Elementary Montessori Program

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Aspire Public Schools: Multi-site California public charter school network serving K-12 with college-prep focus. Comparable as a charter operator in the same Oakland geography with substantially greater scale and district-relationship infrastructure.
• Guidepost Montessori: Large private Montessori school network operating nationally. Comparable as a Montessori pedagogy provider targeting families seeking alternative education, though it is private/for-pay rather than public.

Emerging players

• Khan Lab School: Non-profit lab school associated with Khan Academy experimenting with mastery-based, mixed-age learning. Comparable as an alternative-pedagogy school, though more technology-enabled and independently funded.

Direct peers

• Montessori Family School: Oakland-area Montessori school offering authentic Montessori education across primary and elementary levels. Comparable in geography, age range served, and Montessori methodology, though operated as a private school.
• Roses in Concrete Community School: Oakland community-rooted public school with a social-justice-centered pedagogy. Comparable as a mission-driven Oakland public school offering an alternative to traditional district programming.
• Yu Ming Charter School: Public charter school in Oakland serving a similar K-8 population with an alternative-pedagogy mission (Mandarin-immersion). Comparable as a fellow Oakland public charter offering families a non-traditional public school choice.
• North Oakland Community Charter School (NOCCS): Oakland-based public charter school serving K-8 students with a community-driven, alternative-pedagogy model. Directly comparable as a small Oakland charter offering families an alternative to traditional public schools.
• Envision Academy of Arts & Technology: Oakland public charter school serving middle/high school grades with a non-traditional, project-based model. Comparable as a charter operator in Oakland's alternative-school landscape.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/urban-montessori-charter-school

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Urban Montessori Charter School