MODERNIZING MONTESSORI: Higher Ground Education, an organization that aims to expand Montessori education globally and bring it into the mainstream, has acquired Montessorium, a South Dakota-based education startup with whom its mission and vision “could not be more consonant,” Higher Ground CEO Ray Girn said in a prepared statement. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Founded in 2010, Montessorium has raised more than $2 million in funding, and its educational apps have been downloaded more than 3.4 million times by users in nearly 200 countries. The seven apps, which are intended for students as well as parents, previously have been featured in Apple commercials and at product launches.
Though its new owner is based in California, Montessorium will remain in Sioux Falls — the startup says it rejected previous acquisition offers that required relocation.
By working together, the companies’ leaders believe they can better achieve their goals of modernizing Montessori education and making its methods more accessible. According to its website, Higher Ground hopes to do this in several ways: “In addition to owning and operating schools around the world, Higher Ground will also seek to develop an international platform that sources, secures, and develops back-end support to all Montessori-inspired schools and educators.”
