When the Headlines Miss the Full Story
In education, the loudest headlines often tell only two stories: innovation or collapse.
The truth is always more complex.
This is the story of Guidepost Global Education (GGE), the new parent organization guiding the world’s largest Montessori network of schools, Guidepost Montessori.
What Happened to Higher Ground Education
The story begins with growth.
Over the past decade, the Montessori movement has expanded faster than ever before. Families everywhere are seeking meaningful, hands-on education that helps children grow with confidence and purpose. Higher Ground Education (HGE) built Guidepost Montessori into one of the largest Montessori brands in the world.
But with rapid growth came complexity. HGE expanded far beyond its original early-years mission, adding elementary, middle, and high school programs, along with software, virtual, and homeschool ventures, and several non-core acquisitions. The focus shifted, operations became overextended, and the schools that once sat at the heart of the mission began to feel the strain.
In the spring of 2025, before any bankruptcy filing and before the headlines, a decisive change took place. A new, independent organization was formed: Guidepost Global Education (GGE).
GGE was created to separate from HGE and preserve what mattered most: the thriving Guidepost Montessori schools and the families they serve. Led by seasoned leadership, GGE was built with one focus—early childhood education and long-term stability for families and educators.
Today, Guidepost Montessori is a stable, growing network delivering high-fidelity Montessori education to families across the United States and beyond.
It was not a rescue. It was a reset, a deliberate step to protect what was working beautifully inside classrooms every single day.
What Actually Happened to Guidepost Montessori Schools
It is natural for parents to feel uneasy when they read headlines about school closures. Some reports suggested a rapid collapse across the Guidepost network. The reality was far more measured and far more hopeful.
When Guidepost Global Education was formed, its mission was clear: stabilize the network, protect thriving schools, and ensure continuity for families and teachers.
Today, 83 schools remain open and thriving under GGE, operating with the same classrooms, educators, and leadership that families know and trust.
Schools that no longer carry the Guidepost name were primarily newer campuses still building enrollment. In most cases, families were offered continuity through transitions to nearby Guidepost campuses or other early-years providers such as KinderCare or Bright Horizons.
Only three schools closed due to landlord-related evictions, an outcome GGE worked excruciatingly hard to prevent and thankfully kept rare.
In the end, roughly 8,000 of 10,000 children enrolled in Guidepost Montessori schools across the U.S. continued their Montessori education without interruption. About 2,000 transitioned elsewhere through these changes.
Guidepost Global: A Separate and Independent Organization
When families hear the word bankruptcy, it is easy to assume every part of a former company was affected.
In this case, that is simply not true.
Guidepost Global Education (GGE) is not a continuation of HGE. It is a new and fully independent organization that existed before HGE’s bankruptcy to safeguard the thriving Guidepost Montessori schools and families.
GGE has its own ownership structure, leadership team, and financial foundation. Its purpose is singular: to operate schools with long-term stability and integrity.
None of GGE’s schools or assets were included in HGE’s Chapter 11 proceedings in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas.
For families, this means something simple and powerful:
- Your child’s school is part of a financially independent organization built for stability.
- The focus is education, not side ventures.
- The commitment is long-term and mission-driven.
This independence allows GGE to center on what matters most: the daily experience in every classroom, where children explore, learn, and grow through Montessori.
Continuity, Not Disruption
Some headlines painted chaos, suggesting families were “left adrift.”
The reality for most families looked very different.
For more than 8,000 families, classroom life continued seamlessly. Teachers arrived as usual. Children worked in the same calm, purposeful environments.
The transition to GGE was carefully planned to protect continuity and minimize disruption. Our goal was simple: when each child walked into school the next morning, they would see the same familiar faces, the same materials, and the same calm rhythm of a Montessori day.
We acknowledge, however, that a few campuses under former HGE management experienced abrupt closures. For those families who arrived to locked doors, that experience was painful and unfair. Although those events occurred before GGE’s formation, we are deeply sorry.
That empathy is part of why we built GGE differently, to ensure such instability never happens again.
Unfortunately, some commentators used those isolated closures to paint a one-dimensional narrative about investor-backed education. Those stories overlooked the reality that Guidepost Global Education was formed precisely to protect families and teachers from the very instability being criticized.
In many communities, the transition was so smooth that families hardly noticed a change. That was intentional. GGE’s leadership worked quietly and tirelessly to prioritize stability first, communication second, and reassurance always.
This is not a story of loss. It is a story of protection and renewal—educators and leaders choosing to rebuild around what truly matters: the children in our classrooms and the future they deserve.
A Message to Our Families
To our families and educators: thank you for your trust and partnership through this period of change.
Behind the scenes stands a team that cares deeply—people who chose to form Guidepost Global Education because they believed in the guides, the classrooms, and the communities that make Guidepost special.
For much of the past year, we worked quietly while legal processes unfolded, often unable to speak publicly. It has not been easy to watch headlines circulate that tell only part of the story. Now we can share the facts openly and honestly.
Families deserve to hear directly from the source, not from speculation or rumor, but from the people who have worked day and night to ensure Montessori education continues to thrive on a stable, global scale.
If you come across an article or headline that raises questions, please remember this:
We are here. We are steady. We are committed to your children.
If you ever have questions about your campus or our broader network, please reach out to your school leader or contact us at info@GuidepostEducation.com.
Together, we are building something lasting to give every child the opportunity to thrive in a high-quality Montessori environment.
We do this with care, clarity, and respect, one school, one family, one child at a time.
