Frequently Asked Questions
Thinking about starting a Wildflower school? Below are the questions educators ask us most — from getting started and funding to what membership includes. If you're considering founding a new charter school, visit Public Charter School Startup page to learn more and see the full Charter FAQ. Public Charter School Startup →
Getting Started
Can anyone start a Wildflower school?
Wildflower schools are started by two Montessori-trained educators with classroom experience, committed to sharing decision-making and accountability as co-Teacher Leaders or a founding team. Founders should be ready for a challenging yet meaningful entrepreneurial journey.
What's different about Wildflower’s public charter versus independent school?
A public charter school is tuition-free, open to every child, and accountable to a public authorizer. An independent school is a private, tuition-based nonprofit that you govern with your board. Sliding-scale tuition, childcare subsidies, and in some states education savings accounts help keep it accessible.
Is there an application process to open a Wildflower school?
For independent schools and new school sites in an existing charter, no. This is an entrepreneurial journey you build with support from Wildflower, not one you apply for. Teacher Leaders move through the School Startup Journey with built-in decision points to discuss their vision, plan, and fit with the Wildflower team. Advice sessions provide feedback to help them decide whether to move forward. New public charter schools work differently because they require state authorization.
Do I have to have a co-founder? How do I find a co-founder?
You can start the School Startup Journey on your own, but you must have a co-founder identified in order to move into the Planning phase. Starting and running a school is a significant entrepreneurial endeavor. Most thriving Wildflower schools are led by co-Teacher Leaders, or by a team that includes an administrative partner for new charter schools. A partner also matters for funding, since full access to some funding requires a partnership in place. These partnerships are usually found through teaching or training together, or through shared networks.
What is the typical amount of time it takes to open a school?
Once a founding team enters the Visioning phase of the School Startup Journey with Montessori training, lead teacher experience, a strong partnership, and an entrepreneurial mindset, opening an independent school or a site within an existing charter can take about 18–24 months. Timelines can vary significantly based on facility acquisition, renovations, licensing, and other factors.
A new school site within an existing charter can often move faster, since the governance and entity systems (financial policies, an established board, nonprofit status) are already in place. Brand-new charter schools follow a different timeline, because they must complete the state authorization process before opening.
Can I convert my existing school to a Wildflower school?
Yes, though conversion takes time since alignment with Wildflower is essential. Schools typically convert to join a mission-aligned network, grow professionally, evolve their mission or vision, become an authentic Montessori program, or shift from an LLC to a nonprofit.
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If a school is in crisis, Wildflower can share initial guidance but isn't currently set up to support an immediate conversion due to financial crisis or significant under-enrollment.
What Makes a School a Wildflower School
Are all Wildflower schools alike?
No. All Wildflower schools are Montessori schools led by Teacher Leaders and committed to our core principles. Beyond that, each school takes its own shape based on its Teacher Leaders and community. Some partner with affordable housing developments, refugee-serving nonprofits, domestic violence recovery shelters, or community language-revitalization projects. Others are language immersion, schools built for children with different learning needs, or nature and forest schools. Legal structure is flexible, too: a Wildflower school can be an independent, charter, or district partnership, and can serve students from birth through 12th grade in 3-year bands.
How big are Wildflower Schools?
Wildflower schools are micro-schools, because staying small allows Teacher Leaders to fully shape their school's vision without the operational complexity of running a larger organization. Most schools have just 1–2 classrooms, ranging from about 20 children up to 40-45 children across two classrooms.
Do Wildflower Schools have to be in a shopfront?
No, but every Wildflower school is a neighborhood-nested school and committed to working with the surrounding community to create an environment that is healthier for children.
Are all Wildflower Schools non-profit?
Every Wildflower school, including the Wildflower Foundation, is not-for-profit and tax-exempt. Schools can end the year with a surplus, but that money goes back into the school (cash reserves, staff stipends, scholarships) rather than to an owner, with Teacher Leaders and the board deciding how to use it. Tax-exempt status is also what lets schools receive donations and grants.
Can Wildflower Schools open outside the U.S.?
No, Wildflower isn't set up to open schools internationally, and can't issue funding to organizations abroad. Educators outside the U.S. and U.S. territories would need to do their own exploration and identify a sustainable, locally rooted funding pathway. Wildflower can still share the resources it's used exploring new U.S. regions and states, which may help in thinking through what it takes to build a Montessori microschool in their own community.
Funding & Costs
Does Wildflower provide funding for starting a school?
Teacher Leaders can apply for startup grants and low-interest loans, including through the Sunlight Loan Fund.
How much does it cost to start a Wildflower school?
Startup costs vary by location, school structure (independent vs. charter), age range, and size. During the Startup Journey, Teacher Leaders build a budget around enrollment, tuition, rent, staffing, and compensation. As a benchmark, a one-room independent school in a moderate cost-of-living city like Minneapolis typically costs around $250,000 to start; a multi-classroom school in San Francisco or New York can run several times that.
Do I need savings to open a school?
Wildflower discourages investing personal savings in startup costs and supports building a fundraising plan instead. But starting a school is an entrepreneurial venture, and tying your income to one carries risk during startup and year one. Teacher Leaders should have a plan to navigate that, even though funding the school isn’t on them.
Wildflower Membership
What does Wildflower Foundation membership include?
The Foundation's role is to support Teacher Leaders, not run schools day-to-day. Membership includes a peer network of gatherings, professional development, and shared resources; access to national grants, loans, and discounted business services; and direct, ongoing support for challenges like budgeting, licensure, facilities, or leadership transitions.
How much does Wildflower membership cost?
Schools contribute 3% of annual revenue to cover the shared costs of operating the network.
Teacher Leader Role & Compensation
How do Teacher Leaders manage both teaching and administration?
Most schools use a roles and responsibilities system where every task in the school, from giving lessons to managing the website to taking out the trash, gets listed and rated by each Teacher Leader (and staff) for interest and skill. They claim clear preferences first, negotiate the rest, and revisit the division of work every year.
What are Teacher Leader salaries? Do schools offer benefits?
Teacher Leaders set their own salary and benefits as part of managing the school's budget, typically between a teacher's and an administrator's pay for the area. Actual compensation depends on enrollment, facilities, and staffing choices. The Wildflower Foundation has established optional partnerships that give schools access to health, dental, and retirement benefits.