Announcement
Preparing World Citizens since 1959
Why City Montessori School?
City Montessori School (CMS) is the world’s largest city school, with 64,400 students from pre-primary to Grade XII studying across 22 campuses in Lucknow. Established in 1959 by visionary founders, Dr Bharti Gandhi and late Dr Jagdish Gandhi, the school began with 5 children on a borrowed capital of INR 300 and a world-embracing vision of inspiring generations of children to become socially conscious world citizens committed to the service of humanity.
64.4K+
Students currently enrolled
5K
Teachers & Staff
3.9K
Students with 90% + in Boards
20+
Annual International Events
64.4K+
Students currently enrolled
5K
Teachers & Staff
3.9K
Students with 90% + in Boards
20+
Annual International Events
About
City Montessori School
From its founding, CMS has embedded values-based, global citizenship education across its curriculum. Guided by the motto ‘Jai Jagat’ (victory to the world), drawn from the Indian principle of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (the whole world is one family), the school fosters empathy, respect for diversity, environmental responsibility, and regard for equality. In 2002, CMS became the first school in the world to receive the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education.
Notable alumni include Dr Sumit Gulwani, Vice President and Distinguished Scientist at Microsoft, Seattle; Dr Prakhar Mehrotra, SVP Global Head of AI, PayPal (Ernest Sechler Award in Aeronautics); Mr Prakash Gupta, IFS (India’s Consul General in Seattle); Mr Gopal Baglay, IFS (High Commissioner to Australia); Ms Menka Soni, the first Indian-American immigrant woman elected to Redmond City Council; Mr Aindri Kumar Jha, Director, KPMG (GDC Technology Solutions); Mr Manish Tripathi, celebrated fashion designer and wardrobist for the idol of Ram Lalla at Ayodhya Ram Mandir; and Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, a national hero who became the first Indian astronaut aboard the International Space Station in June 2025 and piloted the Axiom-4 mission.
- Consistent National Toppers annually in ICSE (Grade 10) and ISC (Grade 12) across campuses.
- 893 NEET qualifiers and 1004 IIT-Advanced qualifiers in the last 13 years.
- 350 CLAT selections (12 years) and 82 UPSC selections since 2011.
- 755 CMS students have gained admission to leading global universities with scholarships exceeding INR 100 crore, since 2016.
- Selected for India’s first cohort of OECD PISA for Schools international assessment (2024).
- AI-Enabled year-long teacher training with Google DeepMind (2025).
- Participation in RCT study using Gemini’s “Guided Learning” tool for maths learning in grades 8 and 9 (ages 13 and 14)
- Affiliated to CISCE, CBSE and Cambridge International examination boards.
Guinness World Records
City Montessori School, Lucknow, was listed in the 2023 Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest school by enrolment, with 61,345 pupils enrolled on 10 August 2023 for the 2023–2024 academic session.
2002 UNESCO Peace Prize for Education
City Montessori School, Lucknow, was awarded the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education in 2002, in recognition of its efforts to promote the universal values of education for peace and tolerance at a time when such values were increasingly being challenged.
CMS Management
CMS Education
At CMS, we believe that 21st-century education must be ‘broader’ and ‘bolder’. It must nurture a ‘good human being’ with values and a broad range of capabilities. Therefore, CMS education recognises the three fundamental realities of human life—material, human, and divine. It is built upon four building blocks: universal values, global understanding, service to the world, and excellence in all things.
CMS education provides a holistic programme that helps children love learning and inculcates the desire to serve the world. Such an education produces:
- Self-directed Learners
- Quality Producers
- Effective Communicators
- Collaborative Workers
- Critical Thinkers
- Community Contributors
Such an integrated approach supports our belief that “every child is potentially the light of the world.”
Growing Up the CMS Way
Empowering Primary Years
Goals:
- Confidence
- Competency in the Core Subjects
- Caring and Compassion
Victorious Senior Years
Goals:
Preparation for a Life of Service
Pleasing Personality
Performance in the Boards
Praiseworthy Character
Cambridge at CMS
At CMS Cambridge, we are committed to providing an exceptional educational experience that prepares students for success in a globalised world. Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) is a part of the University of Cambridge, one of the world’s top universities, which is trusted for excellence in education. It offers world-renowned IGCSE and A Level programmes.
The IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) qualification is recognised by the Council of Boards of School Education (COBSE). It is considered equivalent to any Class X board examination in India. The A Level qualification is recognised by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) as equivalent to Class XII qualifications offered by the Indian boards.
Cambridge Programmes
Cambridge Achievements
CMS Cambridge students excelled in the Cambridge 2025 assessments, achieving a 100% pass rate with 37 A* and 44 A grades in the IGCSE exam (gr. X) and 8 A* and 11 A grades in the A Level and AS Level exams (gr. XI-XII).
CHILD DEVELOPMENT
