The global educational network Maple Bear, which was very successful in Sofia nearly 5 years ago, is expanding its presence in Bulgaria. The new school will open its doors in the village of. Markovo, Plovdiv region, from September 2026.
Children can now apply to Maple Bear Plovdiv for preschool for 5-year-olds, preschool for 6-year-olds, and first grade for the 2026-2027 school year.
Now in over 40 countries around the world, Maple Bear Global Schools is introducing a new-generation Canadian bilingual education model – with child development at the centre of the learning process. Canada consistently ranks at the top of English-speaking countries on PISA, which assesses how children apply what they learn in school to real life.
With its opening, Maple Bear Plovdiv will offer an environment where all students can develop and learn. And through an individual approach, the school will develop children’s independence and real-world problem-solving skills. While traditional education focuses primarily on memorizing facts and mechanically absorbing knowledge, the Canadian model stimulates children’s active participation and develops their ability to think critically and creatively.
At Maple Bear Plovdiv, this approach is combined with the Bulgarian curriculum, approved by the Ministry of Education, ensuring that students learn national knowledge but also acquire skills that will be useful to them throughout the world. Separately, Maple Bear schools receive regular training from a Canadian academic team. Thus, teachers, principals and coordinators, improve and maintain a high quality of education.
English is not only studied as a separate subject, but is a natural part of the daily learning process. In this way, language becomes a tool for thinking, communicating and exploring, and the school provides an environment in which children’s academic ability, creativity and confidence develop simultaneously.
It was this innovative and holistic approach to children’s education that sparked great interest among dozens of parents during the school’s first event in Plovdiv last week. During the “open doors”, parents met some of the Maple Bear Plovdiv team and received valuable information from representatives of the Central and Eastern European network, where nearly 20 schools are already operating and more than 60 are in the process of development. This gives the children the opportunity to work with their classmates from over 8 other countries in the region, as part of the Global Connections for Sustainability programme which links Maple Bear schools around the world and encourages teamwork.
