A school where your child actually learns something.
We're building a school in Munich where children learn at their own pace, work on their own projects, and can show at the end what they have learned.
Whether you're a parent, teacher, investor, or builder: we'd love to hear from you.
What children learn at Fido
Understand the world
How things fit together, from the receipt at the supermarket to the evening news. Knowledge that holds, so a child can build on it next week.
Make things happen
Have an idea and carry it out: write, build, talk to people, see a project through to the end.
Make their own decisions
Not waiting to be told what to do. Children help decide things in daily life and feel the consequences. Clear rules frame it: small things first, more scope as they grow.
Know what they care about
We show children a lot and pay attention to what they light up for. Once a child finds something, they get time to go deeper.
Learn things properly
Reading, writing, math, languages: a child moves on only once they have mastered what came before. That way no gaps form. Effort is part of it, and what is learned stays.
Why this matters
Children spend 13 years in school. That time should be worth it: they should stay curious, enjoy learning, and understand what they're doing. Learning takes effort, but the effort should have a visible point. And when school itself is good, evenings and weekends are free for family.
What a school day at Fido looks like
Mornings are for the foundations: reading, writing, math, vocabulary. Each child learns at their own pace and moves on once a topic is solid. Our learning software carries the practice, so learning guides have time to explain, listen, and encourage. Afternoons are for the workshops: art, music, craft, experiments, conversations about history and ethics, projects with a visible result. Every day also has free time the children decide on themselves.
Getting along matters just as much: listening to each other, standing up for your view, handling conflict fairly. Bullying prevention and media literacy are part of everyday life here, not a project week.
Paths to Fido
Families find their way to Fido along four paths, often more than one at once.
When your child wants more than the class can hold
At Fido, every child learns as fast as they can and as deep as they want. No waiting for the rest, no make-work worksheets, and a peer group where curiosity is the norm.
When you want Montessori carried further
We share Montessori's core idea: children learn for themselves. We add a clear curriculum to Abitur level, responsibility that grows with age, and software that handles the practice so the workshop takes center stage. Freedom and substance.
When you want global pedagogy with German depth
Mastery learning from the USA, Montessori's prepared environment, responsibility as a school subject from Berlin. German Bildung carries the whole: a clear curriculum to Abitur level, rooted in Bavaria, with German and English as equal working languages from day one.
When you've heard of Alpha School
Alpha shows that major innovation in education is possible: software that supports learning, and well-designed motivation. Fido combines that with what has proven itself at German reform schools: workshops, steady trusted adults, responsibility in everyday school life.
Different from regular school, different from classical Montessori
Regular school sets one pace for every child. Classical Montessori gives children a lot of freedom, but often does without a binding curriculum and structured practice. Fido does both: mornings for what every child needs to learn, at their own pace; afternoons for workshops, projects, and conversation. The morning makes the afternoon possible. The afternoon makes the morning worth it.
Where you may be better served elsewhere: If you want a school with no curriculum and no structured practice, democratic schools or unschooling are closer. That is a good answer, just not ours. Good grades are no contradiction here: a child who has mastered the material also does well in exams. A stipend pool from day one keeps Fido from being only a question of money. Our curriculum and platform are open source.
Our goal: Found a school
We want to found a school in Munich that meets every child where they are: no gaps, no boredom. We think of school more like a garden than a factory. We provide the soil, the light, and the attention, but we don't pull on the stems. Motivation comes from many small sources: a trusted adult who sees the child, visible progress, responsibility, and earned free time.
On the way there, we're testing our approach in small formats. Our learning app is already in use with the first children; workshops and a holiday camp are planned.
Name and ambition
Fido stands for trust: a school families can entrust their child to, and children who learn to trust themselves. We care less about how much a child knows at the end than whether they can form their own judgment, want something, and begin. Among our inspirations is Alpha School in Austin (USA), which takes individualized learning and motivation seriously. We're bringing those ideas to Munich and connecting them to the Bavarian school system.
About us
Behind Fido are parents from Munich. We're building the school we want for our own children, and we believe many families are looking for the same thing.
News
Our first pilot is running. More than five students have now used the learning app, and we've used their feedback to improve it step by step. One child heard about us by word of mouth and asked to join.
We're preparing a first pilot of our learning app for the new school year: with a school in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern whose teachers share our conviction that every child should be able to learn at their own pace.
We sharpened our focus and our team, and spent most of our time on the concept and a first prototype of the learning app.
We hosted a session at the ACX Weekend in Munich.
Get involved
You don't build a school on your own. We're looking for parents who want something different for their child. Teachers and educators who want to rethink school. Craftspeople, artists, and experts who want to pass on what they can do. And people who can support the project with money or expertise.
Ready to get involved?
Write us a few lines: who you are and how you'd like to be involved. We reply personally.
Get Involved