Higher Ground Education to Expand With EB-5 Investment from EB5AN

The partnership will allow Higher Ground Education to open more schools across the US.

Every time Higher Ground Education opens a new school, many people have cause to celebrate: families looking for quality early education, local businesses and employers who understand the economic importance of reliable childcare, and idealistic educators eager to do the great work of empowering children.

Also, perhaps surprisingly: aspiring immigrants. Specifically, immigrants seeking investment opportunities that enable them to pursue the American dream. Higher Ground Education is leading a trend in the private education industry of using a unique U.S. government immigration program to raise investment capital.

Created in 1990, the EB-5 Immigrant Investor program allows foreign nationals to obtain permanent U.S. residency by making an investment that results in new job creation in the United States. The program has facilitated billions of dollars of foreign direct investment and created tens of thousands of jobs over the last three decades.

Historically, immigrant investors have mostly participated in large institutional projects that indirectly generate economic activity. Recent regulatory changes have shifted the program’s emphasis to more focused projects that directly create American jobs. Higher Ground, a long-standing pioneer in EB5 direct investments, offers immigrant investors an established, reputable path to a green card—all while creating jobs in education and helping to create a better future for all.

Higher Ground Education is pleased to announce a partnership with EB5 Affiliate Network (EB5AN), a leading EB-5 consultancy and EB-5 investment fund manager. Between 2014 and 2021, EB5AN has deployed over $150 million of investment capital into new job-creating businesses and helped hundreds of families to immigrate to the United States. Following the recent regulatory shift to direct EB5 investment, the EB5AN team turned its focus to the private education industry.

“There is no greater investment than a child’s education,” said Sam Silverman, founder and managing partner of EB5AN. “We are thrilled to be part of Higher Ground Education’s expansion, which will bring world-class Montessori faculty and facilities to more communities in the U.S.” Added Silverman, “CEO Ray Girn and his team have a clear vision and a wealth of talent. We are proud to offer this unique opportunity to our EB-5 investors.”

For Ray Girn, founder of Higher Ground, immigration is a personal value. Born in Canada, Girn knows firsthand the entrepreneurial opportunities provided by life in the United States, and he is proud to help enable other aspiring immigrants to experience the same value.

Montessori was a true universalist about education, developing the world’s preeminent cross-cultural teaching methodology. She was born and raised in Italy, but faced many challenges in her home country during a politically fraught period, and traveled and lived widely. When she herself was asked about her nationality, she replied: “I live in the heavens; my country is a star which turns around the sun and is called the Earth.”