MIedu Group leases former East Providence Citizens branch for Montessori school

EAST PROVIDENCE – A group planning a private school recently leased a former bank branch building at 2823 Pawtucket Ave., according to Sweeney Real Estate & Appraisal.

The owner of the Pawtucket Avenue building agreed to lease out the 3,073-square-foot space to MIedu Group Inc., and the lessee plans to transform the space into a Montessori school, the real estate firm said.

Jay Kern, a salesperson with Sweeney Real Estate, represented the landlords in the lease deal, the firm said.

The terms of the lease agreement were not disclosed by the real estate firm.

MIedu Group is a Barrington-based domestic profit corporation that was incorporated in 2021 by Guangchun Mi, according to documents filed with the R.I. Department of State. The company operates the MI School in Barrington, providing bilingual early education and care for children from 2 to 5 years old.

The company’s federal trademark filings state that it provides preschool through kindergarten classroom instruction using Montessori principles, and it produces educational material regarding early childhood education in the fields of math, science, Mandarin Chinese and English.

The company said on its Facebook page that it uses “research-based” education and “playful learning.”

The MI School company said on its website that it is relocating to 2923 Pawtucket Ave. in East Providence in January. School operation times will last from 7 a.m. through 6 p.m., the company said.

“We are taking new applications now,” the MI School said in a recent Facebook post. “There will be infant, toddler, and preschool programs for young children from 6 weeks to five years old.”

This transaction comes shortly after another group, Tiger Lily Montessori School, acquired a 3,000-square-foot former bridal shop at 331 Newport Ave. in East Providence, with plans to use the property to expand its current program based at 400 Hope St. in Providence for children ages 3-6.

The 2823 Pawtucket Ave. property is an office building constructed in 1933, according to the East Providence online property tax evaluation database. The property, which includes 0.57 acres of land, was most recently valued by East Providence assessors in fiscal year 2023 as being worth $437,600, according to the database.

The office building, which has a drive-up window and a night depository box, is owned by Jacob Harpootian and Rosalie Harpootian, according to the database.