Sora Schools
Sora Schools is an accredited online private school for grades 6-12 that delivers live, project-based, mastery-based learning through a proprietary portfolio platform, serving families across 45 U.S. states and 18 countries with subscription tuition and need-based grants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Sora Schools does
Sora Schools, Inc. is a Delaware-incorporated, venture-backed online private school operating from Atlanta, Georgia, serving students in grades 6-12 across 45 U.S. states and 18 countries. Founded in 2019 by Garrett Smiley, the company delivers a fully accredited (Cognia, WASC, NCAA-approved) project-based and mastery-based program that replaces standardized testing with portfolio assessment through 400+ interdisciplinary expeditions spanning STEM, Humanities, and World Languages. The technical platform combines live synchronous video classes, a proprietary learning management system called Sora Home for tracking student projects and progress, real-time collaboration tools including shared digital whiteboards, and a daily House advisory system that anchors a 9:1 student-to-teacher ratio.
The core product is split into a Middle School Program (grades 6-8) and a High School Program (grades 9-12), augmented by dual enrollment with community colleges, a Sora Pods in-person learning community, Sora After School enrichment classes open to external students, and Sora Talks content events for parents. The business model is subscription tuition billed at $17,900/year full price, with a Flexible Tuition program that awards over $3 million annually in need-based grants (median family pays ~$8,700), state Education Savings Account acceptance in Arizona, West Virginia, New Hampshire, and Utah enabling $0/month tuition for eligible families, and a $50 application fee credited toward enrollment. Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer via a multi-step admissions process, with a B2B School-within-a-School and Core Classes partner program launched in Fall 2025 beginning to address public districts, charter schools, and homeschool co-ops. Sora has raised approximately $28 million across disclosed rounds, including an $18 million Series A in November 2021 led by Firebolt Ventures, General Catalyst, and Union Square Ventures, and a $10 million raise reported in January 2026.
Sora Schools firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sora Schools
- Legal name
- Sora Schools, Inc.
- Website
- https://soraschools.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Sora Schools is an accredited online private school for grades 6-12 that delivers live, project-based, mastery-based learning through a proprietary portfolio platform, serving families across 45 U.S. states and 18 countries with subscription tuition and need-based grants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sora Schools industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online K-12 Private Education
- NAICS
- Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Standards Alignment & Curriculum Mapping (State/National) (EDAJAFAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Gifted, Advanced & Acceleration Centers (Honors/AP/IB Enrichment) (EDANAHAL)
Keywords
Where Sora Schools is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Sora Schools business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Tuition - Full Price: Full tuition at $17,900/year ($1,790/month) for the accredited online private school program serving grades 6-12. This is the primary revenue stream for the company.
- Flexible Tuition: Need-based tuition assistance program adjusted to fit families' financial circumstances, ranging from $7,500 to $16,000/year. Median family pays around $8,700/year.
- ESA Funding: Families in Arizona, West Virginia, New Hampshire, and Utah can apply Education Savings Account funds toward tuition, often covering costs entirely at $0/month for eligible families.
- School Partner Program: Revenue from partnering with public school districts, charter schools, homeschool co-ops, private and independent schools, and microschools. Includes After School classes, Core class purchases, and School-within-a-School programs.
- Application Fee: $50 application fee, which is applied to tuition if the student enrolls.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | ESA-Eligible Families: $0/month |
| Subscription | Monthly | Flexible Tuition: ~$750-$1,600/month |
| Subscription | Monthly | Full Tuition: $1,790/month |
| Subscription | Annual | Sora Pod Discount: Up to 15% off |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Application Fee: $50 |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Sora Schools product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sora Schools operates an accredited online private school for grades 6-12, delivering live synchronous classes led by teachers in small class sizes, paired with a 400+ expedition project-based curriculum and personalized academic advising on a 9:1 student-to-teacher ratio. Students demonstrate mastery through portfolios of real work rather than standardized tests, and the school issues an accredited diploma accepted by colleges (Cognia, WASC, NCAA approved). In addition to direct family tuition, Sora licenses its curriculum, software, and training to schools and districts through School-Within-a-School and Core Classes partnerships.
Product overview
Sora Schools offers a comprehensive online private school platform for grades 6-12, built around live interactive classes, project-based learning expeditions, and mastery-based assessment. The core offering consists of the Middle School Program (grades 6-8) and High School Program (grades 9-12), both featuring small class sizes, dedicated advisors, and personalized curriculum. The platform is complemented by add-on programs including Sora After School enrichment classes, Flexible Tuition need-based assistance, ESA funding integration in four states, Sora Pods in-person learning communities, Sora Talks parent conference series, and Sora Journal content platform. The company also offers B2B partnerships through its School Within a School and Core Classes Partnership programs, enabling institutions to license or integrate Sora's curriculum and software. Students have access to over 400 interest-based expeditions across STEM, Humanities, and World Language disciplines.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Sora Schools Middle School Program
Quantifiable outcome
- 95% of Sora students are accepted to one of their top 3 college choices
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Sora Schools
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Sora Schools technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Sora Schools partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- The Classical AcademiescoreSora and The Classical Academies launched a bold new middle school program in Fall 2025. The Sora Program is a full-time online program within The Classical Academies, built upon Sora's curriculum, software, and training that powers its award-winning private school. This represents Sora's flagship school-within-a-school partnership model.
- Local Community Colleges (Dual Enrollment)coreSora has partnered with institutions and local community colleges for its dual enrollment program, allowing students to earn college credits while working toward high school requirements. Dual enrollment is included in Sora tuition with no additional costs.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Sora Schools competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Laurel Springs School: Accredited online private K-12 school serving college-prep, homeschool, and globally-mobile families. Closest direct competitor to Sora: same grades, same accreditation model, same target segments (athletes, military, performing arts, expats), with comparable tuition and flexible scheduling.
- The Keystone School: Online private K-12 school with WASC/Cognia-equivalent accreditation and NCAA approval, offering flexible pacing for homeschool, athletic, and remote-learning families. Highly comparable to Sora on model, accreditation, and target customer.
- Stanford Online High School: Elite college-prep online private school offering rigorous live synchronous classes for grades 7-12. Competes with Sora for self-directed and gifted learners targeting selective colleges, though at significantly higher price points and stricter admissions.
- Dwight Global Online School: Online arm of the Dwight School network offering accredited private online school for grades 6-12 with live synchronous classes and project-based elements. Directly comparable on grade range, live class model, and international student base.
- Outschool: Online marketplace for live small-group classes for kids, including homeschool and alternative-education families. Comparable target market and live-class delivery model, though Outschool is a marketplace of individual classes rather than a full diploma-granting school; Rebecca Kaden of USV sits on both Outschool's and Sora's boards.
Broad incumbents
- Stride (K12 Inc.): Public-traded operator of online K-12 public school programs serving hundreds of thousands of students nationwide. Comparable delivery mechanism (online K-12) but funded by public school districts rather than tuition; represents the broad incumbent against which Sora's private, project-based positioning is differentiated.
- Connections Academy: Large accredited online K-12 public school operator (part of Stride) serving tuition-free students in 30+ states. Comparable delivery model and accreditation profile but operates as a public school at no cost to families, putting competitive pressure on Sora's value proposition for price-sensitive families.
Emerging players
- Aim Academy: Online private school focused on gifted and 2e learners with project-based and mastery-based pedagogy. Closely comparable to Sora on pedagogy and target segment (gifted/self-directed), though typically smaller scale and narrower grade range.
- Prenda: Microschool platform enabling in-person learning communities staffed by guides using Sora-style personalized, mastery-based curriculum. Overlaps with Sora Pods as a distributed in-person learning model and as a partner for ESA-funded families.
Others
- Varsity Tutors: Large online tutoring and live class platform serving K-12 with private tutors, small-group classes, and adaptive learning. Not a diploma-granting school but competes for supplemental learning time and parent wallet share, especially among the same alternative-education families Sora targets.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Sora Schools social profiles
Digital presenceSora Schools compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Sora Schools financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sora Schools leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles16 records
Sora Schools funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors8 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sora Schools M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sora Schools
What does Sora Schools do?
Sora Schools operates an accredited online private school for grades 6-12, delivering live synchronous classes led by teachers in small class sizes, paired with a 400+ expedition project-based curriculum and personalized academic advising on a 9:1 student-to-teacher ratio. Students demonstrate mastery through portfolios of real work rather than standardized tests, and the school issues an accredited diploma accepted by colleges (Cognia, WASC, NCAA approved). In addition to direct family tuition, Sora licenses its curriculum, software, and training to schools and districts through School-Within-a-School and Core Classes partnerships.
Is Sora Schools a public or private company?
Sora Schools is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Sora Schools founded?
Sora Schools was founded in 2019. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Sora Schools based?
Sora Schools is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sora Schools make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Tuition - Full Price is the primary driver. The others are flexible Tuition, ESA Funding, school Partner Program and application Fee.
Who are Sora Schools's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Laurel Springs School, The Keystone School, Stanford Online High School, Dwight Global Online School and Outschool. Broad incumbents are Stride (K12 Inc.) and Connections Academy. Emerging players are Aim Academy and Prenda. Varsity Tutors is listed as an others.
Does Sora Schools have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sora Schools.
What industry is Sora Schools in?
Sora Schools's product category is Online K-12 Private Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJAFAD, Standards Alignment & Curriculum Mapping (State/National), with a secondary code of EDANAHAL, Gifted, Advanced & Acceleration Centers (Honors/AP/IB Enrichment). Its NAICS code is 6111 and its SIC code is 8200.