New Schools for New Orleans

What New Schools for New Orleans does

New Schools for New Orleans (NSNO) is a nonprofit education support organization founded in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to coordinate citywide improvement of the New Orleans public school system. It works with NOLA Public Schools and the district's major charter networks — including KIPP New Orleans, Collegiate Academies, Crescent City Schools, FirstLine Schools, and ReNEW Schools — across a portfolio of 68 public schools enrolling 43,500 students (92% students of color, 84% economically disadvantaged) and 3,000+ teachers. NSNO does not develop proprietary technology products; its core capability is citywide convening, data sharing, fundraising, and direct programmatic support.

NSNO's portfolio of interconnected programs spans four pillars: serving all students (diverse learners, multilingual learners, students with disabilities); the impact of teachers (the Allstate Sugar Bowl New Orleans Teacher Community, NOLA Teacher Fest, NOETA Gala, Grow Your Own pipeline, Teacher Job Board); sustainable schools (The Accelerator, a $2.2M+ school-led innovation fund, plus portfolio strategy support); and community voices/policy advocacy (NOLA-PS Data Dashboard, The Future is Smaller podcast). Its technical footprint is limited to the NOLA-PS Data Dashboard (co-developed with the district) and facilitation of AI-tool pilots in partner schools; it does not build or sell educational software.

NSNO is funded through philanthropic grants, federal awards (including a $14.3M U.S. Department of Education grant), and corporate partnerships (Allstate Sugar Bowl, College Football Playoff Foundation, Entergy New Orleans, Verizon). It operates with 11-50 employees from a single New Orleans headquarters at 1555 Poydras Street, led by CEO Dana Peterson. The organization generates no commercial revenue; its 'go-to-market' is direct partnership with schools, networks, and the district, positioning itself as the citywide backbone for the unique all-charter New Orleans system.

Name

New Schools for New Orleans

Legal name

New Schools for New Orleans

Website

https://newschoolsforneworleans.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

New Schools for New Orleans is a nonprofit founded in 2005 that coordinates citywide support for New Orleans' 68 public schools, 43,500 students, and 3,000+ teachers through programs like The Accelerator innovation fund, the Allstate Sugar Bowl Teacher Community, and the NOLA-PS Data Dashboard.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Support Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Charter School Networks (Multi-Site) (EDAJACAC)

Keywords

• Public education support
• School improvement services
• Teacher recruitment support
• Education data dashboards
• Education advocacy services

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Funding: NSNO operates as a nonprofit organization funded through grants, donations, and partnerships. Recent funding includes $2.2 million invested in The Accelerator initiative supporting school-led innovation.
2. Per-Pupil Funding Advocacy: NSNO advocates for equitable school funding. Schools in the district receive per-pupil funding through the Minimum Foundation Program (MFP), with approximately $10 million reduction expected from proposed state funding shifts.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels14 records

Core offering

New Schools for New Orleans is a nonprofit education support organization that works directly with New Orleans public schools, charter networks, and NOLA Public Schools to improve student outcomes. It supports schools in implementing high-quality curriculum, recruiting and retaining teachers, and accessing transparent data through the NOLA-PS Data Dashboard. NSNO also funds school-led innovation through The Accelerator Initiative, advocates for equitable school funding at the state level, and runs the Allstate Sugar Bowl New Orleans Teacher Community to celebrate and retain public school teachers.

Product overview

New Schools for New Orleans (NSNO) is a nonprofit organization working to deliver excellent public schools for every child in New Orleans. Rather than a single unified product, NSNO offers a portfolio of interconnected programs and initiatives. The core offerings include The Accelerator Initiative (funding school-led innovation), the Allstate Sugar Bowl New Orleans Teacher Community (teacher support and celebration platform), and the NOLA-PS Data Dashboard (data comparison tool for schools). Supporting programs include the New Orleans Excellence in Teaching Awards (NOETA), NOLA Teacher Fest, New Orleans Teacher Job Board, Grow Your Own teacher recruitment, E3 Fellowship for system leaders, and The Future is Smaller podcast. NSNO supports a district of 68 public schools serving 43,500 students and 3,000+ teachers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Accelerator: An initiative launched by NSNO to fuel school-led innovation across New Orleans by strengthening promising ideas and turning what works into lasting models. The fund invests in schools, educators, and partners to accelerate student outcomes.
• Allstate Sugar Bowl New Orleans Teacher Community
• NOLA Teacher Fest
• New Orleans Excellence in Teaching Awards (NOETA)
• NOLA-PS Data Dashboard

Products and services

• NOLA-PS Data Dashboard A public data comparison tool that allows families, policymakers, and school leaders to find and compare important data on NOLA Public Schools. Created in partnership between NOLA Public Schools and NSNO to support portfolio strategy.
• The Accelerator Initiative A fund that invests in schools, educators, and partners closest to students to accelerate student outcomes, focusing on diverse learners, high school models, AI exploration, and school sustainability.
• Allstate Sugar Bowl New Orleans Teacher Community An inclusive citywide community for public school teachers in New Orleans that combines celebratory events like NOLA Teacher Fest and the NOETA Gala with practical support including Public Service Loan Forgiveness assistance and recruitment programming.
• New Orleans Teacher Job Board A centralized job listing platform described as the fastest, easiest way for educators to apply for teaching roles across all NOLA Public Schools.
• New Orleans Excellence in Teaching Awards (NOETA) Gala Annual gala where the top 3% of New Orleans public school teachers are celebrated and awarded a $1,000 Classroom Excellence Grant.
• NOLA Teacher Fest Annual celebration of local food and music for teachers, hosted by NSNO as part of the Allstate Sugar Bowl New Orleans Teacher Community, with 100% of schools and more than 1,750 educators attending in 2023 and nearly 2,500 in 2025.
• The Future is Smaller Podcast Original reporting and conversations exploring declining enrollment, school closures, consolidations, enrollment forecasting, and long-term planning in public education.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5 consecutive years of academic growth in LEAP scores
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• College Football Playoff FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Two years after hosting the 2020 National Championship, the College Football Playoff Foundation and Allstate Sugar Bowl initiated a partnership with NSNO to support The New Orleans Teacher Community. This partnership led to the creation of the Allstate Sugar Bowl New Orleans Teacher Community, the first-ever inclusive citywide community for public school teachers.
• Allstate Sugar BowlcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022Presenting sponsor of the Allstate Sugar Bowl New Orleans Teacher Community, supporting teacher celebrations including NOLA Teacher Fest, NOETA Gala, and Sugar Bowl game attendance.
• NOLA Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSNO partners with NOLA-PS on the Portfolio Strategy, supporting improvement of access to high-quality schools. Created the NOLA-PS Data Dashboard together to provide transparent school data.
• alignED New OrleansminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with NSNO to kick off the 2026 National Charter Schools Conference with a welcome reflecting the spirit of New Orleans.
• Greater New Orleans FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with NSNO to kick off the 2026 National Charter Schools Conference.
• DFER LouisianaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with NSNO to kick off the 2026 National Charter Schools Conference.
• BellwetherminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAndy Rotherham, co-founder and senior partner at Bellwether, is featured on the SXSW EDU Panel about declining enrollment, bringing education policy expertise to the discussion.
• The Mind TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrandon Brown, CEO of The Mind Trust, is featured on the SXSW EDU Panel, bringing Indianapolis perspective on school innovation and enrollment challenges.
• Ochsner HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare institution partner for NOCC students; provided instructors for medical training and clinical rotations. Also partnered with NSNO for educator vaccination efforts.
• LCMC HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partner for NOCC career and technical education programs.
• New Orleans Business AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner helping NOCC students plan next steps and connect with career opportunities.
• YouthForce NOLAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner helping NOCC students plan next steps and connect with career opportunities.
• GNO IncminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional economic development partner helping NOCC leverage connections for student career pathways.
• Chef Alon Shaya / Four Seasons HotelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChef Shaya serves on NOCC board and connected the organization with the General Manager of Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans for potential culinary arts graduate opportunities.
• Chamberlain University School of NursingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNOCC pre-nursing students earned 16 credits toward nursing degree at Chamberlain, saving a year of tuition costs.
• Entergy New OrleansminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Allstate Sugar Bowl New Orleans Teacher Community, supporting teacher appreciation initiatives.
• NOLA BreweryminorOthersLocal brewery that supplied hand sanitizer for schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Teach For America: National nonprofit that recruits and places teachers in high-need communities. Operates in New Orleans as part of the same teacher pipeline NSNO's Allstate Sugar Bowl Teacher Community supports, and shares the goal of strengthening teacher recruitment and retention.
• NewSchools Venture Fund: National education nonprofit that invests in and supports innovative schools and education entrepreneurs. Like NSNO, it funds and incubates school-led innovation and talent pipelines, but operates at a national scale rather than focusing on a single city.
• National Alliance for Public Charter Schools: National advocacy organization for charter schools that selected New Orleans to host the 2026 National Charter Schools Conference. Operates at the national level while NSNO operates at the city level, but they work on overlapping charter sector issues.

Direct peers

• The Mind Trust: Indianapolis-based nonprofit that drives K-12 public school improvement through talent, innovation, and policy. Direct structural peer to NSNO — both are city-focused education reform nonprofits working with charter networks and the local district, and both have been featured together on SXSW EDU panels.
• Charter School Growth Fund: Philanthropic fund that identifies and grows high-performing charter networks. Closely aligned with NSNO's mission of supporting and scaling quality public schools, and is a comparable funder-of-funders in the charter ecosystem.
• KIPP Foundation: National nonprofit supporting the KIPP charter school network, which is one of NSNO's largest partner networks in New Orleans. Both organizations fund and operate K-12 public schools serving similar demographics (students of color, low-income) and share a common theory of change around college-prep outcomes.

Emerging players

• Relay Graduate School of Education: Nonprofit graduate school training teachers and school leaders, with significant New Orleans presence. Comparable in its teacher preparation mission to NSNO's Grow Your Own and E3 Fellowship programs.
• Bellwether Education Partners: National nonprofit advising education leaders on policy and strategy. While not a direct funder of schools, Bellwether provides strategic advisory work that complements NSNO's district portfolio strategy, and partners with NSNO on thought-leadership programming.
• Education Resource Strategies: Nonprofit consulting organization that helps school districts transform resource allocation to improve student outcomes. Adjacent to NSNO's portfolio strategy work but operates more as an advisor than as a direct school partner or funder.

Regional players

• CityBridge Foundation: Washington DC-based education philanthropy supporting innovative schools and human capital. Comparable city-level focus, similar funder role, but operates in a different geography than NSNO.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nsno_nola
• Facebookfacebook.com/880827775316352
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/new-schools-for-new-orleans
• Instagraminstagram.com/newschoolsnola/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about New Schools for New Orleans