TransCenter for Youth

What TransCenter for Youth does

TransCenter for Youth, Inc. is a Wisconsin-incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1969 and formally registered in May 1973. It operates four small, student-centered high schools in Milwaukee, each serving grades 9-12 with a distinct educational focus: Shalom High School (founded 1973, originally for youth returning from correctional institutions and now serving students who struggle in traditional schools); NOVA / Northwest Opportunities Vocational Academy (founded 1993, an alternative school-to-work transition program for at-risk students operating in partnership with Milwaukee Public Schools); El Puente High School for Science, Math, and Technology (founded 1997, hands-on project-based learning under the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program); and Escuela Verde (charter school authorized by the City of Milwaukee Common Council, opened 2012, implementing the EdVisions student-centered, project-based model with an environmental justice and urban ecology focus). The organization's primary served populations are at-risk youth in Milwaukee who are not achieving academic success in traditional high schools.

TransCenter does not sell a product; it delivers educational services at no direct cost to eligible students. Revenue is generated through a mix of Milwaukee Public Schools partnership contracts, Wisconsin state per-pupil aid, charter authorization (Escuela Verde), Milwaukee Parental Choice Program enrollment (El Puente), and charitable contributions from a broad base of foundations and corporate donors including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Joyce Foundation, Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Helen Bader Foundation, Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, Walton Family Foundation, Zilber Family Foundation, and others. Student acquisition is driven primarily by referrals through MPS partnership programs and Choice Program eligibility channels, with secondary outreach via the organization's website and monthly newsletters. There is no proprietary technology stack disclosed; each school maintains its own website (shalomhs.org, novahs.org, elpuentehs.org, escuelaverde.org).

The organization is led by Executive Director Joey Zocher, Ph.D. (appointed 2020) and supported by a small central operations team (Director of Engagement and Culture Felita Daniels Ashley, Director of Operations Nancy Meylink, Director of School Support Lynn Klipstine, HR Generalist Jenna Rehorst), with each school led by on-site co-directors or collaborative leaders. Governance is provided by a Board of Directors chaired by Victor Frasher (Director of Community Engagement, Educators Credit Union) with Treasurer Kim Schulte (CFO, Koss Corporation) and Secretary Ingrid Jagers (Regulatory Change Management, Optum/United Health Group), alongside directors drawn from Community First, UW-Madison, Mosaic Non Profit Consulting, La Causa, and retired International Motors CIO Julie Ragland. International recognition has been earned through visits and study by educators from Russia, Japan, Germany, Great Britain, South Africa, and across the United States, and through features in publications including the National Center on Education and the Economy, Jobs for the Future, and the Carnegie Reporter.

Name

TransCenter for Youth

Legal name

TransCenter for Youth, Inc.

Website

https://transcenterforyouth.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TransCenter for Youth is a Milwaukee-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating four small alternative high schools (Shalom, NOVA, El Puente, Escuela Verde) that serve at-risk and adjudicated youth through partnership, charter, and Milwaukee Parental Choice Program structures, funded by public per-pupil aid and foundation grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Alternative Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter Alternative & At-Risk Schools (Continuation, Credit Recovery, Juvenile) (EDAJACAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Charter Career & Technical Education (CTE) Schools (EDAJACAK)

Keywords

• Alternative education
• At-risk youth
• Project-based learning
• Charter schools
• Vocational education

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

TransCenter for Youth operates four small, student-centered high schools in Milwaukee that deliver full-day diploma programs for students who have struggled in traditional educational settings. Each school has a distinct specialization: Shalom High School serves students returning from correctional institutions, NOVA focuses on school-to-work vocational transition, El Puente emphasizes science, math and technology with hands-on project-based learning, and Escuela Verde is a charter school focused on environmental justice and urban ecology using the EdVisions model.

Product overview

TransCenter for Youth operates a portfolio of four distinct high schools in Milwaukee: Shalom High School (founded 1973, serves students who struggled in traditional settings), NOVA (founded 1993, vocational transition program for at-risk students), El Puente High School (founded 1997, math/science emphasis), and Escuela Verde (charter school opened 2012, environmental justice focus). Each school operates independently with its own leadership, curriculum focus, and student eligibility criteria, united by TransCenter's mission of educational equity and student-centered learning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shalom High School A full-day high school program for students in grades 9-12 who found academic achievement difficult in traditional schools; originally founded to serve youth returning from correctional institutions. Operates in partnership with Milwaukee Public Schools and leads to a high school diploma.
• NOVA (Northwest Opportunities Vocational Academy) An alternative school-to-work transition program for at-risk students in grades 9-12 on the Northwest side of Milwaukee, offering a full-day program leading to a high school diploma in partnership with Milwaukee Public Schools.
• El Puente High School for Science, Math, and Technology A full-day diploma program for students in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, with a math and science emphasis providing hands-on, project-based learning alongside college and work training exposure.
• Escuela Verde A charter school authorized by the City of Milwaukee Common Council implementing the EdVisions student-centered, project-based academic model with a focus on environmental justice and urban ecology for students in grades 9-12.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Milwaukee Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary institutional partner; NOVA operates in partnership with Milwaukee Public Schools; Shalom began contracting with MPS in 1981 becoming one of Milwaukee's first partnership schools; students in grades 9-12 offered full day program

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• YouthBuild USA: National nonprofit operating alternative education and workforce pathways for opportunity youth including those returning from incarceration — directly comparable to Shalom High School's mission of serving adjudicated youth with an education-to-work bridge.
• EdVisions Schools: Network implementing the student-centered, project-based school model that Escuela Verde operates under license; comparable because Escuela Verde is an authorized EdVisions school serving grades 9-12 with project-based learning focus.

Broad incumbents

• KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program): Largest U.S. charter school network operating college-preparatory public schools in underserved communities — comparable as a multi-school charter operator serving at-risk populations, though operating at national scale rather than TransCenter's Milwaukee-only urban alternative niche.
• Green Dot Public Schools: Charter management organization explicitly operating alternative and turnaround high schools for at-risk students in multiple states — directly comparable mission emphasis on credit recovery, dropout prevention, and alternative pathways that mirrors NOVA and Shalom's focus.
• IDEA Public Schools: Large charter network operating public charter schools serving primarily low-income and minority students in Texas and beyond — comparable as a multi-school charter operator, though serving a broader college-prep mandate than TransCenter's niche alternative/vocational focus.
• National Heritage Academies: Charter management organization operating K-12 public charter schools; comparable as a multi-school nonprofit-adjacent operator with centralized support, though serving a more general K-12 population rather than TransCenter's at-risk/niche focus.

Regional players

• Preparing Schools for the Future (PSF): Alternative high school network serving at-risk students in California; comparable as a regional alternative-school operator targeting dropouts and credit recovery, though concentrated on the West Coast rather than the Midwest.
• Milwaukee College Preparatory School: Independent K-8 charter network serving Milwaukee families — comparable as another Milwaukee-based charter operator in the same city competing for the same families/students, particularly within the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program that El Puente participates in.

Others

• Hope Street Group / Education Forward: Education-focused intermediary funders and policy advocates operating in the alternative/charter space — comparable as adjacent ecosystem players supporting the same at-risk learner populations through grantmaking rather than direct school operation.
• Jobs for the Future: National nonprofit focused on workforce and education pathways for low-income youth; explicitly cited as having featured/recognized TransCenter's schools. Comparable as an enabling intermediary promoting the alternative-education model that TransCenter operationalizes.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/transcenter-for-youth

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about TransCenter for Youth