Avalon School

What Avalon School does

Avalon School is a public charter school located at 700 Glendale Street in St. Paul, Minnesota, serving approximately 275 students in grades 6-12. Founded in 2001 under the sponsorship of Hamline University, the school operates a Project-Based Learning (PBL) curriculum in which students progress through structured grade-level projects (50 hours in 9th grade, 100 hours in 10th grade, 150 hours in 11th grade) culminating in a public Senior Project capstone. Avalon's pedagogy is supported by the Headrush platform for project lifecycle management, supplemented by Google Classroom for instruction, Infinite Campus for grade management, and LibraryGo/LibraryCat for library access. The school also runs an online program for grades 8-12 and an educator site-visit service.

The school is governed by a Teacher-Powered model in which all 40+ staff share administrative duties and have equal decision-making authority, supported by a School Board of teachers and parents. The staff averages 10+ years of tenure at Avalon, accumulating 300+ combined years of teaching experience, with a 12:1 student-to-teacher ratio. Supplementary programming includes sports and extracurriculars (delivered partly through partnerships with Venture Academy and HSRA), a meal program (CKC Good Food), Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) for college credit, and Macalester College partnership for community dialogues.

Avalon is a non-profit public charter school and is tuition-free for Minnesota residents. Its revenue comes almost entirely from per-pupil state funding with supplementary donations via Network for Good. It markets primarily through its website, community events, open houses, tours, student shadow experiences, social media, and word-of-mouth, supplemented by educator site visits delivered in partnership with the Minnesota Learner-Centered Network. The school has received multiple Minnesota Association of Charter Schools Innovation Awards and Character Education Partnership National Promising Practice Awards, and a 2025 national Building Hope Student Empowerment Award.

Name

Avalon School

Legal name

Avalon School

Website

https://avalonschool.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Avalon School is a public, tuition-free project-based charter school in St. Paul, Minnesota, serving approximately 275 students in grades 6-12 under a teacher-powered governance model, with a core Project-Based Learning curriculum supported by the Headrush platform and supplemented by an online program and educator site visits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charter School Education (K-12)

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Independent Charter Schools (Single-Site) (EDAJACAB)

Keywords

• Project-based learning
• Charter school education
• Secondary education programs
• Teacher-powered governance
• Middle high school

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Per-Pupil State Funding: As a public charter school, Avalon receives per-pupil state funding based on enrollment. This is the primary revenue source supporting operations, staffing, and programming.
2. Donations and Philanthropy: The school accepts donations through Network for Good platform, providing supplementary funding for programs and initiatives beyond core educational operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Avalon School is a public, tuition-free project-based charter school serving approximately 275 students in grades 6-12. Students progress through a structured PBL framework — 50-hour 9th grade projects, 100-hour 10th grade projects, 150-hour 11th grade projects, and a year-long Senior Project — supported by teacher-led seminars, an advisory system, and the Headrush platform for project tracking. The school also offers an online program for grades 8-12 and paid professional development site visits for visiting educators.

Product overview

Avalon School is a project-based charter school offering a unified educational program combining Project-Based Learning curriculum with a Teacher-Powered governance model. The core offering includes Middle School (grades 6-8), High School (grades 9-12), and an Online Program (grades 8-12). Students progress through grade-level projects managed via the Headrush platform, culminating in a Senior Project. The school supplements its core curriculum with sports and extracurriculars, a meal program, and PSEO options for college credit. Site visits and professional development services are offered to educators interested in learning about the Teacher-Powered and PBL models.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Middle School Program (Grades 6-8) Tuition-free project-based middle school program for grades 6-8 in St. Paul, Minnesota, modeled after the high school program with personalized learning, academic excellence, social-justice emphasis, and authentic active learning. Students progress through project-based coursework supported by advisors and the Headrush platform.
• High School Program (Grades 9-12) Four-year tuition-free project-based high school program for grades 9-12 in which students earn 36 credits through independent projects and teacher-led seminars, complete Minnesota state standards, and culminate with a year-long Senior Project featuring a 30-minute public presentation. PSEO college credit and structured 50/100/150-hour grade-level projects are part of the progression.
• Online Program (Grades 8-12) Tuition-free virtual learning option for grades 8-12, providing project-based learning instruction delivered remotely with dedicated advisors, virtual open houses, and the same Headrush-tracked PBL progression as the on-site program.
• Educator Site Visits & Professional Development Professional development service for visiting educators, school leaders, and charter or district teams, featuring free family tours, student-led tours, and dedicated immersive experiences focused on Project-Based Learning and Teacher-Powered Governance, often coordinated through the Minnesota Learner-Centered Network.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95%+ of families report Avalon as a safe and positive learning community
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Minnesota Learner-Centered Network (MLCN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAvalon partners with MLCN to host formal immersive site visits for educators interested in learning about project-based learning and teacher-powered governance. MLCN coordinates school visits across multiple learner-centered environments.
• CKC Good FoodminorOthersOutside vendor that prepares and delivers breakfast and hot lunch for Avalon students daily. Breakfast served 8:40-9:00am, hot lunch 12:10-12:45pm.
• Macalester CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for roundtable discussion around race, recognized with National Promising Practice Award in 2019. Community member involvement in student projects.
• Venture AcademyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner school for soccer and wrestling programs. Avalon students participate in sports through this partnership.
• HSRA (High School Revised Athletics)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner for girls' volleyball (varsity, 7th-12th grade) and basketball (all-gender/boys varsity and girls varsity) programs.
• Network for GoodminorOthersDonation platform used by Avalon to accept charitable contributions supporting school programs.
• Metro TransitminorOthersProvides Metro Transit passes to all students who want to utilize public transit for transportation to school.
• Community ConnectorminorOthersCarpool app connecting Avalon families for transportation coordination and ride-sharing.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Big Picture Learning: National nonprofit that designs and supports project-based learning schools centered on student-driven projects, internships, and advisor relationships. Directly comparable to Avalon's PBL curriculum and personal-advisor model.
• High Tech High: San Diego-based charter management organization operating PBL-focused secondary schools with student-led projects and public exhibitions. Comparable in pedagogy, exhibition-based assessment, and small-school design.
• EL Education: Network of PBL-focused K-12 schools emphasizing student-engaged assessment, crew/advisory structures, and exhibitions. Overlaps with Avalon's advisory system and culminating senior project.
• New Tech Network: National school design organization supporting PBL and technology-rich instruction in member middle and high schools. Comparable curriculum model with similar grade-level project structures.
• Envision Schools (now part of Aspire Public Schools): Bay Area charter network built around project-based learning, portfolios, and student exhibitions in secondary grades. Closely aligned with Avalon's graduation-by-projects approach.

Broad incumbents

• BASIS Charter Schools: Large national charter network focused on rigorous college-prep academics with strong student outcomes. Competes for the same college-bound families in the broader charter school market.
• Mastery Charter Schools: Multi-site charter management organization serving middle and high school students. Comparable grade range and public-charter funding model, though not focused on PBL.

Others

• Minnesota Association of Charter Schools: State-level membership and advocacy body for Minnesota charter schools, including Avalon. Relevant peer/ecosystem organization that has recognized Avalon with multiple innovation awards.

Emerging players

• Wildflower Schools: Network of small, teacher-led schools using a Montessori-inspired learner-centered model. Comparable in small-school, teacher-empowered philosophy to Avalon's governance approach.

Regional players

• KIPP Minnesota: Minnesota charter schools in the Twin Cities operating under a college-prep model. Same Minnesota public-charter funding context and same regional families, though a different instructional philosophy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@avalonschool1604
• Facebookfacebook.com/avalonschoolmn
• Instagraminstagram.com/avalonschoolmn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Avalon School