Tampa Preparatory School

What Tampa Preparatory School does

Tampa Preparatory School is a private, nonprofit, coeducational college preparatory school founded in 1974 in Tampa, Florida, serving approximately 710 students in grades 6 through 12. It operates from a single 11.2-acre, 150,000+ square-foot downtown campus on the Tampa Riverwalk, with a 32,000 square-foot sports complex and the newly opened BOLD Building (Building of Learning & Discovery, January 2025) housing university-level science labs and STEM learning spaces. The school is the only private institution in Tampa Bay serving grades 6-12 and draws its student body from 84 feeder schools across 12 states and 19 zip codes. Its curriculum centers on 118 courses across 11 subject areas, four specialized academic concentrations (Arts, Biomedical Sciences, Global Studies, and STEM/Engineering), a Harkness discussion-based pedagogy, and a required 70-hour Senior Internship Program supported by a College Counseling office that hosts over 150 college representative visits annually.

Tampa Prep's technology platform is built around a 1:1 iPad program (the first of its kind in Tampa Bay, earning Apple Distinguished School designation in 2013 with 88% Apple-certified faculty), Active Learning Environments with multiple 42-inch HD smart displays per classroom, and a student-driven Virtual/Augmented Reality IDEA Lab. Back-office systems include SCOIR for college counseling, FACTS for financial aid assessment, Blackbaud Raiser's Edge for development, and Magnus for health form management. The school does not offer a public API and discloses no AI/ML capabilities.

The revenue model is tuition-driven and recurring: Upper School tuition is $34,340 per year and Middle School tuition is $32,512 per year, with tuition covering approximately 90% of the operating budget. Tampa Prep explicitly does not accept Florida Step Up for Students or Family Empowerment Scholarship government funding, instead relying on need-based internal financial aid. Auxiliary revenue streams include three summer program lines (Camp Terrapin for grades 1-8, academic summer classes for grades 9-12, and enrichment/STEM camps for ages 9+), international student enrollment with a $3,000 ancillary fee, facility rentals, and the Terrapin Fund annual giving campaign, which covers approximately 5% of the operating budget. Distribution is entirely direct-to-consumer via campus tours, open house events, an online application system, and SCOIR-based college placement.

Name

Tampa Preparatory School

Legal name

Tampa Preparatory School

Website

https://tampaprep.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Tampa Preparatory School is a private, nonprofit college preparatory school in downtown Tampa, Florida, serving approximately 710 students in grades 6-12 with four academic concentrations, a 1:1 iPad and VR/AR program, and tuition-based recurring revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private K-12 Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

International/Global Curriculum Schools (IB, Cambridge, etc.) (EDAJABAG)

Keywords

• Private school education
• College preparatory programs
• Middle school education
• Summer camp programs
• Academic concentrations

Headquarters

HQ city

Tampa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition: Primary revenue stream from tuition payments for grades 6-12. Upper School $34,340/year, Middle School $32,512/year.
2. Summer Programs: Revenue from Camp Terrapin (co-ed sports and fine arts summer camp grades 1-8), Academic Classes (grades 9-12), and Enrichment & STEM camps (ages 9+).
3. Terrapin Fund / Philanthropy: Annual fundraising covering approximately 5% of operating budget. Includes Fall Kick-Off Campaign, Gala fundraising event, and Day of Giving.
4. Facility Rentals: Auxiliary income from facility rentals mentioned as part of operating revenue sources.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Tampa Preparatory School is a private, independent, nonprofit college preparatory school serving approximately 710 students in grades 6 through 12 on a 150,000-square-foot downtown Tampa campus. The school delivers a progressive, innovation-focused curriculum with four academic concentrations (Arts, Biomedical Sciences, Global Studies, STEM/Engineering), a one-to-one iPad program (Apple Distinguished School designation), a VR/AR IDEA Lab, and a required senior internship program, with tuition of $32,512 (Middle School) and $34,340 (Upper School) per year covering approximately 90% of the operating budget.

Product overview

Tampa Preparatory School is a private college preparatory institution serving grades 6-12 with approximately 710 students. The school operates as a unified educational program centered on its core private school offering, enhanced by four specialized Academic Concentrations (Arts, Biomedical Sciences, Global Studies, and STEM/Engineering), a comprehensive College Counseling Program with SCOIR platform integration, and extensive Summer Programs (Camp Terrapin, Academic Classes, and Enrichment & STEM Camps). Technology integration is supported through a one-to-one iPad program (Apple Distinguished School), a Virtual/Augmented Reality IDEA Lab, and Active Learning Environments. The institution also features a required Senior Internship Program and supports student development through clubs, athletics, and community service initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Camp Terrapin: Co-ed sports and fine arts summer camp for kids entering grades 1-8, held on Tampa Prep's downtown campus on Tampa's Riverwalk.

Products and services

• Private School Education (Grades 6-12) Core college preparatory private school education serving approximately 710 students in grades 6-12, located on downtown Tampa's Riverwalk. The school delivers a progressive, innovation-focused curriculum with emphasis on character development, experiential learning, and preparation for college and life beyond academics.
• Arts Concentration
• Biomedical Sciences Concentration
• Global Studies Concentration
• STEM/Engineering Concentration
• Camp Terrapin
• Academic Summer Classes
• Enrichment & STEM Camps
• College Counseling Program
• Senior Internship Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% student retention rate
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Tampa General HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership providing students real-life experience opportunities. Downtown location enables students to gain experience in healthcare and medical fields through observations and potential internships.
• University of South FloridacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership with nearby university enabling students to access real-world experience and potential academic pathways. Downtown campus proximity facilitates connections.
• Patel ConservatorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership allows Next Generation Ballet students to attend Tampa Prep academics in morning and intensive dance instruction at Patel Conservatory in afternoon. Students receive personalized schedules accommodating both programs.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Carrollwood Day School: Carrollwood Day School is an independent, nonsectarian, college-preparatory school serving grades PK-12 in Tampa, FL. It competes with Tampa Prep in the same metro for college-prep families and emphasizes similar innovation and global programs.
• Academy of the Holy Names: Academy of the Holy Names is a private, Catholic, coeducational PK-12 college-preparatory school in Tampa, FL. It competes with Tampa Prep for middle and upper school families seeking premium faith-based or values-based college-prep education in Tampa.
• Berkeley Preparatory School: Berkeley Preparatory School is a private, coeducational, college-preparatory day school serving grades PK-12 in Tampa, FL. It is the closest direct peer given its overlapping geographic market, similar premium college-prep positioning, and similar tuition tier in the Tampa Bay area.
• Tampa Catholic High School: Tampa Catholic High School is a private, Catholic, coeducational college-preparatory school serving grades 9-12 in Tampa, FL. It competes with Tampa Prep for Tampa Bay families seeking college-prep education in the upper-school grades.
• Jesuit High School Tampa: Jesuit High School of Tampa is a private, Catholic, college-preparatory boys' school serving grades 9-12 in Tampa, FL. It directly competes with Tampa Prep for college-prep families in the upper-school segment of the Tampa Bay market.

Regional players

• Saint Stephen's Episcopal School: Saint Stephen's Episcopal School is an independent, college-preparatory school serving grades PK-12 in Bradenton, FL. It is a regional Florida Gulf Coast peer with a similar independent, non-sectarian (faith-affiliated) college-prep model and comparable tuition tier.
• Admiral Farragut Academy: Admiral Farragut Academy is a private, college-preparatory school serving grades PK-12 in St. Petersburg, FL. It is a regional peer in the Tampa Bay area with a similar grade-6-12 college-prep offering and STEM/leadership emphasis.
• Palmer Trinity School: Palmer Trinity School is an independent, college-preparatory school serving grades 6-12 in Palmetto Bay (Miami), FL. It is a regional peer in Florida's independent-school market with similar middle/upper-school grade coverage and college-prep positioning.
• The Out-of-Door Academy: The Out-of-Door Academy is an independent, college-preparatory school serving grades PK-12 in Sarasota, FL. It is a regional peer with a similar independent, non-sectarian college-prep model and premium tuition tier on Florida's Gulf Coast.
• The Bolles School: The Bolles School is a private, college-preparatory day and boarding school serving grades PK-12 in Jacksonville, FL. It is a regional peer representing Florida's elite private-school tier, similar in college-prep focus but broader in scope (boarding, athletics prominence).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/tampaprep
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/tampa-preparatory-school
• Instagraminstagram.com/tampa_prep

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Tampa Preparatory School