Cato-Meridian Central School District

What Cato-Meridian Central School District does

Cato-Meridian Central School District is a New York State public school district organized as a government state entity under New York State Education Law, serving students from Pre-K through Grade 12 across two school campuses located at 2851 State Route 370, Cato, New York, in Cayuga County. The district operates an Elementary School (Pre-K through Grade 6) and a Junior-Senior High School (Grades 7-12), governed by an elected Board of Education and led by Superintendent Dee Froio (effective July 1, 2025). Approximately 101-250 employees staff teaching, administrative, and support functions across departments including Athletics, Business Office, Communications, Curriculum & Instruction, Food Services, Guidance/Counseling, Pupil Personnel Services, School Nurse, Transportation, and Tax Collection.

The district's core technology stack is composed of standard K-12 edtech platforms rather than proprietary systems: SchoolTool serves as the student information system for grades, attendance, and scheduling; ParentSquare provides parent communication and powers the district's June 2025-launched SmartSites website; ClassLink, Google Workspace, and Microsoft 365 provide identity and productivity layers; and specialized tools include FamilyID for sports registration, HUDL for athletic livestreaming, Frontline Education for IEP management, and Renaissance Star Testing for assessments. The district operates a community Recreation Center offering aquatic programs, fitness facilities, gymnasium, indoor track, and the Otters Swim Team, plus competitive athletics across modified, JV, and varsity levels.

Revenue is generated exclusively through public funding mechanisms: local property taxes collected via Cayuga County Real Property Services (with STAR exemptions), New York State education aid (including building aid for capital projects), and federal/state grants such as the Smart Schools Investment Plan. No tuition is charged to district residents. In 2023, voters approved a $33.1 million capital improvement project structured as tax-neutral through state aid and reserve funds. The district supplements its academic offering with post-secondary pathways including dual enrollment, AP coursework, SUNY/CUNY Excelsior Scholarship access, and a workforce partnership with Nucor Steel Auburn / Shelton State Community College. Community-funded scholarships to graduating seniors exceeded $100,000 in 2025.

Name

Cato-Meridian Central School District

Legal name

Cato-Meridian Central School District

Website

https://catomeridian.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Cato-Meridian Central School District is a New York State public school district operating an Elementary School (Pre-K-6) and Junior-Senior High School (7-12) in Cato, New York, serving district residents with publicly funded K-12 education, athletics, and recreation programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Public Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public School Districts (K–12) (EDADABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Career & Technical Education (CTE) Centers & Programs (EDAJAAAJ)

Keywords

• Public K-12 education
• School district services
• Elementary secondary education
• Community recreation programs
• Student support services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Property Tax Revenue: Primary funding from local property taxes (tax levy) collected from residents in the district coverage area. Tax bills are processed through Cayuga County Real Property Services with STAR exemptions.
2. State Aid: New York State provides additional funding to school districts based on formulas. District utilizes state building aid for capital projects.
3. Federal and State Grants: District receives federal stimulus funding, Smart Schools Investment Plan funds, and other grant programs for educational initiatives and capital improvements.
4. Community Scholarships: Local organizations and individuals provide scholarships to graduating seniors. In 2025, more than $100,000 was given to students from the Cato-Meridian community.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Cato-Meridian Central School District is a public K-12 school district operating an Elementary School (Pre-K through Grade 6) and a Junior-Senior High School (Grades 7-12) in Cato, New York. It delivers comprehensive educational services including Regents diploma preparation, AP courses, career and technical education, athletics, fine arts, and student support services such as guidance counseling, special education, food services, and transportation. The district also operates a community Recreation Center offering aquatic, fitness, and gymnasium programs.

Product overview

Cato-Meridian Central School District is a public school district offering Pre-K through 12th grade education in Cato, New York. The district operates as a unified educational services provider, combining the core website platform (ParentSquare SmartSites), the SchoolTool student information portal, athletics programs, recreation center facilities, and various student support services including guidance counseling, special education, food services, and transportation. The district's primary digital presence is the ParentSquare SmartSites-powered website, which serves as the hub for parent-student communication, academic information, and community engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pre-K through Grade 6 Elementary Education

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

Integration12 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ParentSquarecoreTechnology or Integration · 27 June 2025District website platform provider powering the Cato-Meridian website through SmartSites. ParentSquare also provides integrated communication tools for parent-school communication, messaging, and engagement.
• Nucor Technical Academy (Nucor Steel Auburn)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce development partnership with Nucor Steel Auburn for career-specific training program. High school graduates are recruited to complete a 2-year (6 semester) program combining classroom instruction at Shelton State Community College in Alabama with hands-on training at Nucor Steel facilities. Students earn an Associates in Applied Science in Electrical Technology and are guaranteed employment at Nucor upon graduation.
• SUNY SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with State University of New York system for Excelsior Scholarship program, allowing students to attend SUNY colleges tuition-free. Also includes STEM scholarship opportunities for top students in science, technology, engineering, and math majors.
• CUNY CollegesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with City University of New York system through Excelsior Scholarship program, allowing eligible students to attend CUNY colleges tuition-free in combination with other financial aid.
• NYS Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorState agency providing financial aid resources, scholarship information, and FAFSA guidance. SUNY financial aid days offered where students and families can receive free assistance with financial aid applications.
• Community Organizations (Scholarships)coreOthersVarious local organizations and individuals provide scholarships to graduating seniors including American Legion Auxiliary, Cato-Meridian Alumni Association, Cato Rotary Club, Lang Memorial Scholarships, Sheedy Family Foundation, and many others totaling over $100,000 annually.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Auburn Enlarged City School District: Larger Cayuga County district serving the city of Auburn. Provides a regional benchmark for program depth, AP offerings, and CTE pathways at greater scale.

Direct peers

• Weedsport Central School District: Adjacent Cayuga County K-12 district with similar two-school configuration and rural community profile — direct geographic and structural peer.
• Moravia Central School District: Rural K-12 district in adjacent Cayuga County with similar two-school organization, agricultural community base, and reliance on property taxes and state aid.
• Jordan-Elbridge Central School District: Small rural NY public K-12 district in Onondaga County with comparable enrollment scale, two-school structure, and property-tax-plus-state-aid revenue mix.
• Southern Cayuga Central School District: Another small rural Cayuga County K-12 district with comparable community-based funding approach and program scope including CTE and athletics.
• Union Springs Central School District: Small rural K-12 district bordering Cayuga County with comparable scale, agricultural community, and dependence on state aid and local property tax revenue.
• Port Byron Central School District: Neighboring small Cayuga County K-12 district, similar funding model and student demographics — a strong peer for benchmarking operating performance.
• Homer Central School District: Neighboring rural New York public school district of similar size serving PreK-12 in Cortland County. Directly comparable in operating model, funding mix, and small-district structure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CatoMeridianSchools
• Instagraminstagram.com/catomeridiancsd
• Xx.com/catomeridianhs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cato-meridian-central-school-district

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Cato-Meridian Central School District