St. Paul's Episcopal School

What St. Paul's Episcopal School does

St. Paul's Episcopal School is an independent K-8 private school in Oakland, California, founded in 1975 by St. Paul's Church and currently enrolling approximately 380 students with a 1:7 faculty-to-student ratio. Its demographic profile is intentionally diverse, with 73% of students and 73% of faculty identifying as people of color, and 92% of graduates matriculating to their first-choice high school. The core academic program is supplemented by athletics (cross-country, basketball, volleyball, soccer, flag football, ultimate frisbee, and track), arts programming, summer camps (including 3 O'Clock Rock and Digital Media Camp), and after-school programming. The school is launching a Digital Pledge Program in the 2025-2026 academic year that requires personal devices for students, signaling a structural shift toward device-enabled classroom learning.

The school's revenue model relies primarily on tuition, set at $39,960 for K-5 and $45,550 for grades 6-8 in 2026-2027, supplemented by an Annual Fund targeting roughly $1,250 per student, summer and after-school fees, and auxiliary programming revenue. A defining structural feature is the flexible tuition program: 53% of families receive flexible tuition, with approximately $3 million awarded currently and a planned increase to $5 million for 2026-2027. The school is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit holding triple accreditation from the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), and the Episcopal Schools Association.

Operational and strategic infrastructure includes partnerships with St. Paul's Episcopal Church, YMCA, Lake Merritt, Fairyland, Clarity, BASIC Fund, Ravenna, FACTS, Active Network, Finalsite, and Bandcamp. The recently established Center for Transformative Education (CTE), led by Director of Equity and Belonging Deborah Lira, signals institutional commitment to equity and belonging as a permanent vertical. Technology operations rely on third-party SaaS vendors across admissions, tuition, communications, and programming, with no disclosed proprietary technology platform or AI capability.

Name

St. Paul's Episcopal School

Legal name

St. Paul's Episcopal School

Website

https://spes.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

St. Paul's Episcopal School is an independent K-8 private school in Oakland, California, founded in 1975, serving approximately 380 students with a 1:7 faculty ratio, triple accreditation, and flexible tuition awarded to 53% of families.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tuition - K-5: Day school tuition for grades K-5 covering books, equipment, materials, and all field trips
2. Tuition - 6-8: Day school tuition for grades 6-8 covering books, equipment, materials, and all field trips
3. Annual Fund: Charitable donations supporting flexible tuition, professional development, and academic program enhancement
4. BASIC Fund Scholarship Coordination: Additional scholarship program coordination for low-income families separate from flexible tuition
5. Summer Camp Programs: Various camp offerings including Art Camp, Hoop Camp, Medley Camp, 3 O'Clock Rock, Digital Media Camp, and more
6. After School Program: After school care and enrichment programs

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

St. Paul's Episcopal School is an independent K-8 private school in Oakland, California serving Kindergarten through Eighth Grade with a comprehensive academic program integrating academic rigor, social-emotional learning, athletics, arts, and community engagement. It also offers Summer Camp programs, an After School Program, Learning Services, and High School Placement Counseling for Eighth Graders.

Product overview

St. Paul's Episcopal School is an independent K-8 private school in Oakland, California offering a comprehensive educational program centered on three core pillars: Representation, Curiosity, and Preparation. The school provides a unified educational experience combining rigorous academics with social-emotional learning, arts, athletics, and community engagement. Key programs include the K-8 Academic Program, Summer Camp with multiple specialized camps (Art, Hoop, Medley, 3 O'Clock Rock music production, Digital Media), After School Program, Learning Services for diverse learners, Athletics (basketball, cross country, flag football, volleyball), Arts (visual arts, music, performing arts), The Center for Transformative Education focused on equity and belonging, Flexible Tuition Program, Social-Emotional Learning with People Power Skills, Technology & Digital Citizenship Program, and High School Placement Counseling for Eighth Graders. The school utilizes integrated platforms including Ravenna for admissions, Clarity for tuition applications, and FACTS for payment management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• K-8 Academic Program Independent private school providing intellectually challenging education from Kindergarten through Eighth Grade, emphasizing academic rigor, social-emotional learning, and community engagement.
• Summer Camp Summer program offering various camps including Art Camp, Hoop Camp, Medley Camp, Words in the Wild, 3 O'Clock Rock (music production), Digital Media Camp, Fun in the Sun, and Academic Success for students in Transitional Kindergarten through Eighth Grade.
• After School Program Extended day program providing care and enrichment activities for students after regular school hours, with Before Care (8:00-9:00 a.m.) and Aftercare (3:00-5:30 p.m.) options on a monthly subscription basis.
• Learning Services Specialized support services for diverse learners including pull-out and push-in assistance, Learning Care Plans, and coordination with families and external specialists from Kindergarten through Eighth Grade.
• Athletics Program Physical education and competitive athletics including basketball (boys and girls A/B/C teams), cross country, flag football, pickleball, ultimate frisbee, and volleyball, with use of 5,000 ft² gymnasium and Lake Merritt park facilities.
• Arts Program Comprehensive visual arts and performing arts education including music, band, percussion ensemble, and annual Spring Art Show, with concert spaces for performances.
• Flexible Tuition Program Tuition assistance program providing financial support to over half of students, with twice the budget allocation to flexible tuition compared to peer schools, using Clarity platform for applications. Approximately $3 million in flexible tuition awards and ~$5 million in 2026-2027 financial assistance awards.
• Social-Emotional Learning Program Curriculum incorporating People Power Skills in Lower School and Advisory programs in Middle School, focusing on building healthy relationships, collaboration, and personal independence.
• Technology & Digital Citizenship Program Technology integration program with personal device policies, digital pledges, and focus on developing responsible digital citizens with healthy relationships with technology. Students pledge not to have smartphones or smartwatches with open internet access and no personal social media accounts.
• High School Placement Counseling Placement services for Eighth Grade students including August meetings, application support, mock interviews, and connections to independent, parochial, public, and charter high schools. 92% of students attend their first-choice high school.
• The Center for Transformative Education Program focused on educational justice, student agency, and community engaged learning, led by Director of Equity & Belonging with staff including Community Engaged Learning Coordinator.

Quantifiable outcome

• 92% of students attend their first-choice high school
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)coreOthersMember of NAIS, a membership organization for independent schools providing resources, advocacy, and professional development.
• California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS)coreOthersMember of CAIS, the regional accrediting and membership organization for independent schools in California.
• Episcopal Schools AssociationcoreOthersAffiliated with Episcopal Schools Association, reflecting the school's Anglican/Episcopal identity and educational philosophy.
• St. Paul's Episcopal ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLongstanding partnership with the Church providing chapel, spiritual education, and community connection since the school's founding in 1975.
• Lake MerrittcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExtensive use of Lake Merritt park for outdoor learning, field studies, environmental education, and athletics.
• ClaritycoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party platform used for flexible tuition applications and financial need assessment calculations.
• BASIC FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExternal scholarship program for low-income families that may supplement flexible tuition awards.
• RavennacoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline application platform used for admissions applications, event registration, and applicant communication.
• YMCAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwim program partnership - Kindergarten, first, and second graders swim once weekly at nearby YMCA facility.
• Fairyland in OaklandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst Grade field trips and nature exploration activities at Fairyland in Oakland.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/StPaulsEpiscopalSchoolOakland
• Instagraminstagram.com/stpaulsoakland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 St. Paul's Episcopal School