Upper Arlington Schools

What Upper Arlington Schools does

Upper Arlington Schools is a public K-12 school district headquartered in Upper Arlington, Ohio (a suburb of Columbus in Franklin County), serving more than 6,700 preK-12 students through ten schools: Burbank Early Childhood School (including a tuition-funded preschool with a waiting list), five elementary schools (Barrington, Greensview, Tremont, Wickliffe Progressive, and Windermere), two middle schools (Hastings and Jones), and a single high school (Upper Arlington High School), plus the UA Online Academy. The district operates a 1:1 device program across all K-12 classrooms and runs an integrated administrative and instructional technology stack built on PowerSchool (student information), PaySchools Central (payments), Canvas / Instructure (learning management), Finalsite (website and communications), BoardDocs (board governance), PublicSchoolWorks (safety reporting), Applitrack/Frontline (staff recruitment), and Google Translate for multilingual access. Specialty programs are anchored at the UA Hub at 1950 North Mallway Drive, including the College Jumpstart Microschool, Innovations in Medicine & Biotechnology, and the UC Early IT Program in partnership with the University of Cincinnati.

Upper Arlington Schools is a government entity with no equity ownership, governed by a five-member elected Board of Education. Operating revenue is sourced primarily from local property tax levies (most recently a 3.75-mill operating levy in 2017 and a fall 2022 operating levy; a 4.9-mill operating levy is proposed for the November 2026 ballot) combined with Ohio state foundation aid and federal funding. Capital funding flows from voter-approved bond issues (a $230 million bond in November 2017 at 5.17 mills of debt service; a proposed $273.5 million bond for November 2026 at an estimated additional 2.25 mills), augmented by ancillary revenue from facility rentals, catering services through Nutritional Services, and private donations through the Upper Arlington Legacy Capital Campaign ($8.5 million raised with 395 donors, the largest private fundraising effort in district history). The Phase One Facilities Master Plan ($230 million) was completed on schedule and on budget in August 2021, delivering the new 395,000-square-foot high school plus five new or renovated elementary schools; the Phase Two plan is now in pre-ballot phase.

The district positions itself as a 'lighthouse district' with a whole-child philosophy spanning academics, arts, athletics, service learning, and well-being (including a 988 Lifeline partnership and Hope Squad), supported by extensive community engagement processes (Listen Learn Lead with nearly 1,700 participants, 8,500+ phase two stakeholder touchpoints) and recognized through the 2025-2030 Excellence & Innovation Strategic Plan. Strategic priorities include modernizing the remaining three aging facilities (Hastings, Jones, and Burbank) and expanding specialized and online programming to serve a growing, landlocked enrollment base.

Name

Upper Arlington Schools

Legal name

Upper Arlington Schools

Website

https://uaschools.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1918

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Upper Arlington Schools is a public K-12 school district in Upper Arlington, Ohio (suburb of Columbus), serving 6,700+ preK-12 students across ten schools and the UA Online Academy, funded primarily by voter-approved property tax levies and bond issues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public K-12 Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Elementary Schools (EDAJAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public High Schools (EDAJAAAD), Play-Based Early Learning Academies (EDACADAE)

Keywords

• Public K-12 education
• Primary and secondary education
• Online K-12 academy
• Early childhood preschool
• Special education services

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Property tax levies and bond issues: Primary funding from local property tax levies approved by voters. Includes recurring operating levies (most recent 3.75-mill passed November 2017; 4.9-mill proposed for November 2026) and capital bond issues ($230M passed 2017; $273.5M proposed for November 2026 for phase two facilities). Bond millage of 5.17 mills supported phase one; an estimated 2.25 mill increase is proposed for phase two.
2. Tuition-funded preschool: Tuition-funded preschool program operated at Burbank Early Childhood School alongside the federally required preschool program for students with special education needs. Demand exceeds capacity, with a waiting list noted in the master plan.
3. Facility rentals and catering services: School district rents its facilities to outside groups and provides catering services through Nutritional Services, generating ancillary revenue.
4. Private capital campaign donations: Philanthropic revenue from private donors via the Upper Arlington Legacy Capital Campaign. Initial $7.5M goal was reached in April 2021, ultimately raising $8.5M with over 70 donors receiving naming rights and 395 donors total. The largest private fundraising effort in district history, supplementing public bond funds.
5. State and federal education funding: Standard public school district funding from Ohio state foundation aid and federal programs, including COVID-19 funding tracked by the Treasurer's office.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Upper Arlington Schools is a public K-12 school district that delivers preschool through 12th-grade education to more than 6,700 students in Upper Arlington, Ohio. The district operates ten schools (one early childhood school, five elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school), plus a fully online UA Online Academy and the UA Hub learning space for specialized programs such as the College Jumpstart Microschool, Innovations in Medicine & Biotechnology, and the UC Early IT Program. The district also offers tuition-funded preschool, gifted and special education services, and support programs for multilingual learners.

Product overview

Upper Arlington Schools operates a single, unified K-12 public school district platform composed of distinct school-level sub-brands (Burbank Early Childhood School, five elementary schools — Barrington, Greensview, Tremont, Wickliffe Progressive, and Windermere — two middle schools — Hastings and Jones — and Upper Arlington High School) layered with two alternative-delivery modules: the UA Online Academy (virtual K-12) and the UA Hub (a centralized platform bundling Summer Academy and other community programs). Together these named products form a continuous PK-12 experience anchored by the district's core academic offerings and supported by its parent/student portals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Golden Bears: The official mascot/athletic identity of Upper Arlington Schools and Upper Arlington High School.
• UA Online Academy
• UA Hub
• Summer Academy

Products and services

• Upper Arlington City School District (PreK-12 public education) Overarching K-12 public school district serving the City of Upper Arlington, Ohio, operating multiple elementary, middle, and high schools along with alternative and online programs. Serves more than 6,700 preK-12 students.
• Burbank Early Childhood School Early childhood center at 4770 Burbank Drive that serves the district's youngest learners, operating both a tuition-funded preschool program and a federally required preschool program for students with special education needs. Demand exceeds capacity with a waiting list.
• Greensview Elementary School Neighborhood elementary school at 4301 Greensview Drive serving the Greensview attendance area (K-5). New building opened Fall 2020.
• Windermere Elementary School Neighborhood elementary school at 4101 Windermere Road serving the Windermere attendance area (K-5). New building opened Fall 2021.
• Tremont Elementary School Neighborhood elementary school at 2900 Tremont Road serving the Tremont attendance area (K-5). Renovated and reopened Fall 2020.
• Barrington Elementary School Neighborhood elementary school at 1780 Barrington Road serving the Barrington attendance area. Also offers an alternative progressive program. New addition and renovation completed Fall 2021.
• Wickliffe Progressive Elementary School School of choice at 2405 Wickliffe Road offering an alternative progressive elementary program with no fixed attendance boundary, drawing from the Greensview, Tremont, and Windermere attendance areas. New building opened Fall 2020.
• Hastings Middle School Middle school at 1850 Hastings Lane serving grades 6-8 within the Greensview and Windermere attendance area feeder pattern. Targeted for rebuild in the phase two master plan.
• Jones Middle School Middle school at 2100 Arlington Avenue serving grades 6-8 within the Barrington and Tremont attendance area feeder pattern. The original 1923 three-story structure is to be retained and renovated as part of the phase two master plan.
• Upper Arlington High School Comprehensive public high school at 1625 Zollinger Road serving grades 9-12, offering college preparatory academics, athletics, and extracurriculars. Home to 147 state championship teams. New 395,000 sq ft building opened Fall 2021.
• UA Online Academy Fully online K-12 academy alternative with its own program of studies, building leadership, policies, and academic options, including middle school and high school course catalogs.
• UA Hub learning ecosystem District-run learning space and office space at 1950 North Mallway Drive housing specialized programs such as the College Jumpstart Microschool, Innovations in Medicine & Biotechnology Program, and the UC Early IT Program.
• School-Age Child Care Department-managed school-age child care program operated by the district with its own building contacts and registration process.
• Catering Services Catering services provided through the Nutritional Services department, generating ancillary revenue.
• Facility Rentals School facilities and grounds rented to outside groups through the Operations department, generating ancillary revenue.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6,700+ preK-12 students served
• +4 more outcomes

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• City of Upper ArlingtonflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with the City of Upper Arlington across multiple initiatives. Board of Education meetings take place in the Council Chamber of the City's Municipal Services Center at 3600 Tremont Road. The City and the School District are jointly building a park-like Pleasant Litchford memorial on the high school site. Phase two master planning references continued collaboration with the City on facilities decisions.
• Upper Arlington Education FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent foundation supporting Upper Arlington Schools through grant programs, the annual Golden Bear Bash, and other fundraising. The Foundation is linked from the District site and works closely with the District on enrichment programs.
• Upper Arlington Alumni AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlumni network operating the bearalums.com platform in coordination with the District, including the annual UAHS Alumni Open House and the UAHS Marching Band 4th of July Preview.
• The Ohio State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple OSU affiliations across the community and Board: Board members Jenny McKenna, Liz George Stump, and Nidhi Satiani are OSU alumni; Nidhi Satiani also serves on the Ohio State Mortar Board Alumni Council. The College Jumpstart Microschool at the UA Hub is an early-college pathway. OSU's relationship as an institution of higher learning supports the district's college-readiness mission.
• University of Cincinnati (UC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperates the UC Early IT Program at the UA Hub, providing Upper Arlington students with early exposure to information technology career pathways through a University of Cincinnati partnership.
• FinalsitecoreTechnology or IntegrationProvides the official website platform (uaschools.org) and the underlying communications, content, and forms infrastructure for the District. Site is marked 'Powered by Finalsite' in the footer.
• PowerSchoolcoreTechnology or IntegrationProvides the Student Information System used across the District for student records, grades, and the family/student portal; linked from the Students & Families navigation as a Popular Link.
• PaySchools CentralcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline school payments platform for families (lunch, fees, etc.); linked from the Students & Families navigation as a Popular Link.
• Canvas (Instructure)coreTechnology or IntegrationLearning Management System used for online coursework, including the UA Online Academy. District issued communications in May 2026 about a Canvas security breach.
• BoardDocscoreTechnology or IntegrationHosts the official Board of Education policies, meeting agendas, minutes, and presentations for Upper Arlington Schools (go.boarddocs.com/oh/upar).
• Perkins + Will (now Perkins&Will)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEducational adequacy assessment and master plan design partner for the phase one facilities master planning process, including the Districtwide Educational Adequacy Report and the Master Plan Recommendation reports.
• Moody Nolan / Turner ConstructioncoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPrepared the Districtwide Physical Assessment (Executive Summary and Full Report) for phase one of the facilities master planning process, and the updated phase two physical assessments in January 2025 for Burbank, Hastings, and Jones.
• Planning AdvocatesminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPrepared enrollment reports and projections (November 2015, August 2016) for the phase one facilities master planning process.
• The PAST FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard member Lori Trent is the development guru for The PAST Foundation. The PAST Foundation and Upper Arlington Schools have a connection through the STEM Advisory Committee and other civic initiatives; PAST is a Columbus-area STEM and innovation organization.
• Discover Financial ServicesminorOthersBoard Vice President Liz George Stump is a department manager in customer service at Discover Financial Services. The connection to the district is through board representation; this is a personal employer affiliation, not a formal district partnership.
• Franklin County Public HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard member Nidhi Satiani is launching a Community Health Action Team in Upper Arlington in partnership with Franklin County Public Health, supporting student and family wellness initiatives connected to the district's well-being focus.
• Erase the SpaceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBoard member Nidhi Satiani serves on the Board of Directors for Erase the Space, an organization working to bridge racial and cultural divides through conversations and community programs.
• Columbus Metropolitan ClubminorOthersBoard member Nidhi Satiani serves on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee of the Columbus Metropolitan Club; connection to the district is through civic leadership representation.
• Seeds of CaringminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBoard member Nidhi Satiani leads service activities with the Broad Street Food Pantry through Seeds of Caring, supporting student service learning and community engagement.
• Financial Advisory Board (FAB)coreOthersVolunteer advisory body of community residents with expertise in facilities, construction, and finances. The FAB issued findings reports in February 2026 (phase two) and 2017 (phase one) informing the scope, implementation schedule, and funding for the master plan.
• Productivity and Efficiency Work GroupcoreOthersCommunity volunteer group formed during the 2014 strategic planning process that studied the efficiency and productivity of the district and identified aging facilities as the biggest concern. The group's recommendation launched the facilities master planning process.
• Facilities Task ForcecoreOthersTeam of twelve community members with expertise in construction, law, real estate, and business, providing oversight and a community voice in the implementation of the facilities master planning process.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Dublin City School District: Adjacent Columbus-area suburban K-12 district serving a similarly affluent, high-growth community. Directly comparable in scale (~16,000+ students), academic profile, and dependence on voter-approved property tax levies for facilities modernization.
• Worthington City School District: Columbus-area suburban K-12 public district with comparable enrollment (~10,000) and similar demographic profile. Comparable on property-tax funding model and facilities master planning approach.
• New Albany-Plain Local School District: Affluent Franklin County suburban K-12 district east of Columbus with similar per-pupil resources, high state report-card performance, and a recent track record of voter-approved capital improvements for facility modernization.
• Hilliard City School District: Large suburban Columbus-area K-12 district with comparable reliance on property tax levies and bond issues for capital projects; serves a similar mix of residential demographics in northwest Franklin County.
• Bexley City School District: Inner-ring Columbus suburb K-12 district with similar student-body demographics, small-district scale, and reliance on local property tax levies; comparable on academic reputation and per-pupil funding.
• Grandview Heights City School District: Small, high-performing Columbus inner-suburb K-12 district. Comparable as a small, geographically constrained, high-achieving Ohio public school district with strong community engagement.
• Olentangy Local School District: Large, high-growth suburban Columbus-area K-12 district. Comparable on voter-approved bond/levy campaigns for major facilities investment and academic performance benchmarks.

Regional players

• Granville Exempted Village Schools: Central Ohio K-12 district in Licking County with a similarly affluent demographic base and strong academic reputation; comparable on per-pupil funding dynamics and Ohio facilities planning processes.

Others

• Upper Arlington City (municipality): The municipality whose residents form the district's tax base and primary enrollment pool. Not a peer in the operational sense but the most direct partner/funder relationship, with shared facilities (Council Chamber, Bob Crane Center) and the joint Pleasant Litchford memorial project.
• Powerschool Group (PowerSchool): Vendor providing UAS's Student Information System. Not a comparable operator, but the dominant K-12 SIS platform; comparable on customer base (US K-12 districts) and as a proxy for the broader K-12 EdTech ecosystem in which UAS participates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UA_Schools
• YouTubeyoutube.com/UpperArlingtonSchoolsOH
• Facebookfacebook.com/UpperArlingtonSchools
• Instagraminstagram.com/ua_schools
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/upper-arlington-city-schools

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries12 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 Upper Arlington Schools