Charter School Associates

What Charter School Associates does

Charter School Associates (CSA) is a private, for-profit education management organization that operates a network of tuition-free public charter schools across Florida. Founded in 2003 by Michael Strader and headquartered in Coral Springs, FL, the company manages 21 schools across 16 campuses in six Florida counties (Miami-Dade, Broward, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Brevard, and Glades), serving students from Kindergarten through 12th grade. CSA provides centralized oversight and management services including curriculum implementation, staff development, assessment and data analysis, payroll, personnel and employee benefits management, and financial accounting for its network of schools.

CSA's academic platform is built on the Cambridge International curriculum (University of Cambridge) and Cognia accreditation, with differentiated programs including the AICE (Advanced International Certificate of Education) diploma pathway, which enables students to earn up to 45 hours of college credit at Florida public universities. The technology stack is composed primarily of third-party SaaS platforms: PowerSchool for student enrollment and lottery management, ADP Workforce Now for recruitment and HR, Finalsite for website infrastructure, and MySchoolBucks for cafeteria payments. CSA does not appear to develop proprietary technology; rather, it integrates best-of-breed K-12 operational tools.

CSA's revenue model is per-pupil state funding from Florida, classified as recurring subscription-equivalent revenue tied to enrollment. As charter schools, CSA operates under performance contracts with sponsoring school districts, with no tuition charged to families. The go-to-market is community-led: open enrollment with a lottery system when applications exceed capacity, with preference given to siblings, children of employees, and active-duty military families. The company also operates a sales-led motion for teacher recruitment via ADP Workforce Now. The organization has 1,001–5,000 employees and is family-operated, with Strader family members in key leadership positions.

Name

Charter School Associates

Legal name

Charter School Associates, Inc.

Website

https://charterschoolassociates.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Charter School Associates is a private education management organization that operates 21 tuition-free public charter schools across six Florida counties, serving K-12 students under Cambridge International curriculum and Cognia accreditation, funded by state per-pupil appropriations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Charter School Education Management

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter School Networks (Multi-Site) (EDAJACAC)

Keywords

• K-12 education
• Charter school management
• Public charter schools
• STEM education
• Cambridge curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Coral Springs

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Per-Pupil Funding: As a public charter school network, CSA schools receive per-pupil funding from the state of Florida based on enrollment. Charter schools are tuition-free and open to all students, funded through public education appropriations.
2. Uniform Sales (Third-party): School uniforms are mandatory and must be ordered from iUniforms.com, an external vendor. This represents a pass-through revenue for school supplies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Charter School Associates operates a network of tuition-free public charter schools delivering K-12 education across 16 campuses in six Florida counties. CSA provides full education management services including curriculum implementation, staff development, assessment and data analysis, payroll, personnel and employee benefits management, and financial accounting for its schools. Student enrollment is conducted through open enrollment and a lottery system when applications exceed available seats.

Product overview

Charter School Associates (CSA) operates as an education management organization offering a platform of tuition-free public charter schools across Florida. The portfolio consists of 18 individual charter school brands spanning K-12 education, organized into elementary (K-5), middle (6-8), and high school (9-12) programs. The schools share a common infrastructure including Cambridge International Curriculum for college preparation and Cognia accreditation. CSA provides full management services encompassing curriculum implementation, staff development, payroll, and operational support across its school network. Individual school brands (such as Bell Creek Academy, Riverview Academy, and Hillsborough Academy) operate as distinct schools but share centralized administrative services, academic programs (Cambridge, STEM), and accreditation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advantage Academy of Hillsborough K-8 tuition-free public charter school serving the Hillsborough County area with focus on academic excellence and STEM education.
• Bell Creek Academy 6-12 tuition-free public charter school offering middle school (grades 6-8) and high school (grades 9-12) education with AICE college prep program.
• Channelside Academy of Math and Science K-8 tuition-free public charter school focused on mathematics and science education.
• Doral International Academy of Math and Science K-8 tuition-free public charter school serving the Miami-Dade County area.
• Everglades Preparatory Academy 6-12 tuition-free public charter school offering middle and high school education with focus on STEM and college preparation.
• Hillsborough Academy of Math and Science K-8 tuition-free public charter school awarded Cognia STEM Certification for excellence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.
• Independence Academy K-8 tuition-free public charter school serving students in Hillsborough County.
• Palm Glades Preparatory Academy 6-12 tuition-free public charter school offering middle and high school education in Miami-Dade County.
• Pinellas Academy of Math and Science K-8 tuition-free public charter school serving Pinellas County with focus on mathematics and science curriculum.
• Riverview Academy of Math and Science K-12 tuition-free public charter school offering elementary, middle, and high school education in Hillsborough County.
• Summerville Advantage Academy K-5 tuition-free public charter school serving elementary students in Miami-Dade County.
• Sunlake Academy of Math and Science K-8 tuition-free public charter school focused on STEM education in Hillsborough County.
• The Charter School at Waterstone K-5 tuition-free public charter school serving elementary students in Miami-Dade County.
• Valrico Academy K-5 tuition-free public charter school serving elementary students in Hillsborough County.
• Viera Charter School K-8 tuition-free public charter school serving Brevard County.
• West Broward Academy K-8 tuition-free public charter school serving Broward County.

Named customers16 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

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cambridge InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCambridge International, part of the University of Cambridge, provides the Cambridge Pathway curriculum for students ages 5-19. CSA schools implement Cambridge curriculum including AICE (Advanced International Certificate of Education) program. Students can earn up to 45 hours of college credit at all Florida public universities through AICE courses.
• CogniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCognia is a leading global education accreditation institution recognized for its approach to continuous improvement. CSA is an accredited education management system by Cognia. All CSA schools are Cognia accredited, meeting rigorous research-based standards in Leadership Capacity, Learning Capacity, and Resource Capacity.
• Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA)minorOthersFHSAA governs athletic competitions for Florida high schools. CSA high schools participate in FHSAA athletic programs.
• PowerSchoolcoreTechnology or IntegrationPowerSchool provides enrollment and registration platform for CSA schools. Families use PowerSchool portal for student enrollment applications and lottery registration for the 2026-2027 school year.
• ADP Workforce NowcoreTechnology or IntegrationADP provides human resources and recruitment platform for CSA. Job applications and recruitment for all CSA schools are processed through ADP Workforce Now portal.
• iUniformsminorOthersiUniforms.com is the designated vendor for school uniforms. All CSA students are required to wear school uniforms purchased through this vendor.

Scale indicators4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• EdisonLearning: Education management provider offering K-12 charter and alternative school services. Comparable as a management-organization peer delivering centralized education services rather than operating standalone schools only.
• BASIS Charter Schools: A charter school network recognized for STEM- and college-prep-oriented curriculum. BASIS overlaps with CSA's STEM/Cambridge differentiation and competitive academic positioning.
• Charter Schools USA: One of the largest U.S. charter school management organizations with a meaningful Florida footprint. CSUSA competes for the same charter approvals and family enrollees, mirroring CSA's full-service education management structure.
• National Heritage Academies: A national for-profit charter management organization operating K-8 schools. NHA is comparable as a scaled CMO providing centralized curriculum, HR, and operational services to schools under per-pupil public funding.
• The Leona Group: Charter school management company operating tuition-free public charter schools across multiple states. Comparable as a CMO peer scaling multi-site charter operations under public funding.
• Imagine Schools: National non-profit charter management organization operating tuition-free public charter schools. Comparable to CSA in delivering a centralized education platform across multiple campuses funded by per-pupil allocations.
• KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program): One of the largest U.S. charter school networks operating a multi-region K-12 network under a centralized operating model. KIPP is comparable as a scaled network sharing tuition-free, publicly funded K-12 charter operations.
• Academica: Florida-based charter school management organization operating multiple K-12 charter schools across the state. Academica is the most directly comparable Florida peer, sharing CSA's multi-campus charter operating model and reliance on state per-pupil funding.
• Mosaica Education: Charter management organization serving K-12 charter schools. Mosaica is comparable as a CMO peer providing centralized management, curriculum, and operations to charter campuses.

Others

• Cognia: Global education accreditation and certification body partnering with CSA to accredit all of its schools. Cognia is an enabling ecosystem participant—a critical vendor/certifier rather than a competing operator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@charterschoolassociates
• Facebookfacebook.com/charterschoolassociates
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/charter-school-associates
• Instagraminstagram.com/charterschoolassociates
• Xx.com/csaschools

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries17 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 Charter School Associates