Mariana Bracetti Academy

What Mariana Bracetti Academy does

Mariana Bracetti Academy Charter School (MBA) is a public charter school located at 1840 Torresdale Ave. in the Frankford neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1999 and operating continuously since, MBA delivers K-12 education across three vertically integrated academies — Elementary (Grades K-5), Junior (Grades 6-8), and Senior (Grades 9-12) — serving approximately 1,500 students drawn primarily from the surrounding Philadelphia community. The school reports a 95% graduation rate, a 72% rate of graduate placement into two- or four-year post-secondary programs, and $10.5 million in scholarship funding earned by the Class of 2025; its academic offering includes 10 Advanced Placement courses and standardized-test preparation for PSSA and Keystone Exams, complemented by a 25-activity athletics and extracurricular program competing in the PIAA Philadelphia Public League.

The institution's revenue model is per-pupil charter funding from the School District of Philadelphia, supplemented by federal and state grants. MBA is tuition-free, governed by a Board of Trustees, and led by CEO Angela Villani and CAO Jana Somma, with a 51-100 employee administrative and instructional staff. The core technology stack consists of PowerSchool for student information management and Class Dojo for parent communication — both commodity K-12 administrative platforms — and the school has no disclosed AI/ML, proprietary technology, or API surface.

MBA's go-to-market is open enrollment via its website (mbacs.org), supplemented by community outreach through Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube. Strategic partnerships include a core community-services collaboration with Frankford CDC (Project P.A.W.S.), a cooperative athletic partnership with Kensington HS, equipment-donor relationships with four athletic nonprofits, and Cramer's Uniforms as the authorized uniform vendor. The school has earned the Pennsylvania Department of Education Philadelphia Peer Leader designation (2016, 2017), U.S. News & World Report Best High School Silver (2024), Philadelphia Magazine Top Schools (2024), and the Anti-Defamation League's No Place for Hate designation (2024-2025). No parent company, private equity ownership, or external funding rounds are disclosed.

Name

Mariana Bracetti Academy

Legal name

Mariana Bracetti Academy Charter School

Website

https://mbacs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Mariana Bracetti Academy Charter School is a public K-12 charter school in Philadelphia's Frankford neighborhood, serving approximately 1,500 students across Elementary, Junior, and Senior academies via per-pupil district funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Charter School Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter College-Prep & Advanced Academics Schools (EDAJACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Charter Special Education & Inclusive Programs (EDAJACAF)

Keywords

• K-12 charter education
• College preparatory programs
• Public charter school
• Elementary secondary education
• Interscholastic athletics programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

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 Charter School Funding: As a public charter school, MBA receives per-pupil funding from the School District of Philadelphia based on enrollment. Additional funding comes from federal and state grants.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Mariana Bracetti Academy is a K-12 public charter school delivering tuition-free education across three academies: Elementary (Grades K-5), Junior (Grades 6-8), and Senior (Grades 9-12). The school offers 10 Advanced Placement courses, standardized test preparation (PSSA, Keystone Exams), college and career planning services, special education programs, and more than 25 sports and extracurricular activities competing in the PIAA Philadelphia Public League. As a public charter school, enrollment is open to all Philadelphia residents.

Product overview

Mariana Bracetti Academy Charter School is a K-12 public charter school operating three academic academies: Elementary Academy (K-5), Junior Academy (6-8), and Senior Academy (9-12). The school supplements its core academic programs with a comprehensive athletics department competing in PIAA Philadelphia Public League. The institution focuses on preparing students for college and career success through a structured academic pathway complemented by extracurricular and athletic opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Elementary Academy: K-5 educational division of Mariana Bracetti Academy Charter School
• Junior Academy
• Senior Academy

Products and services

• Elementary Academy (Grades K-5)
• Junior Academy (Grades 6-8)
• Senior Academy (Grades 9-12)
• Bracetti Athletics

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% graduation rate
• +3 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• Operation Warm and FlysupportingOthersPartner providing sports bras for female student athletes to ensure comfortable and confident participation in athletics.
• Leveling the Playing FieldsupportingOthersPartner providing essential equipment for both coaching staff and student athletes, helping remove barriers and strengthen access across all athletic teams.
• Students Run Philly StylesupportingOthersPartner supporting running groups by providing running shoes, allowing students to train and compete safely.
• Beat the Streets PhiladelphiasupportingOthersCritical partner for wrestling programs, supplying shoes, headgear, and additional coaching support to help athletes develop and succeed.
• Frankford CDCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary community partner and distribution hub for Project P.A.W.S. (Providing Assistance With Support), a community service initiative providing essential care and comfort items to individuals and families in need throughout the Frankford neighborhood.
• Kensington HS (Co-op Partners)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative partnership for football, boys soccer, and girls soccer programs allowing students to participate in sports not offered at MBA.
• Cramer's UniformssupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized uniform vendor for MBA school uniforms, located at 4628 Frankford Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19124.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Wissahickon Charter School: Philadelphia-area K-12 charter with comparable academic and extracurricular programming, competing in the same regional charter marketplace.
• Mastery Schools: Largest Philadelphia-based K-12 charter network operating multiple campuses across the city, directly competing with MBA for the same Philadelphia student pool and per-pupil funding.
• KIPP Philadelphia Charter School: K-12 college-prep charter operator in Philadelphia with a similar mission of preparing students for college, competing in the same catchment and lottery-driven admissions environment.
• ASPIRA Inc. of Pennsylvania: Operates charter schools in Philadelphia serving similar K-12 student demographics, with overlapping bilingual and college-prep programming aimed at the same communities.
• Community Academy of Philadelphia: Philadelphia charter school serving K-12 students with a comparable college-prep focus and athletics-based student life model, drawing from overlapping applicant pools.
• Christopher Columbus Charter School: K-8 Philadelphia charter school operating under similar per-pupil public funding and serving the same citywide lottery applicant base.
• Independence Charter School: Philadelphia K-8 charter school drawing from the same citywide applicant pool and operating under the same School District of Philadelphia charter authorization framework.
• Freire Charter School: Philadelphia-based college-prep charter network with high school campuses serving similar student demographics and pursuing comparable graduation/post-secondary outcomes.

Broad incumbents

• School District of Philadelphia: The traditional public school system and MBA's charter authorizer; competes for the same Philadelphia K-12 students and sets the per-pupil funding rate that drives MBA's revenue.
• Archdiocese of Philadelphia Catholic Schools: Long-established K-12 private school network in Philadelphia offering tuition-based alternatives to both charter and district public schools, competing for the same urban family market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MarianaBracetti
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@marianabracettiacademy6806
• Facebookfacebook.com/MarianaBracettiAcademy
• Instagraminstagram.com/marianabracetti
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mariana-bracetti-academy-charter-school

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 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 Mariana Bracetti Academy