Urbana City Schools

What Urbana City Schools does

Urbana City Schools is a public K-12 school district serving Urbana, Ohio, and operating three schools: Urbana Elementary School (PK-5), Urbana Junior High School (6-8), and Urbana High School (9-12). Founded in 1849, the district is governed by an elected five-member Board of Education and employs 251-500 staff. Leadership transitioned in 2026 when Superintendent Charles Thiel retired after 29 years of service and Carla Shaw was selected as his successor. Operating sites include the central office at 711 Wood St, the combined Elementary/Junior High campus at 1673 South US 68, and the High School at 500A Washington Ave. The service area is restricted to the Urbana community in Champaign County, Ohio, with no enrolled students drawn from outside the legally defined attendance zone.

The district delivers a comprehensive PK-12 educational portfolio anchored by district-wide Project-Based Learning, the U Learn 1:1 device program that issues computer devices to all students in grades 5-12, and a Universal Free Breakfast program offered daily to every student. Career-technical education is delivered through an Advanced Manufacturing satellite program run jointly with Ohio Hi-Point Career Center. Supplemental programming includes the UJHS House System for middle-school belonging, the UES Run Club, show choir and handchime ensembles, visual arts K-12, and a 19-sport varsity athletics portfolio with 7 state team championships accumulated. Technology integrations include ProgressBook (student information system), ALEKS (adaptive math, grades 3-8), mCLASS (K-3 reading assessment), MAP Assessments, Follett Destiny (library management), Parchment (transcript requests), Pay Schools Central (fees and cafeteria payments), Nutrislice (menus), Google Calendar (athletics scheduling), Rooms (secure district-parent messaging), and Canva (video content), all surfaced through an Apptegy-hosted district website and iOS/Android mobile applications.

As a public entity, Urbana City Schools does not operate a for-profit revenue model. Funding flows from local property taxes, the voter-approved 1.0% earned income tax levy (approved May 5, 2026, effective 2027), and Ohio state education funding under the State Foundation Program. Limited fees apply to transportation and athletics (the athletic fee was set at $100 per student), while daily meals and summer food service are free for all students 18 and under. Recent fiscal moves include a three-year shared Treasurer/CFO services agreement with neighboring Graham Local Schools (effective August 1, 2026) under which Mandy Hildebrand serves both districts at equal cost share, signaling a regional cost-optimization strategy. In the 2026 performance year, Urbana High School received the Ohio Department of Education Momentum Award for improvement on the 2024-2025 Ohio School Report Cards, and the transportation supervisor received the OAPT Continuing Education Award.

Name

Urbana City Schools

Legal name

Urbana City Schools

Website

https://urbanacityschools.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

1849

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Urbana City Schools is a public K-12 district in Urbana, Ohio, operating three schools (PK-5, 6-8, 9-12) for local students. Programs include Project-Based Learning, a 1:1 device initiative, universal breakfast, career-technical education, and 19 varsity sports with 7 state championships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Public Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Elementary Schools (EDAJAAAB)

Keywords

• K-12 public education
• Elementary education
• Secondary education
• Career technical education
• Student transportation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Urbana

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Urbana City Schools is a public K-12 school district operating three schools — Urbana Elementary School (PK-5), Urbana Junior High School (6-8), and Urbana High School (9-12) — in Urbana, Ohio. The district provides comprehensive education services including core academics, career-technical training in advanced manufacturing through Ohio Hi-Point, universal free breakfast, summer food service, 1:1 device program for grades 5-12, and 19 varsity athletic programs alongside performing and visual arts.

Product overview

Urbana City Schools operates as a three-school public school district (PK-5 Elementary, 6-8 Junior High, 9-12 High School) serving Urbana, Ohio. The district provides a comprehensive portfolio of educational programs including core academics, career-technical education (Advanced Manufacturing via Ohio Hi-Point), and extensive extracurricular offerings (athletics with 19 varsity sports, performing arts, visual arts). The district utilizes technology platforms including Apptegy-powered website, ProgressBook SIS for parent/student portals, ALEKS for math instruction, and mCLASS for reading assessments. Key programs include the Universal Free Breakfast, U Learn 1:1 Device Program for grades 5-12, Project-Based Learning curriculum, and the UJHS House System for student engagement. Food services include both daily cafeteria meals and Summer Food Service Program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Urbana City Schools District Website

Quantifiable outcome

• 19 varsity sports offered across the district
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Graham Local SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 May 2026Three-year shared services agreement allowing both districts to share the services of a single Treasurer/Chief Financial Officer. Mandy Hildebrand serves as Treasurer/CFO for both districts, with costs shared equally. This creative approach protects services while reducing costs for local taxpayers.
• Nymeo Federal Credit UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 May 2026Nymeo FCU partnered with Urbana High School and Frederick County Public Schools to sponsor a Financial Reality Fair for nearly 200 students. The event provided hands-on financial education through interactive booths covering housing, transportation, groceries, utilities, and insurance, with surprise 'Mayhem' scenarios simulating unexpected expenses.
• Ohio Hi-Point Career CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUHS offers an Advanced Manufacturing Career-Tech program in collaboration with Ohio Hi-Point Career Center, providing students with technical skills and career pathway opportunities.
• Ohio Governor's Imagination LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership allowing children from birth to age five to receive a new book in the mail each month at no cost, supporting early childhood literacy development in the community.
• AramarkcoreOthersAramark provides food service for the district, managing cafeteria operations, daily meals, and summer food service programs. Michael Sibert serves as Food Service Director.
• Ohio Arts CouncilminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOhio Arts Council provided grant funding through the Big Yellow Bus Fund for transportation to the Springfield Symphony for the Carnegie Hall Link Up: The Orchestra Rocks program for 5th graders.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Graham Local Schools: Neighboring Champaign County, Ohio public K-12 district that directly partnered with Urbana City Schools on a three-year shared services agreement to share Treasurer/CFO Mandy Hildebrand starting August 2026. Highly comparable in size, geography, and operational scope, making it the closest direct peer.
• West Liberty-Salem Exempted Village Schools: Champaign County-area public K-12 district comparable in scale to Urbana City Schools (single high school feeder pattern with PK-12 structure, similar enrollment size band). Operates in the same county economic and demographic context and would be a natural candidate for future shared-services expansion.
• Bellefontaine City Schools: Logan County, Ohio public K-12 district serving the county seat of Bellefontaine with comparable enrollment, athletic offerings, and career-technical programming. Operates under the same Ohio school funding formula and accountability framework, making it a like-for-like size and structural peer.
• Benjamin Logan Local Schools: Rural-adjacent Logan County, Ohio public K-12 district of similar size and configuration with strong athletic traditions comparable to Urbana's 19 varsity sports and state championships. Shares the same west-central Ohio economic and demographic profile as Urbana City Schools.
• Mechanicsburg Exempted Village Schools: Small Champaign County, Ohio public K-12 district with a PK-12 single-school configuration similar to Urbana's three-school structure at smaller scale. Operates in the immediate surrounding geography and shares the same local tax base characteristics.
• Triad Local Schools: Public K-12 district operating across Champaign, Union, and Miami counties in Ohio with comparable enrollment scale and rural-suburban blend. Serves students in the same western Ohio labor market and faces similar funding and demographic dynamics as Urbana City Schools.
• Tecumseh Local Schools: Clark County, Ohio public K-12 district bordering Urbana with similar district size and configuration. Comparable in athletic, arts, and career-technical program scope, and operates under the same Ohio report card accountability regime.
• Miami Trace Local Schools: Fayette County, Ohio public K-12 district located in the adjacent county to Urbana's Champaign County. Comparable in scale, agricultural-community orientation, career-technical program offerings, and athletic prominence at the regional level.
• Springfield City School District: Larger urban public K-12 district in Clark County, Ohio serving the nearby Springfield metro area. Provides a peer reference for what a scaled-up K-12 district in the same west-central Ohio region looks like, and shares workforce and student-flow dynamics with Urbana.

Others

• Ohio Hi-Point Career Center: Regional career-technical education provider partnering with Urbana to deliver the Advanced Manufacturing Career-Tech program. Functions as an ecosystem partner rather than a competitor, supplying satellite CTE programming that high schools like Urbana offer to expand student career pathways.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/urbanaohschools
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@urbanacityschools3671
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/urbana-city-schools

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 Urbana City Schools