North Star Charter School

What North Star Charter School does

North Star Charter School (NSCS) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) public charter school founded in 2003 and headquartered in Eagle, Idaho. It operates as a tuition-free K-12 institution serving students across three academic divisions: Elementary (K-5), Middle School (6-8), and High School (9-12). The school is governed by a seven-seat Board of Directors comprising community members and parents, and operates independently with no parent company. NSCS operates two campuses: a K-8 campus at 839 N. Linder Road in Eagle, Idaho, and a newly opened dedicated high school campus at 8900 N Horseshoe Bend Road in Boise, Idaho, launched for the Fall 2025-26 school year.

The school delivers a college-preparatory curriculum with an emphasis on business and economics across all K-12 grade levels, supported by dual-credit articulation agreements with the College of Western Idaho (enabling associate's degree attainment) and Northwest Nazarene University. Supporting programs include athletics (volleyball, cross country, football, basketball, baseball, golf, track, and ski/snowboard), special education services across K-12, counseling, and student clubs (Student Council, Mountain Bike Club, DECA, Business Professionals of America). The underlying technology stack consists of general educational technology infrastructure and a PowerSchool-based online enrollment and lottery portal, with no proprietary technology assets disclosed.

NSCS generates revenue primarily through Idaho state per-pupil funding tied to average daily attendance, supplemented by an Idaho education tax-credit donation program (up to $1,000 individual / $2,000 married / $10,000 corporate), a $500,000 'Charting the Course' capital campaign for facility improvements, and minor fee-based services (parking permits, activity fees). Student acquisition occurs through a public lottery with tiered admissions prioritizing staff/founder children, siblings of enrolled students, and students residing within defined geographic boundary zones. The school is recognized by the Washington Post as one of America's most challenging high schools and ranks among Idaho's top five for average ACT and SAT scores, with a Go On rate 20% above the state average.

Name

North Star Charter School

Legal name

North Star Charter School

Website

https://northstarcharter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

North Star Charter School is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) public charter school founded in 2003 in Eagle, Idaho, offering tuition-free K-12 college-preparatory education across two campuses in Eagle and Boise, funded primarily by Idaho per-pupil state appropriations and supplementary tax-credit donations and fundraising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Public Charter Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Independent Charter Schools (Single-Site) (EDAJACAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Charter Career & Technical Education (CTE) Schools (EDAJACAK)

Keywords

• K-12 charter education
• College preparatory curriculum
• Public charter school
• Tuition-free education
• Character development program

Headquarters

HQ city

Eagle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. State Per-Pupil Funding: As a public charter school, NSCS receives state funding based on average daily attendance and enrollment figures from the Idaho State Department of Education.
2. Idaho Education Tax Credits: The school leverages Idaho's unique education tax credit program where individual donors can receive up to 50% tax credit on gifts up to $1,000, married couples up to $2,000, and corporations up to $10,000.
3. Annual Fund / Capital Campaign: Charting the Course Campaign seeking $500,000 for facility improvements including bathrooms, outdoor pavilion, science lab, office space, and locker rooms.
4. Fee-based Services: Revenue from optional services including parking permits, activity fees, and educational materials as documented in financial information pages.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

North Star Charter School is a tuition-free K-12 public charter school founded in 2003 in Eagle, Idaho, delivering college preparatory education across Elementary (K-5), Middle School (6-8), and High School (9-12) divisions. The school emphasizes business and economics curriculum across all grade levels alongside character development, dual credit opportunities, athletics, and student clubs, serving students and families through a lottery-based public admission system.

Product overview

North Star Charter School is a K-12 public charter school (founded 2003) offering a unified educational program across three academic divisions: Elementary (K-5), Middle School (6-8), and High School (9-12). The school provides a college preparatory curriculum with emphasis on business and economics across all grade levels. Supporting programs include athletics (middle and high school), special education services, counseling, student clubs (Student Council, Mountain Bike Club, DECA, BPA), and administrative services including PowerSchool-based enrollment and lottery admissions. The school operates from two campuses: the K-8 campus at 839 N. Linder Road in Eagle, ID, and the high school campus at 8900 N Horseshoe Bend Road in Boise, ID.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• K-5 Elementary School Program K-5 elementary school program providing a safe and accelerated learning environment with advanced curriculum, enrichment opportunities for reading and math, a 'Teach to the top' philosophy supporting all students, and full-day kindergarten.
• 6-8 Middle School Program Middle school program (grades 6-8) structured to assist students in the transition from elementary to high school with modified block schedules, electives including choir, drama, art, wilderness survival, and introduction to school sports and clubs.
• 9-12 High School Program College preparatory high school program (grades 9-12) offering rigorous academics, dual enrollment opportunities with College of Western Idaho for associate's degree, and a small school environment with high teacher-to-student ratio. Electives include art, advanced fitness, computer science, marketing, PE, and wilderness survival.
• Athletics Program Comprehensive athletics program for middle and high school students including volleyball, cross country, football, basketball, baseball, golf, track, and ski/snowboard teams.
• Special Education Services Special education services for students with diverse learning needs including elementary K-5 special education, secondary special education, and extended resource room support.
• Student Clubs Program Various student clubs including Student Council, Mountain Bike Club, DECA, and Business Professionals of America (BPA) for leadership development and business skill building.
• PowerSchool Enrollment Portal Online enrollment and registration system using PowerSchool for lottery applications, student registration, and ongoing enrollment management.
• Lottery-based Admissions Public lottery-based admission process with tiered prioritization for children of full-time staff/founders, siblings of enrolled students, and in-boundary vs. out-of-boundary students.

Quantifiable outcome

• Idaho's Top Five ACT and SAT scores ranking
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• College of Western Idaho (CWI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with College of Western Idaho enabling high school students to obtain an associate's degree through dual credit classes, providing college-level coursework while still in high school.
• Northwest Nazarene UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing dual credit opportunities for North Star students through Northwest Nazarene University.
• Brown BuscoreOthersTransportation vendor providing school bus services. Contract runs from 2025-2030. Bus routes cover elementary and secondary students.
• Optimist Youth Sports ComplexminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated adjacent to the new high school campus, providing convenient access to athletic facilities for North Star students.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sage International School of Boise: Boise-area K-12 public charter school providing International Baccalaureate and college-preparatory curriculum, directly comparable to North Star in scale, governance (lottery admission), and Treasure Valley market.
• Eagle Academy (Treasure Valley Charter): Indicative Eagle-area Treasure Valley charter school competitor serving K-8 students in the same Eagle, Idaho market as North Star's elementary and middle school campus.
• Boise Charter School (Imagine Learning / Various Boise Charters): Boise-area public charter school (illustrative of broader Boise-area charter competition) targeting families seeking alternative K-12 education, directly overlapping North Star's market.
• Anser Charter School: Boise-based K-8 public charter school utilizing lottery-based admission and project-based learning, serving the same Treasure Valley community as North Star.

Broad incumbents

• Boise School District (Public K-12): Largest K-12 public district in the same Treasure Valley market, providing traditional public school alternative against which North Star competes for families.
• Hawaii Technology Academy Public Charter School: Larger multi-site public charter with rigorous K-12 academics and dual-credit opportunities, illustrating the broader segment of public charter schools with similar academic and dual-enrollment positioning.
• BASIS Charter Schools: National network of high-achieving college-prep public charter schools with lottery admissions; comparable in academic rigor and outcomes-driven positioning though much larger scale.
• Idaho Virtual Academy: Idaho online public charter school operating statewide under the same public funding model as North Star, providing a virtual K-12 alternative for Idaho families.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Northstarcharterschool
• Instagraminstagram.com/northstarcharterschool

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 North Star Charter School