The Phillips Academy

What The Phillips Academy does

The Phillips Academy is a private, nonprofit, WASC-accredited non-public school located at 1910 Central Avenue in Alameda, California. Founded in 1971 by Dr. Laura Phillips as the Children's Learning Center and renamed in 2012, the school serves approximately 65-70 students ages 11-21 with complex behavioral, social, emotional, and educational needs, including ADHD, specific learning differences, emotional disabilities (anxiety, depression, PTSD), mild intellectual disability, and autism (level 1 or 2). The instructional architecture consists of 2 middle school and 4 high school classrooms with 8-13 students per homeroom, supported by 4.5 licensed and associate mental health providers (Clinical Director plus AMFT/LMFT therapists), 2 occupational therapists, 2 speech-language pathologists, a reading specialist, an education therapist, and a Dean of Student Affairs. Core programs include the Middle School Program, High School Program, Therapeutic Program, Extended School Year (an 11-month calendar with a five-week summer session), Workforce Development, Sports Programs, Student Activities, and Service Learning. Instructional methods combine the Understanding by Design model, project-based learning, cooperative learning, brain-based teaching strategies, Dr. Ross Greene's Collaborative Problem-Solving framework, and the CASEL-aligned Expected Schoolwide Learning Results (ESLR) system, supported by assistive technology tools such as Bookshare, word prediction, and voice recognition software.

The school's revenue model rests primarily on district-funded placements routed through the IEP process, supplemented by settlement-agreement placements and a newly piloted private-pay track. Admissions follow a structured 10-step procedure culminating in a 30-day diagnostic period, with tuition agreed upon during admission and billed annually. Distribution is referral-driven, leveraging 16 established Bay Area public school district partnerships including Alameda USD, with ancillary demand from caregivers and physicians. Marketing activity is limited to community partnerships (Alameda Food Bank, East Bay Regional Parks, REAP Center, Farm2Market, Department of Rehabilitation, and others) and lightweight content (website and produced videos). The institution is governed by a Board of Trustees with Donn Merriam as President, Elizabeth Isono as Secretary, and Taka Yokoyama as Treasurer; Dr. Esther Cohen serves as Executive Director and Clinical Director, and Allan Chatman (27-year tenure) as Principal.

The organization is independent and not backed by venture capital or private equity; revenue is not publicly disclosed. Pricing is not published; reimbursements are negotiated during admission. The school's market position is supported by its third 6-year WASC accreditation (awarded 2025), state certification since 1981, founding membership in the Bay Area Non Public Schools Sports League, and demonstrated alumni outcomes (2024 alumni survey: 85% rated overall experience good or great, 90% engaged in productive activities, 70% felt well-prepared for post-secondary life; current-student survey: 94% felt safe at school, 82% felt staff cared about them).

Name

The Phillips Academy

Legal name

The Phillips Academy

Website

https://thephillipsacademy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Phillips Academy is a WASC-accredited nonprofit non-public school in Alameda, California, serving approximately 65-70 students ages 11-21 with complex behavioral, social, emotional, and educational needs via integrated academic, therapeutic, workforce, and sports programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Special Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter Special Education & Inclusive Programs (EDAJACAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Charter Alternative & At-Risk Schools (Continuation, Credit Recovery, Juvenile) (EDAJACAE)

Keywords

• Special education services
• Non-public school
• Therapeutic education programs
• Special needs education
• IEP placement services

Headquarters

HQ city

Alameda

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. District-Funded Placements: Primary revenue stream from district referrals through IEP process. Placements are district-funded and represent the historically primary admission pathway.
2. Settlement Agreement Placements: Students attending through legal settlement agreements, representing another district-funded pathway.
3. Private Pay Placements (Pilot): New pilot program for private pay families where TPA is deemed most appropriate and least restrictive level of service. Includes 30-day review, quarterly progress reports, annual IEPs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Phillips Academy operates a WASC-accredited non-public school serving approximately 65-70 students ages 11-21 with complex behavioral, social, emotional, and educational needs. It delivers an integrated educational program combining classroom instruction, school-based mental health therapy, speech and occupational therapy, workforce development, and athletics within a single coordinated system. Revenue is generated primarily through tuition funded by public school districts via the IEP placement process, with a smaller private-pay pilot pathway for families.

Product overview

The Phillips Academy is a WASC-accredited non-public school serving approximately 65-70 students ages 11-21 with complex behavioral, social, emotional, and educational needs. The institution operates a unified educational program combining Middle School Program (grades 6-8) and High School Program (grades 9-12) with integrated therapeutic services, workforce development, athletic programs, student activities, and extended school year options. The core architecture consists of specialized classroom-based instruction (2 middle school classrooms, 4 high school classrooms) with 8-13 students per homeroom, supported by mental health therapists, speech/occupational therapists, reading specialists, and job coaches. Programs work together as a coordinated system: academics form the foundation, therapeutic services address behavioral/emotional needs, workforce development prepares students for employment, and athletics/activities build social skills and community engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Middle School Program

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bay Area Non Public Schools Sports LeaguecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Phillips Academy is one of the founding members of the Bay Area Non Public Schools Sports League. The league provides students with opportunities to compete in basketball, flag football, volleyball, softball, and soccer, improving self-esteem, social interactions, sportsmanship, teamwork, and leadership skills.
• East Bay Parks and Recreation DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for field trips and recreational activities. Students enjoy trips to Black Diamond Mines, UC Berkeley Botanical Gardens, Arden Wood Farms, and Crab Cove.
• Star on ParkminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal Alameda/Oakland area business participating in workforce development program, providing on-the-job training opportunities for students aged 16-19.
• Toy SafariminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal business providing workforce development opportunities and job training for Phillips Academy students.
• Faas (Friends of Alameda Animal Shelter)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal nonprofit partner providing volunteer and workforce development opportunities for students.
• Alameda Food BankminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner in both workforce development and service learning programs, providing students with volunteer and job training opportunities.
• Farm2MarketminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal program providing workforce development and service learning opportunities for Phillips Academy students.
• Bay Area Makers FarmminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal partner providing workforce development opportunities for students.
• Department of RehabilitationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProvides stipends for workforce development program supporting students aged 16-19 with job training. Many students supported by Department of Rehabilitation for work experience.
• Upheaval ProductionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVideo production company that created two videos for The Phillips Academy: 'Meet The Phillips Academy' and 'Frank's Success Story'.
• East Bay Regional ParksminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThrough volunteer work program, students donate time to East Bay Regional Parks.
• REAP CenterminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommunity partner where Phillips Academy students volunteer their time through the service learning program.
• Alameda Animal ShelterminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThrough volunteer work program, students donate time to the Alameda animal shelter.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Melmark: Operates non-public schools and residential programs serving students with autism, intellectual disabilities, and behavioral challenges; comparable integrated clinical-academic service delivery model for complex-needs populations.
• Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health: Nonprofit provider of behavioral health and special education services, including non-public school placements for youth with emotional, behavioral, and developmental needs — closely mirrors TPA's therapeutic + academic integrated model.
• Specialized Education Services (SESI): Operates a national network of non-public special education schools serving students with IEPs and complex learning, behavioral, and emotional needs — the same core operating model as The Phillips Academy but at significantly greater geographic and enrollment scale.
• ChanceLight Behavioral Health, Therapy & Education: Provides K-12 special education non-public school services, behavioral health, and therapeutic programs across multiple states; directly comparable to TPA's integrated academic + mental health service model for students with complex needs.

Regional players

• Stratford School: Bay Area private K-12 school network; regional competitor for private-pay families and a useful benchmark for Bay Area private school operations, though not focused on complex special education needs.
• Bay Area Community Schools (BACS): Bay Area-based public alternative and special education schools that compete for the same district-referred student placements and serve overlapping Bay Area communities.

Broad incumbents

• Catapult Learning: Large-scale provider of special education, intervention, and behavioral health services to schools and districts nationwide; competes for district NPS and contracted service dollars in overlapping therapy-driven special education categories.
• EdisonLearning: Education services and school management organization with a footprint in alternative and special education settings; competes for district partnerships and operates programs serving similar high-need student segments.
• Aspen Education Group (Aspen Institute): Network of therapeutic and special education schools and programs; operates youth residential and day schools serving emotional, behavioral, and learning needs comparable to TPA's target population.
• KIPP Public Schools Northern California: Bay Area charter network serving a high-needs student population with IEPs; competes for the same district-referred student pool in the Bay Area special education market, though operating under a public charter model rather than non-public school.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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 The Phillips Academy