Aquinas Academy

What Aquinas Academy does

Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh is an independent, lay-founded Catholic day school serving approximately 500+ students from Preschool through Grade 12 on a single 14-acre campus in Gibsonia, a residential suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school operates four academic divisions (Preschool, Lower School K-5, Middle School 6-8, High School 9-12) on a traditional classical curriculum anchored in classic literature, Western history, languages, mathematics, sciences, religion, and the arts, with a 9:1 student-to-teacher ratio, ~65% of faculty holding advanced degrees, and a tech-free high school environment. Annual tuition ranges from $5,050 (half-day Kindergarten) to $15,240 (High School), with preschool pricing starting as low as $1,725 and nearly $1 million in financial aid disbursed annually via Pennsylvania EITC/OSTC and the Bishop's Education Fund.

Revenue is concentrated entirely in tuition and ancillary fees (summer camps, After Day program, athletics, fundraising). Go-to-market is admissions-led: a Director of Admissions runs an inquiry-to-application funnel via the Veracross portal, supported by Open Houses, personal tours, shadow days ("Crusader for a Day"), and a Distinguished Speaker Series; bus transportation is offered across 14 surrounding school districts within ~10 miles. The institution holds no proprietary technology platform, relying instead on Veracross (admissions/enrollment), FACTS Grant & Aid (financial aid processing), and Smartcare (after-school management). Governance rests with a parent-and-community Board of Directors chaired by Hon. Philip Ignelzi; day-to-day operations are led by Head of School Tyler Deschamps ('08 alumnus, appointed from internal faculty ranks), supported by division Directors and a Business Manager. The school is accredited by the Middle States Association, is a member of PAIS, and is faithful to the Diocese of Pittsburgh (Bishop Mark A. Eckman) without being a diocesan subsidiary.

Name

Aquinas Academy

Legal name

Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh

Website

https://aquinasacademy-pittsburgh.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh is an independent, lay-founded Catholic day school (Preschool-Grade 12) on a single 14-acre campus in Gibsonia, PA, serving 500+ students with a classical college-preparatory curriculum and a 9:1 student-teacher ratio.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Catholic K-12 Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Early Learning Academies (EDACADAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

General Preschools (Play-Based) (EDACABAA)

Keywords

• Private Catholic education
• K-12 classical curriculum
• College preparatory school
• Faith-based schooling
• Independent Catholic academy

Headquarters

HQ city

Gibsonia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition: Primary revenue from tuition payments at varying rates by grade level, from $5,050 for half-day Kindergarten to $15,240 for High School. Additional revenue from enrollment/activity fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh is an independent private Catholic school delivering a college-preparatory, classical curriculum for students from Preschool (age 3) through Grade 12. Its offerings span four academic divisions—Preschool, Lower School, Middle School, and High School—with supplementary college counseling, after-day supervision, summer camps, athletics, fine arts, and STEM/robotics clubs. The school sells tuition-based enrollment as its core commercial offering, priced annually by grade level.

Product overview

Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh is a private, independent Catholic school offering a traditional classical curriculum for students from Preschool through Grade 12. The school provides a unified college-preparatory program organized into four academic divisions: Preschool (ages 3-4), Lower School (K-5), Middle School (6-8), and High School (9-12). Supporting services include college counseling, an after-day program, and summer camps. The school also offers extensive extracurricular activities including 34 athletic teams, fine arts programs (theater, music, visual arts), robotics, and academic clubs. The institution emphasizes small class sizes with a 9:1 student-to-teacher ratio and a tech-free learning environment in the high school.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Preschool Program
• Lower School (Kindergarten–Grade 5)
• Middle School (Grades 6–8)
• High School (Grades 9–12)
• College Counseling Program
• Summer Programs/Camps
• After Day Program After-school supervision program for K-8 students running from school dismissal to 5:45 p.m. on regular school days, managed through the Smartcare platform. For families needing extended-day childcare beyond standard school hours.
• Athletics Program 34 interscholastic athletic teams including baseball, basketball, cross country, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, track, volleyball, and more, competing in the WPIAL. For Aquinas students seeking character formation and physical development through competitive sports.
• Fine Arts Programs Theater, music, visual arts, and literary magazine programs fostering creativity in truth, beauty, and goodness. For Aquinas students interested in artistic and creative development.
• Robotics and STEM Clubs Robotics team and STEM-focused extracurricular activities for students to explore science and technology. For Aquinas students interested in STEM and engineering competition.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of students scored 3 or higher on AP Exams (vs 62.5% national average)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

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 core and minor.

• Pennsylvania Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState program allowing businesses to redirect tax dollars to scholarships for income-qualifying students. Aquinas receives funding to provide financial aid to qualifying families.
• Opportunity Tax Scholarship Credit (OSTC) ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState program providing scholarships to income-qualifying students through business tax credits.
• Bishop's Education FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDiocesan need-based aid administered by Diocese of Pittsburgh for PreK-12 students.
• Diocese of PittsburghcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoverned under Most Reverend Mark A. Eckman; faithful to Bishop and teaching authority of Church; religion curriculum conforms to Bishop's standards.
• VeracrosscoreTechnology or IntegrationAdmissions portal used for inquiry forms, applications, and enrollment management.
• FACTS Grant & Aid AssessmentcoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party platform used for processing financial aid applications for both Aquinas Academy aid and Bishop's Education Fund.
• NicheminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool ranking platform that has consistently ranked Aquinas as #1 Catholic High School in Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Seton LaSalle Catholic High School: Catholic college-preparatory high school serving the southern Pittsburgh suburbs, with similar tuition tier and diocesan affiliation. Competes with Aquinas for the same pool of Catholic families along the 10-mile bus service radius and beyond.
• Central Catholic High School: Pittsburgh-based Catholic college-preparatory high school serving a similar Western PA Catholic-family segment. Directly competes with Aquinas for college-bound Catholic families in the metro and is the principal head-to-head competitor named in the regional rankings.
• Bishop Canevin High School: Pittsburgh Catholic high school in the same diocesan footprint as Aquinas, comparable in tuition and mission. Competes directly for the same pool of college-prep-oriented Catholic families in the metro.
• Eden Christian Academy: Pittsburgh suburban (Harmony, PA) private Christian K-12 academy offering college-prep curriculum in a faith-based environment. Directly comparable to Aquinas on faith-based K-12 college-prep model, tuition band, and suburban Pittsburgh geography.
• Serra Catholic High School: Catholic college-preparatory high school in the Pittsburgh region (McKeesport) with comparable pricing and college-prep focus. Relevant head-to-head competitor for Pittsburgh-metro Catholic families evaluating private Catholic education.
• Oakland Catholic High School: All-girls Catholic college-preparatory high school in Pittsburgh drawing from the same Western PA Catholic families. Comparable on tuition, college-prep mission, diocesan-adjacent identity, and admissions competition with Aquinas.

Emerging players

• Chesterton Academy: Network of classical Catholic high schools using a similar Great Books/classical curriculum model inspired by Hillsdale. Overlaps with Aquinas on traditional classical Catholic curriculum approach and is part of the same lay-Catholic-education movement.

Broad incumbents

• Shady Side Academy: One of the largest and most prestigious independent (non-Catholic) private K-12 schools in the Pittsburgh region with a broad college-prep program. Competitor for college-bound families willing to forgo Catholic identity for secular private education, particularly higher-income households.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@AquinasAcademyofPittsburgh
• Facebookfacebook.com/AquinasAcademyofPittsburgh
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aquinas-academy
• Instagraminstagram.com/aquinasacademyofpittsburgh
• Xx.com/AquinasAcademy_

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Aquinas Academy