Providence Englewood Charter School

What Providence Englewood Charter School does

Providence Englewood Charter School (PECS) is a Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade public charter school operating under Chicago Public Schools in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 2006 on the former Ralph J. Bunche Elementary School campus in the Englewood community, the school provides tuition-free college-preparatory education to families in its service area. Enrollment is conducted through a computerized random lottery managed via the PowerSchool enrollment portal, with capacity of approximately 25 students per class.

The academic program is structured around Common Core-aligned curricula: iReady Classroom K-8 for mathematics, Magnetic Reading Foundations and Common Core for literacy, Pearson Interactive Science and Elevate Science for STEM, and Pearson myWorld Social Studies for social studies. Supporting infrastructure includes PowerSchool for student information, Google Classroom for instruction delivery, and Edlio for web presence. Beyond academics, PECS operates three signature programs: PECS Safe Haven (after-school and summer programming including Semester Three/S3), PECS Promise (alumni support through college completion, established 2015), and the Mentor Program.

The school's business model relies on per-pupil public funding from Chicago Public Schools, supplemented by tax-deductible donations channeled through a separate 501(c)(3) foundation entity and processed via PayPal, DonorsChoose, stock gifts, and matching programs. The school is governed by an independent Board of Directors including representation from Winston & Strawn, Water Street Healthcare Partners, Allstate, and the Cook County Circuit Court. Leadership consists of Executive Director Angela Johnson-Williams (18+ years tenure), COO Dr. Shinwe Shelton, and Principal Shauna Bellen (16 years tenure).

Name

Providence Englewood Charter School

Legal name

Providence Englewood Charter School

Website

https://providenceenglewood.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Providence Englewood Charter School is a tuition-free Pre-K through 8th grade public charter school in Chicago's Englewood community, operating under Chicago Public Schools and funded by per-pupil allocations plus donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-8 Charter School Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter College-Prep & Advanced Academics Schools (EDAJACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Independent Charter Schools (Single-Site) (EDAJACAB)

Keywords

• Charter school education
• K-8 education services
• College preparatory programs
• Public elementary school
• Tuition-free education

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Charter School Funding: As a public charter school under Chicago Public Schools, PECS receives public funding based on enrollment. Enrollment is free for all students.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Tax-deductible contributions through PayPal, mail-in donations, stock donations, wire transfers, in-kind gifts, matching gifts, and DonorsChoose platform. Annual benefit events and fundraising volunteers support the school.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Providence Englewood Charter School is a free, public charter school serving Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade students in Chicago's Englewood community under Chicago Public Schools. The school provides a rigorous college-preparatory curriculum aligned with Common Core standards, structured literacy and mathematics programs, science and social studies instruction, and wraparound support through the Safe Haven after-school/summer program and PECS Promise alumni mentorship. Enrollment is free to families and allocated through a computerized random lottery.

Product overview

Providence Englewood Charter School (PECS) offers a unified Pre-K through 8th grade educational program that prepares students for responsible citizenship and successful high school careers leading to college enrollment. The core academic program is built around structured curriculum resources including Magnetic Reading Foundations and Common Core programs for literacy, iReady Classroom for mathematics, Pearson Interactive Science and Elevate Science for STEM, and Pearson myWorld Social Studies for history and geography. Special area programs cover Art, Music, Physical Education, and Character Education. The school operates several supplementary programs: the PECS Safe Haven provides afterschool and summer enrichment (Semester Three/S3), the PECS Promise supports alumni through high school and college completion, and the PECS Mentor Program provides volunteer mentorship. Additional offerings include competitive athletics and Battle of the Books. Technology infrastructure includes PowerSchool for student information management and Google Classroom for instruction delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Core Academic Program (Pre-K through 8th Grade) Comprehensive Pre-K through 8th grade college-preparatory curriculum for students in the Englewood community of Chicago, including reading/language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and special area classes (art, music, physical education, character education). Tuition-free and open to all students via lottery enrollment.
• PECS Safe Haven Program After-school and summer programming for PECS students including Science Club, Robotics Club, Track & Field, Dance, Soccer, Basketball, Choir, African Drumming, Majorettes, and the four-week Semester Three (S3) summer program with academic intervention and off-site camp experiences through SOAL.
• PECS Promise Program Alumni support program supporting high school success, college access and persistence, community service, mentoring, and alumni community building. Currently supports 234+ alumni through high school placement, college advising, and mentorship.
• Athletics Program School sports programs including basketball, soccer, track and field, flag football, volleyball, and other age-appropriate activities. Open to all skill levels, focusing on teamwork, sportsmanship, and physical development.
• Battle of the Books Reading competition team that competes against other elementary schools, promoting literacy and academic engagement among PECS students.
• Pre-Kindergarten Program Pre-Kindergarten program offering developmentally appropriate instruction for the youngest students, with the inaugural cohort of 19 students welcomed in November 2021.
• PowerSchool Enrollment Portal Online enrollment and student information system providing application submission, grade access, assessments, and communication for teachers, substitutes, and parents/students through dedicated login portals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of students accepted into Chicago's leading high schools since 2016
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Winston & Strawn LLPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw firm partner provides pro bono legal services and hosts board meetings. Matthew Bergmann serves as Partner and Board Secretary.
• Water Street Healthcare PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare investment firm. Tim Dugan serves as Managing Partner and Board Treasurer.
• ConTextos ChicagominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation nonprofit organization. Kalief Dinkins, PECS Class of 2012, serves as board member representing alumni perspective.
• AllstateminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInsurance company. Levi Neaveill serves as board member.
• Kenilworth PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership organization. Joan Malliband serves as board member.
• Gallery 1882minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEllen Kollar serves as Chairperson of the board, affiliated with Gallery 1882.
• Cook County Circuit CourtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJudicial partnership. Leonard Murray, Cook County Circuit Court Judge, serves as board member.
• DonorsChooseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCrowdfunding platform allowing teachers to create classroom projects for funding. Donors can fund PECS projects starting at $1.
• Accelerate InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram designed to create high-impact school leaders who accelerate student achievement. PECS was 1 of 6 schools selected from 15 applicants in 2019. Program focused on data analysis, change management, and Black Belt Teaching.
• SOAL Program (Summer Opportunity of a Lifetime)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOff-site summer camp experiences for students in 1st through 7th grade as part of Semester Three summer programming.
• Daniel Murphy Scholarship FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrestigious scholarship program. 8 PECS alumni have been selected to participate.
• Link UnlimitedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScholarship program supporting underrepresented students. 3 PECS alumni have participated.
• HighSightminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic support and scholarship organization. 2 PECS alumni have participated.
• HFS Scholar ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScholarship and support program. 4 PECS alumni have been selected.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• LEARN Charter School Network: LEARN operates a network of tuition-free charter campuses across Chicago and Northwest Indiana focused on college-preparatory education. Comparable to PECS as a multi-campus charter operator serving urban families with lottery-based admissions.
• Perspectives Charter Schools: Perspectives operates multiple charter campuses in Chicago focused on college-preparatory education with character development. Both schools emphasize social-emotional learning, family engagement, and college-readiness outcomes through lottery-based enrollment.
• Chicago International Charter School (CICS): CICS operates multiple charter campuses across Chicago serving elementary and middle school students with a tuition-free, lottery-based model. Comparable as a Chicago-based charter operator focused on urban families and college-prep outcomes.
• Catalyst Schools: Catalyst Schools operates tuition-free, college-prep charter campuses in Chicago serving elementary and middle school students from underserved communities. Comparable mission and operating model to PECS, with lottery-based enrollment and community-focused programming.
• KIPP Chicago Schools: KIPP Chicago is a college-prep charter network serving Chicago families with a similar free, lottery-based enrollment model and explicit college-readiness outcomes. Both organizations operate single-gender and co-ed elementary/middle charter campuses in Chicago focused on under-served communities.
• Noble Network Charter Schools: Noble is the largest charter network in Chicago, operating 17+ college-prep campuses with lottery enrollment, high expectations culture, and explicit college placement outcomes. Comparable to PECS in mission (college prep for Chicago students) but differentiated by scale.
• Urban Prep Academies: Urban Prep operates college-prep charter campuses in Chicago with a strong focus on college acceptance outcomes for young men of color. Highly comparable to PECS in mission, target population (Chicago urban youth), and 100% college acceptance positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL): AUSL is a Chicago-based charter management organization operating multiple schools across the city, focused on urban school turnaround and college-prep outcomes. Broader incumbent with network scale rather than single-site operation.

Others

• Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund: Daniel Murphy is a scholarship and educational support partner that has placed 8 PECS alumni into its program. Comparable as an ecosystem partner in the Chicago college-prep pipeline, not a direct competitor but an adjacent enabler of student outcomes.
• Accelerate Institute: Accelerate Institute is a school leadership development organization that selected PECS for its 2019 program to develop high-impact school leaders. Adjacent ecosystem enabler focused on urban charter leadership capacity, not a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pecs6515
• Instagraminstagram.com/pecsknights
• Xx.com/pecsknights
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/providence-englewood-charter-school

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Providence Englewood Charter School