Gaylord Community School

What Gaylord Community School does

Gaylord Community Schools is a public K-12 school district operating under Michigan state education law, serving more than 3,000 students across approximately 265 square miles in portions of Otsego, Antrim, and Crawford counties in northern lower Michigan. The district runs seven schools covering preschool through grade 12—Gaylord High School (9–12), Gaylord Middle School (7–8), Gaylord Intermediate School (4–6), North Ohio Elementary (K–3), South Maple Elementary (K–3), and the GCS Preschool/Early Childhood Center—employing approximately 300 staff. Governance rests with an elected seven-member Board of Education, with Mandy Bolen serving as Superintendent.

The district operates on a third-party technology stack rather than proprietary systems: PowerSchool for student information and online registration, Apptegy for website/notification and the Rooms two-way communication platform, Procare for childcare payments, Follett Destiny for library management, Parchment for transcript requests, Stop Finder for bus routing, and EDUStaff for substitute staffing. The core product is tuition-free K-12 public education; supplementary fee-based and grant-funded services include after-school child care ($8/day), preschool morning care ($20/week), daily food service with USDA participation and a summer feeding program, transportation, athletics, and the Blue Devil Wellness Center (a school-based health clinic operated in partnership with the Health Department of Northwest Michigan for ages 10–21).

Revenue is generated primarily through Michigan state school aid (per-pupil foundation allowance and categorical grants) and local property taxes, supplemented by USDA child nutrition reimbursements, child care fees, facility rentals, and federal grants. Enrollment is via geographic district boundaries plus a Schools of Choice process for out-of-district applicants. The district is a government entity, not a private company, and is therefore outside the conventional PE/VC/M&A investment universe; it is accountable to local voters and the Michigan Department of Education rather than shareholders.

Name

Gaylord Community School

Legal name

Gaylord Community Schools

Website

https://gaylordschools.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gaylord Community Schools is a public K-12 school district in northern Michigan operating seven schools that serve more than 3,000 students across 265 square miles, funded by state aid and property taxes with supplementary child care, food service, transportation, and health services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Public Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111), Educational Services (611), Other Schools and Instruction (6116)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Public K–12 Combined Schools (EDAJAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Special Education Schools & Programs (EDAJAAAH), Public Elementary Schools (EDAJAAAB), Public Middle Schools (EDAJAAAC)

Keywords

• K-12 public education
• School district services
• Student transportation
• Child care programs
• School athletics programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Gaylord

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. State School Aid: Public school district funded primarily through Michigan State School Aid Act, which provides the majority of operational funding based on student enrollment and various categorical grants.
2. Local Property Taxes: Local property tax revenues contribute to district funding for operations and facilities.
3. Food Service Program: The district operates food service programs providing breakfast and lunch to all students, with USDA reimbursements and meal payments as revenue sources.
4. Child Care Services: After school child care at $8 per day and morning preschool child care at $20 per week, generating modest revenue to support licensed child care programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Gaylord Community Schools is a K-12 public school district in northern Michigan operating seven schools (preschool through grade 12) serving more than 3,000 students across approximately 265 square miles. The district delivers public education along with ancillary services including after school child care, food service, student transportation, athletics, and a school-based wellness center.

Product overview

Gaylord Community Schools is a K-12 public school district in northern Michigan comprising seven schools: Gaylord High School (grades 9-12), Gaylord Middle School (grades 7-8), Gaylord Intermediate School (grades 4-6), North Ohio Elementary (grades K-3), South Maple Elementary (grades K-3), and GCS Preschool/Early Childhood Center. The district serves approximately 3,000+ students across 265 square miles. Beyond core academics, the district offers supplementary programs including athletics (GHS and GMS), after school child care, food service with daily breakfast/lunch and summer meal programs, transportation with route tracking via Stop Finder app, and the Blue Devil Wellness Center for student health services. The district uses PowerSchool for student information management, Follett Destiny for library services, and Apptegy for parent communications including the new Rooms two-way messaging platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gaylord High School Public high school serving grades 9-12 located at 90 Livingston Blvd., Gaylord, MI. Provides core academic programs and athletic opportunities for students.
• Gaylord Middle School Public middle school serving grades 7-8 located at 600 E. Fifth Street. Provides academic curriculum and co-curricular activities for early adolescent students.
• Gaylord Intermediate School Public intermediate school serving grades 4-6 located at 240 E. Fourth Street. Bridges elementary and middle school academic programs.
• North Ohio Elementary Public elementary school serving grades K-3 located at 912 N. Ohio Avenue. Provides foundational academic and social development programs.
• South Maple Elementary Public elementary school serving grades K-3 located at 650 E. Fifth Street. Provides foundational academic and social development programs.
• GCS Preschool / Early Childhood Center Preschool program located at 615 S. Elm Avenue serving preschool-age children. Includes before-school and after-school childcare options.
• After School Child Care Licensed child care program for preschool through sixth grade students providing safe, age-appropriate supervision. Uses Procare software for registration and payments at $8 per day per attendance.
• Food Service Program Provides daily breakfast and lunch meals at all school buildings and operates a summer feeding program providing free meals for children 18 and under under USDA Child Nutrition Programs.
• Transportation Services School bus transportation for district students. Uses Stop Finder app for route tracking and parent communication.
• Blue Devil Wellness Center School-based health center at Gaylord High School operated by Health Department of Northwest Michigan. Provides physical health services (well child exams, immunizations, illness visits) and mental health counseling for ages 10-21 at no out-of-pocket cost.
• Athletics Program Athletic programs at Gaylord High School and Gaylord Middle School including multiple sports, operating facilities such as Gaylord Community Field and Jim Mongeau High School Gymnasium.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serving 3,000+ students with approximately 300 staff members across 7 schools
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Health Department of Northwest MichigancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Health Department of Northwest Michigan operates the Gaylord Blue Devil Wellness Center, a school-based health center located in Gaylord High School. The center provides both physical and mental health services for students ages 10-21 (and their children) at no out-of-pocket cost. Services include well child exams, immunizations, illness/injury visits, and mental health counseling by licensed professionals.
• EDUStaff, LLCminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSubstitute food service members are contracted through EDUStaff, LLC. Interested substitutes apply through the EDUStaff website and are assigned to GCS positions.
• ApptegycoreTechnology or IntegrationApptegy provides the district's website platform, phone notification system (Thrillshare), and the Rooms two-way communication platform for parent-school communication.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Midland Public Schools: Mid-sized Michigan public K-12 district serving Midland County. Comparable size and structure but more urban context; useful for evaluating how scale and demographics shift operating economics.
• Charlevoix Public Schools: Northern Michigan public K-12 district serving Charlevoix County with similar rural geography and K-12 single-district structure under Michigan school aid funding.
• Mount Pleasant Public Schools: Central Michigan public K-12 district with similar enrollment size and multi-school configuration under Michigan state school aid funding.
• Cadillac Area Public Schools: Northern Michigan public K-12 district operating multiple school buildings in Wexford County with similar enrollment scale and rural service area characteristics.
• Petoskey Public Schools: Northern Michigan public K-12 district of comparable size serving Emmet County with similar rural/small-town demographics and Michigan state aid funding model.
• Traverse City Area Public Schools: Largest northern Michigan public K-12 district serving roughly 10,000 students across multiple schools. Most directly comparable peer given shared northern lower Michigan geography, district structure, and Schools of Choice dynamics.
• Alpena Public Schools: Northern lower Michigan public K-12 district serving Alpena County with comparable enrollment size, multi-school structure, and statewide funding exposure.
• Houghton Lake Community Schools: Smaller northern Michigan public K-12 district in Roscommon County with comparable rural service area challenges and state aid funding model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@gaylordcommunityschools6112
• Facebookfacebook.com/Gaylord-Community-Schools-1024143264368016

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 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 Gaylord Community School