What The SEED School of Maryland does

The SEED School of Maryland is a public, tuition-free, college-preparatory boarding school operating on a 52-acre campus in Baltimore. Founded in 2007, it is Maryland's only statewide public boarding option, serving motivated middle and high school students from underserved communities through a public lottery admissions process at incoming 6th and 9th grades. The school maintains a 24-hour learning environment in which approximately 400 students live and study on campus five days a week; 91% of graduates enroll in college, with the Class of 2021 receiving more than $2.3 million in renewable institutional scholarships across 26 graduates.

The school's educational product layers several differentiated programs on top of its 24-hour learning model. These include the 2,500-square-foot InfoArmor Cyber Lab (a technology and cybersecurity facility opened January 2021 with 3D printers, drones, Sphero robots, and Raspberry Pi microcomputers), a College Transition & Success Program that supports students through college graduation with scholarships of up to $3,000, a Senior Internship Program of 10-12 weeks, an International Travel Program with summer experiences in Brazil, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Japan, and Honduras, and a Library Media Center with more than 10,000 print titles. The experience is delivered by a dedicated team including nearly 30 student life counselors overseen by a Student Life Manager, a Director of the InfoArmor Cyber Lab, a Director of Academics, and a Family and Community Engagement Manager. Administrative systems include the PowerSchool Parent Portal for real-time access to attendance, grades, and assignments.

The school operates as a tuition-free public charter institution and generates no tuition revenue; it is funded through a combination of Maryland state and federal public education allocations (including Title I federal program support) supplemented by philanthropic contributions from individuals, corporations, and family foundations. Documented partners include InfoArmor (an Allstate company that funded the Cyber Lab), the Ed Reed Foundation (annual Thanksgiving Blessings meals for 400+ families plus per-student scholarships), the Anquan Boldin Q81 Foundation (annual holiday shopping programs), SEED Foundation national (College Transition support and scholarships), Constellation, and HeBrOpen sponsors whose golf and pickleball tournament has cumulatively raised over $300,000. Distribution is structured around a public lottery admissions process administered via the InfoSnap online portal, paired with campus tours and ongoing media visibility through a partnership with WJZ/CBS Baltimore.

Name

The SEED School of Maryland

Legal name

The SEED School of Maryland

Website

https://seedschoolmd.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The SEED School of Maryland operates Maryland's only tuition-free, statewide public boarding school, serving approximately 400 motivated middle and high school students from underserved communities through a 24-hour college-preparatory learning environment on its Baltimore campus.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

College-Preparatory Boarding School Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter College-Prep & Advanced Academics Schools (EDAJACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Magnet & Specialty Schools (STEM/Arts/IB/CTE) (EDAJAAAF)

Keywords

• College preparatory education
• Boarding school services
• Public charter school
• Secondary education programs
• K-12 education services

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public School Funding: State and federal funding for public education, Title I federal program support for schools serving low-income students
2. Private Donations and Grants: Philanthropic contributions from individuals, corporations (InfoArmor, Ed Reed Foundation, Anquan Boldin Q81 Foundation), and grant funding to support programs, scholarships, and capital improvements
3. Planned Giving and Estate Gifts: Bequests through wills and living trusts, securities gifts, and event sponsorship opportunities

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The SEED School of Maryland is the state's only tuition-free, college-preparatory public boarding school, serving students from across Maryland in grades 6 through 12. Students live on campus five days a week in a 24-hour learning environment that combines rigorous college-preparatory academics with wraparound social-emotional, residential, and college-success support services. The school is funded by state and federal public education dollars, supplemented by private donations and grants.

Product overview

The SEED School of Maryland is Maryland's only tuition-free college-preparatory public boarding school, offering a single unified educational product centered on 24-hour learning. The core offering is college-preparatory education (grades 6-12) where students live and learn on campus five days a week. Key supporting programs include the InfoArmor Cyber Lab (STEM/technology), College Transition & Success Program (post-secondary support), International Travel Program (experiential learning), Senior Internship Program (career preparation), and Library Media Center (academic resources). Administrative functions are supported through PowerSchool Parent Portal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• InfoArmor Cyber Lab: State-of-the-art 2,500 square foot cyber lab for cybersecurity, technology and STEM education.

Products and services

• College-Preparatory Boarding School Education Tuition-free college-preparatory education serving Maryland students in grades 6-12 with a 24-hour learning environment where students live and learn on campus five days a week. Includes small classroom settings, individualized instruction, social-emotional learning, and college readiness programming.
• InfoArmor Cyber Lab Program A 2,500 square foot dedicated technology and cybersecurity education facility featuring 3D printers, laser cutter, vinyl cutter, heat press, drones, Sphero robots, Raspberry Pi microcomputers, and a Cyber Hive for computer programming and cybersecurity courses. Participation in the National Youth Cyber Defense Competition (CyberPatriot) is offered.
• College Transition & Success Program Mentoring and support program that guides SEED students from their senior year of high school through college graduation, providing dedicated staff advisors, financial aid advising, and career guidance. Supported by the SEED Foundation with scholarships up to $3,000 annually.
• International Travel Program Experiential learning program providing SEED students with international travel opportunities to countries including Brazil, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Japan, Honduras, and the United Kingdom through partnerships with multiple global education organizations.
• Senior Internship Program A 10-12 week internship program for seniors that places students in nine-hour-per-week professional internships while building communication, attire, social, and financial literacy skills.

Quantifiable outcome

• 91% of SEED students enroll in college
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Girls Going GlobalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit addressing disparity of girls of color in international education. Partners with SEED to provide global leadership programming and international travel opportunities for underrepresented students.
• Experiment in International LivingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides 3, 4, and 5-week summer programs for high school students to connect deeply with another country's culture through hands-on community experiences.
• ACS International Schools / British Studies Summer ProgrammeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership selects two current juniors annually for British Studies Summer Programme at ACS Cobham International School campus near London, England.
• Onda Solidaria / Brazil Summer ExchangeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEED MD and DC students and staff travel to Brazil for 10-day exchange including Rio de Janeiro and Santana do Deserto with homestay, service, and cultural immersion.
• Jamaica Volunteers Program / Botanical ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents study botany and zoology at Jamaica's world-renowned gardens and zoos, completing research tasks at Royal Chinese Garden, Hope Botanical Garden and Zoo.
• Students Helping HondurasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents build schools in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, working alongside community members on middle school classroom construction at Centro Básico Luis Landa.
• Johns Hopkins UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through JHU CTY (Center for Talented Youth) for gifted education programs and internship placements at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
• Baltimore City Fire DepartmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner participating in Thanksgiving Blessings volunteer events.
• Yleana Leadership AcademyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResidential SAT prep academy hosted at Colgate University for SEED students, teaching vital exam skills.
• MERIT (Baltimore)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBaltimore-based health leadership program for underrepresented students.
• THREADminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBaltimore nonprofit providing mentorship and support services.
• Art With A HeartminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBaltimore nonprofit providing art education programs for SEED students.
• Living Classrooms FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBaltimore nonprofit providing experiential education and workforce development partnerships.
• Black Mental Health AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMental health organization providing programming and support for students.
• World Affairs Council-DCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational affairs education organization for youth leadership development.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The SEED School of Washington, D.C. The original SEED school, opened 1998, operated by the same SEED Foundation under the same 24-hour college-prep boarding model. Direct sibling serving D.C. students with the same curriculum framework and lottery admissions.
• The SEED School of Florida: SEED Foundation network school in Miami that replicates the tuition-free public college-preparatory boarding model, including lottery admissions and 24-hour learning environment.
• The SEED School of South Carolina: SEED Foundation's South Carolina campus, operating the same public boarding college-prep model and serving as a direct geographic and operational counterpart to SEED MD.
• SEED Foundation: National nonprofit that supports all SEED schools with College Transition & Success programming and scholarship funding. Operationally intertwined with SEED MD and the natural parent/operator counterparty in any investment or partnership scenario.

Broad incumbents

• KIPP Baltimore: Part of the national KIPP charter network serving Baltimore's underserved students with extended-day college-prep education. Comparable in mission (underserved college prep) but lacks the residential boarding component.
• Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools): The public school district in which SEED MD operates; many of SEED's students come from City Schools families. Functions as both the feeder pool and the broader incumbent alternative for Baltimore families.
• Success Academy Charter Schools: Large NYC-based charter network with strong college-prep outcomes for underserved students. Comparable in mission and outcome focus, though operates as a multi-school urban day model rather than a single boarding campus.

Emerging players

• Cristo Rey Network: National network of Catholic college-prep high schools serving low-income students via a corporate work-study model. Comparable mission and target population; differs in being faith-based and using work-study rather than boarding.

Others

• College Bound Foundation: Baltimore-based nonprofit providing college access advising and scholarships to Baltimore City Public Schools students. Overlaps with SEED MD on the 'Administrator of the Year' award body and on shared student population, making it a programmatic partner and adjacent peer.
• MERIT Baltimore: Johns Hopkins-run health leadership program for Baltimore underrepresented students. Listed as a SEED MD partner and serves an overlapping student population, making it a strong program-level peer in college access for Baltimore youth.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheSEEDSchoolMD
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheSEEDSchoolMD
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-seed-school-of-maryland

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 The SEED School of Maryland