What Union County Public Schools does

Union County Public Schools (UCPS) is a public K-12 school district and political subdivision of the State of North Carolina, headquartered in Monroe, NC. The district serves approximately 39,880 students across 53 schools spanning Pre-K through grade 12, making it the sixth-largest public school system in North Carolina. Operations are staffed by approximately 5,000 employees under the governance of an elected Board of Education, with Dr. Andrew Houlihan serving as Superintendent. UCPS is funded through state education allocations, local property taxes, and federal grants; education is provided at no direct cost to families.

The district's product surface includes a comprehensive PK-12 academic platform: core curriculum, Career and Technical Education across 20+ pathways yielding 13,259 credentials, 30 Dual Language Immersion programs in Spanish and Mandarin, International Baccalaureate programs, AIG gifted services, Exceptional Children special education, ESL support, and three specialized academies (Agrotechnology, Health Sciences, Sustainable Energy). Supporting services include Driver Education, UCVirtual online learning and credit recovery, the EmpowerED Family Portal, after-school programs, mental health and counseling services, nutrition, and transportation. The technology stack comprises standard commercial ed-tech tools — Infinite Campus for SIS, Finalsite for the website, FMX for facilities, BoardDocs for governance, ArcGIS for attendance boundaries, Weglot for 12-language translation, Peachjar for digital communications, PaySchools for meal payments, and Microsoft Office 365 for staff productivity.

Go-to-market is enrollment-based rather than sales-driven: students are admitted via district assignment, school choice lottery, and specialized program admission (e.g., language immersion, IB). Marketing and community outreach operate through the district website, six social media channels, a digital newsletter (UCPS Snapshots), Peachjar digital flyers, school tours, open houses, and the UCPS Influencers community program. Performance metrics include a 93.2% graduation rate, 8,083 Advanced Placement exams taken, and three National Blue Ribbon Schools designations.

Name

Union County Public Schools

Legal name

Union County Public Schools

Website

https://ucps.k12.nc.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Union County Public Schools is a North Carolina public K-12 district serving approximately 39,880 students across 53 schools with 5,000 staff, offering core academics plus CTE, Dual Language, IB, and specialized academies, funded by state, local, and federal sources.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Public Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public K–12 Combined Schools (EDAJAAAE)

Keywords

• Public K-12 education
• School district services
• Career technical education
• Dual language immersion
• Special education services

Headquarters

HQ city

Monroe

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Education Funding: Union County Public Schools is a public school district funded primarily through state education funding, local property taxes, and federal education grants. Revenue supports instructional programs, facilities, transportation, and district operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Union County Public Schools operates 53 public schools serving approximately 39,880 students from Pre-K through 12th grade in Union County, North Carolina. The district delivers comprehensive K-12 instruction, career and technical education, dual language immersion, virtual learning, special education, and college readiness programs funded by state, local, and federal education sources.

Product overview

Union County Public Schools (UCPS) is a public school district serving approximately 39,880 students at 53 schools in North Carolina. The district offers a comprehensive PK-12 educational platform comprising core academic programs, specialized academies, virtual learning, and family engagement tools. Key product components include: UCVirtual for online and credit recovery courses; Career and Technical Education (CTE) at ucpscte.org providing 20+ career pathways; the EmpowerED Family Portal for parent/student access; Pre-K Scholars early childhood programs; Dual Language Immersion in Spanish and Mandarin; International Baccalaureate; Health Sciences Academy; Agrotechnology; and Sustainable Energy Academy. The district also provides specialized services including Driver Education, AIG programs, Exceptional Children services, and College Readiness support. This is a platform-plus-services architecture serving nearly 40,000 students with approximately 5,000 staff members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Agrotechnology (AgTech) Academy

Quantifiable outcome

• 93.2% graduation rate
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCPS is authorized by the International Baccalaureate Organization to offer IB programs, providing students with globally recognized pre-university curricula and credentials. The district maintains this authorization to deliver international baccalaureate education across its schools.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Forsyth County Schools: Fourth-largest NC public school district based in Winston-Salem. Comparable as a large NC K-12 district with similar funding model, magnet/specialty academy structure, and student population scale to UCPS.
• Guilford County Schools: Third-largest NC public school district serving Greensboro and High Point. Comparable as a large NC K-12 district with similar funding mix, magnet/specialty programs, and Board of Education governance structure.
• Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools: The largest public school district in North Carolina, located in the same Charlotte metro region as UCPS. Directly comparable as a large urban/suburban NC K-12 district serving similar demographics and competing for the same regional talent pool.
• Gaston County Schools: Neighboring NC public school district to UCPS in the Charlotte metro region. Comparable as a suburban/adjacent NC K-12 district competing for the same regional workforce and offering similar CTE and specialty pathways.
• Wake County Public School System: Second-largest NC public school district, based in the Raleigh metro. Comparable scale, governance structure, and funding model as a top-tier NC K-12 district with extensive specialty programs and a similar operating profile to UCPS.
• Cumberland County Schools: Fifth-largest NC public school district based in Fayetteville. Comparable scale and operating model as a large NC K-12 district offering CTE, magnet, and advanced coursework programs similar to UCPS.
• Cabarrus County Schools: Neighboring NC public school district to UCPS in the Charlotte metro region. Comparable as a Charlotte-area K-12 district with similar demographics, growth dynamics, and competitive positioning in the regional enrollment market.
• Durham Public Schools: NC public school district serving Durham. Comparable as a mid-to-large NC K-12 district with similar governance, funding structure, and emphasis on magnet, IB, and CTE programs.

Broad incumbents

• North Carolina Virtual Public School: Statewide virtual K-12 program administered by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Comparable as an alternative K-12 delivery model competing with UCPS's UCVirtual program for online and credit-recovery students.

Emerging players

• Cabarrus Charter Academy: Public charter school in the Charlotte region serving K-12 students. Comparable as an alternative K-12 provider competing for enrollment and per-pupil funding within the same regional market as UCPS.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UCPSNC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/UnionCountyPublicSchools
• Facebookfacebook.com/ucpsnc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/union-county-public-schools
• Instagraminstagram.com/ucpsnc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Union County Public Schools