Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School
Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School is a nonprofit K-12 public charter school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded in 2009, that delivers college-preparatory education using African-centered pedagogy and the Freedom School movement's cultural framework to Philadelphia students and families.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersPhiladelphia, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School does
Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School (SFACS) is a nonprofit public charter school authorized by the School District of Philadelphia, operating a single K-12 college preparatory campus at 2501 Kensington Ave in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in September 2009, the school was established through a coalition of Philadelphia Freedom Schools scholars, Junior Servant Leaders, and Servant Leadership Interns, and continues the legacy of the Children's Defense Fund Freedom School model. The school delivers African-centered pedagogy rooted in the Nguzo Saba (Seven Principles) and Maat virtues, integrating culturally responsive teaching with literacy, numeracy, social-emotional development, and college preparation, including HBCU college tours and an International Service Program.
The school runs on an integrated academic technology stack anchored by PowerSchool for student information and enrollment, Schoology as the learning management system, and Clever as a single sign-on portal, supplemented by a broad set of third-party adaptive learning platforms including Reading Eggs, IXL, Lexia Core5, Lexia PowerUp, Edgenuity, eSpark, Study Island, Epic, myPerspectives, Wonders, AscendMath, and Common Sense Digital Citizenship. Operations are supported by a 32-person staff under CEO Dr. Ayesha Imani, with Elisha Tigah as Director of Technology. The school is governed by a Board of Directors and complies with Title I, special education, ELL, and McKinney-Vento requirements.
SFACS is funded almost entirely through per-pupil allocations from the School District of Philadelphia, Title I federal grants, and ESSER funds, with supplemental philanthropic donations processed via PayPal. As a public charter school, it charges no tuition and conducts enrollment through an annual lottery. Distribution is direct-to-consumer at the single physical campus, with marketing conducted through Facebook, Twitter, two parent newsletters (Sankofa Bird and The NEST), community events, food distributions, and the Philadelphia Freedom Schools network. The school maintains minor partnerships with health service providers (Vision to Learn and Ronald McDonald Care Mobile Dental) and community organizations, but its strategic position rests on its cultural-curriculum differentiation rather than a technology or commercial moat.
Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School
- Legal name
- Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School
- Website
- https://sfacs.us
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School is a nonprofit K-12 public charter school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded in 2009, that delivers college-preparatory education using African-centered pedagogy and the Freedom School movement's cultural framework to Philadelphia students and families.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School industry classification
Industry- Product category
- K-12 Charter School Education
- NAICS
- Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Charter College-Prep & Advanced Academics Schools (EDAJACAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Charter Montessori/Waldorf/Classical/Expeditionary (Pedagogical Models) (EDAJACAL)
Keywords
Where Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Philadelphia
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Per-Pupil Government Funding: As a public charter school, SFACS receives per-pupil funding from the School District of Philadelphia based on enrollment. Additional funding comes from Title I federal grants and ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funds.
- Donations and Philanthropy: School accepts general donations, specific donations for causes (athletics, scholarships, Freedom Rides, HBCU College Tours, International Service Project), processed through PayPal.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Other | No-cost K-12 education |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels8 records
Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School provides tuition-free K-12 college preparatory education grounded in an African-centered, culturally responsive pedagogical framework derived from the Philadelphia Freedom Schools model. The core service combines literacy/numeracy instruction with character education rooted in the Nguzo Saba and Maat virtues, servant leadership training, HBCU college tours, and an International Service Program offering global service-learning experiences.
Product overview
Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School is a college-preparatory K-12 charter school that operates as a unified educational service offering, not a modular software platform. The school provides K-12 education services as its core product, utilizing African-centered and culturally responsive methodologies based on the Philadelphia Freedom Schools model. Students access learning through a centralized Student Academic Sites Portal integrated via Clever, which connects to various third-party educational platforms for curriculum delivery, assessment, and practice. Additional programs include the International Service Program for global learning experiences.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- K-12 Education Services
- International Service Program
Companies that use Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration17 records
Feature1 record
Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Philadelphia Freedom SchoolscoreSFACS was founded based on the Philadelphia Freedom Schools model. The school emerged from the freedom school movement coalition that formed in 2006, with scholars, JSLs, and SLIs advocating for a charter school based on the PFS model. The movement began in 1999 and continues as an independent network.
- Eagles Eye Mobile (Vision to Learn)minorMobile vision screening service that partners with the school to provide vision exams and glasses to students on-site.
- Ronald McDonald Care Mobile DentalminorMobile dental program that provides dental services to students at the school campus through Tower Health partnership.
- Children's Defense FundcoreThe Black Community Crusade for Children and Children's Defense Fund originally developed the Freedom Schools model in 1993. SFACS continues the legacy and curriculum traditions established through this partnership.
- Peace Center Food Give AwayminorCommunity food distribution program held at 4371 Waln St, Philadelphia, PA 19124. School serves as a venue/distribution point for community food assistance.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Mastery Charter Schools: Multi-campus Philadelphia public charter network serving K-12 students across the city. Direct competitor for the same School District of Philadelphia per-pupil funding pool and the same Philadelphia family lottery demographic as SFACS.
- KIPP Philadelphia Charter Schools: Regional affiliate of the national KIPP network operating multiple Philadelphia charter campuses focused on college-prep outcomes for underserved students. Comparable in mission (college prep for high-need communities), funding model, and Philadelphia authorizer relationship.
- Universal Companies / Universal Charter Schools: Philadelphia-based nonprofit operator of multiple charter schools serving K-12 students with a community-rooted mission. Directly comparable to SFACS in location, authorizer, funding mechanism, and student demographic.
- Memphis Street Academy Charter School @ J.P. Jones: Philadelphia single-site public charter school serving grades K-8 with a mission around culturally responsive, community-based education. Comparable to SFACS in scale (single campus), authorizer, and mission orientation.
- Global Leadership Academy Charter School: Philadelphia public charter school serving K-8 with a mission-driven, community-centered approach. Comparable to SFACS in operating footprint, urban Philadelphia context, and reliance on School District of Philadelphia per-pupil funding.
- Boys' Latin of Philadelphia Charter School: Philadelphia single-sex college-prep public charter serving grades 6-12. Comparable to SFACS in mission (college-prep for underserved Philadelphia students), funding model, and authorizer relationship.
- First Philadelphia Preparatory Charter School: Philadelphia-area K-12 public charter school authorized under the Pennsylvania Charter School Law. Directly comparable to SFACS in funding mechanism, grade span, and Philadelphia regional context.
- Esperanza Cyber Charter School: Pennsylvania statewide cyber charter school operated by Esperanza, also running Esperanza College Prep. Comparable to SFACS in operating model (public charter, Pennsylvania-licensed, mission-focused on Hispanic/underserved students) and per-pupil funding mechanics.
- Community Academy of Philadelphia Charter School: Philadelphia K-12 public charter school serving a multicultural student body. Comparable to SFACS in size, single-campus operating model, urban Philadelphia context, and reliance on per-pupil allocations from the School District of Philadelphia.
Broad incumbents
- ASPIRA Charter Schools (Pennsylvania): Pennsylvania ASPIRA network operates charter schools serving Latino and other underserved students with cultural-responsive pedagogy. Comparable to SFACS in mission (culturally specific charter education for minority communities) and Philadelphia-area footprint.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School social profiles
Digital presenceSankofa Freedom Academy Charter School compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School
What does Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School do?
Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School provides tuition-free K-12 college preparatory education grounded in an African-centered, culturally responsive pedagogical framework derived from the Philadelphia Freedom Schools model. The core service combines literacy/numeracy instruction with character education rooted in the Nguzo Saba and Maat virtues, servant leadership training, HBCU college tours, and an International Service Program offering global service-learning experiences.
Is Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School a public or private company?
Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School founded?
Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School was founded in 2009.
Where is Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School based?
Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School is headquartered in Philadelphia, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Per-Pupil Government Funding is the primary driver. The others are donations and Philanthropy.
Who are Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Mastery Charter Schools, KIPP Philadelphia Charter Schools, Universal Companies / Universal Charter Schools, Memphis Street Academy Charter School @ J.P. Jones, Global Leadership Academy Charter School, Boys' Latin of Philadelphia Charter School, First Philadelphia Preparatory Charter School, Esperanza Cyber Charter School and Community Academy of Philadelphia Charter School. ASPIRA Charter Schools (Pennsylvania) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School.
What industry is Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School in?
Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School's product category is K-12 Charter School Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJACAJ, Charter College-Prep & Advanced Academics Schools, with a secondary code of EDAJACAL, Charter Montessori/Waldorf/Classical/Expeditionary (Pedagogical Models). Its NAICS code is 61111 and its SIC code is 8200.