What Visitation Academy does

Visitation Academy (legal name: Visitation Academy of St. Louis County) is an independent, private Catholic school operating from a single campus at 3020 N. Ballas Road in St. Louis, Missouri, founded in 1833 by the Sisters of the Visitation at the invitation of Bishop Joseph Rosati. The school delivers a continuous educational pathway from a coeducational Montessori early-childhood program (Toddler through Kindergarten) into an all-girls environment spanning Grades 1 through 12, organized into Lower School (Grades 1-5), Middle School (Grades 6-8), and Upper School (Grades 9-12), with the elementary program positioned as the only all-girl elementary offering in the area. The institution enrolls approximately 602 students for the 2025-26 school year with an average class size of 15, supported by 51-100 employees, and supplements academics with athletics (26 state championships), comprehensive arts programming (visual arts, music, theatre, dance), parent organizations (Fathers' Club, Mothers' Club), and an active alumnae network of more than 5,410 graduates.

The school's underlying technology stack is composed of standard education-sector SaaS rather than proprietary infrastructure: MySchoolApp powers the 'Viz Portal' for grades, schedules, report cards, communications, payments, and news; Naviance supports college and career counseling; Follett Destiny manages library services; Microsoft Office 365 is the productivity standard; Square powers the Viz Station online merchandise store; and GiveCampus handles online donations and fundraising. A Director of Technology oversees the infrastructure. The institution offers specialized Upper School add-ons (Entrepreneurial Leadership, Fellowship, Global Studies), summer camps for 2026 (academic/community-building and athletics), and is pursuing lead-in-water compliance under Missouri's Get the Lead Out of School Drinking Water Act.

Visitation Academy's business model is tuition-driven and direct-to-consumer. Revenue is generated primarily through recurring annual tuition and fees from enrolled families, with $1.7M in tuition assistance distributed each year to support affordability. Pricing details are not publicly disclosed, and the school supplements tuition with development/fundraising (GiveCampus, planned giving, Safari Dinner Auction, endowment and financial aid funds). The go-to-market motion relies on direct admissions, on-campus visits ('VIZ-IT'), admission events, and referrals through the alumnae and parent communities, with students drawn from 72 zip codes indicating regional demand across the St. Louis metropolitan area. Notable outcomes — including the Class of 2026 earning $27M+ in four-year scholarship value at an average of $380K+ per graduate — are central to the value proposition for prospective families.

Name

Visitation Academy

Legal name

Visitation Academy of St. Louis County

Website

https://visitationacademy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1833

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Visitation Academy is an independent Catholic school in St. Louis, Missouri, founded in 1833 by the Sisters of the Visitation. It offers a coed Montessori early-childhood program and the area's only all-girls environment for Grades 1-12, enrolling 602 students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Louis

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: The school generates revenue primarily through tuition payments from enrolled students. The school also awards significant tuition assistance annually.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Visitation Academy is an independent, private Catholic school that provides coeducational Montessori programming for children ages 2 through Kindergarten and an all-girls educational environment for Grades 1 through 12. It delivers core academics, college counseling, athletics, and arts programs through small classes averaging 15 students, with tuition as the primary revenue source supplemented by donations and tuition assistance.

Product overview

Visitation Academy is an independent, private Catholic school offering a comprehensive educational program structured as a unified school experience with multiple divisions. The institution features a coeducational Montessori preschool and Kindergarten program as the entry point, transitioning to the area's only all-girl elementary program for Grades 1-5 (Lower School), an all-girl middle school for Grades 6-8, and an all-girl high school for Grades 9-12. The portfolio includes four core academic divisions (Montessori, Lower School, Middle School, Upper School), complemented by specialized Upper School programs (Entrepreneurial Leadership, Fellowship, and Global Studies), a Viz Portal powered by MySchoolApp for academic management, and a Viz Station online store. The school also offers athletics (with 26 state championships) and comprehensive arts programs spanning Visual Arts, Music, Theatre, and Dance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Coed Montessori Program Coeducational Montessori program for children Age 2 through Kindergarten, serving as the entry point to the Visitation Academy educational journey.
• Lower School All-girls elementary program covering Grades 1-5, noted as the only all-girl elementary program in the area. Includes core curriculum, academic approach, Owl's Nest learning resources, and beyond-classroom activities.
• Middle School All-girls middle school program for Grades 6-8, featuring core curriculum, academic approach, counseling services, and beyond-classroom opportunities.
• Upper School All-girls high school program for Grades 9-12, offering core curriculum plus specialized programs including Entrepreneurial Leadership, Fellowship, and Global Studies. Includes college counseling and preparation.
• Athletics Program Athletic programs across Lower School, Middle School, and Upper School divisions. The school has won 26 state championships and competes in MSHSAA.
• Arts Program Comprehensive arts offerings including Visual Arts, Music, Theatre, and Dance, along with Visual and Performing Arts Events throughout the year.
• Summer Camps 2026 Academic & Community-Building Camps and Athletics Camps offered for 2026, available to students and the broader community.
• Viz Station Online store powered by Square, selling school merchandise and items to students, parents, and community members.

Quantifiable outcome

• Class of 2026 earned over $27M in total four-year value of scholarships and grants
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 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

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Sisters of the VisitationcoreOthers · 1 January 1833The Sisters of the Visitation were invited by Bishop Joseph Rosati in 1833 to open a school for young women in the St. Louis Diocese. This founding relationship established the Visitation charism that continues to guide the school's mission and values today.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Whitfield School: Independent private K-12 college-prep school in Creve Coeur, MO. Comparable mission (small, personalized college-prep) but coed and secular.
• John Burroughs School: Elite coed private K-12 in Ladue, MO. Comparable size and academic positioning; competes for similar St. Louis families but is coed and secular.
• Crossroads College Preparatory School: Small private college-prep K-12 in St. Louis with similar small-class-size ethos. Competes for families prioritizing intimate learning environments, though secular and coed.

Direct peers

• Chaminade College Preparatory School: Catholic Marianist K-12 with two St. Louis-area campuses. Closely comparable faith-based private K–12 institution competing for similar mission-driven families.
• Cor Jesu Academy: All-girls Catholic high school in Affton, MO (St. Louis metro). Direct competitor in the single-gender Catholic high school segment with overlapping applicant pools and similar mission.
• Westminster Christian Academy: Private Christian college-prep K-12 in the St. Louis metro. Competes for tuition-paying families seeking faith-based K–12 education with strong college placement.
• St. Joseph's Academy: All-girls Catholic college-prep high school in Frontenac, MO (St. Louis County). Competes head-to-head with Visitation for the same all-girls Catholic high school families in the St. Louis metro.
• Nerinx Hall High School: All-girls Catholic high school in Webster Groves (St. Louis metro), founded in the same Loretto tradition. Operates as the most direct single-gender Catholic peer competing for the same Grade 9–12 applicant pool in the region.
• Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School: Catholic all-girls K-12 (with Oak Hill coed component) in Frontenac/Olivette, MO. Closest direct peer in the St. Louis market operating a comparable all-girls Catholic K–12 model.

Broad incumbents

• MICDS (Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School): Premier coed private K-12 in Ladue, MO. Larger and broader incumbent competing for the same high-income St. Louis families, but without the all-girls or Catholic specialization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/VizAcademy/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/VizAcademy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/groups/4803427
• Instagraminstagram.com/vizacademy
• Xx.com/VizAcademy

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 Visitation Academy