Envision Education

What Envision Education does

Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Oakland, California, Envision Education is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charter school management organization operating five public charter schools serving approximately 1,500 students in grades 6-12 across the San Francisco Bay Area (Oakland, San Francisco, and Hayward). Its student base is concentrated among first-generation college-bound students (75%), low-income students qualifying for Free/Reduced Lunch (75%), and students of color, with 25 languages represented across the network. The network's defining methodology is the Portfolio Defense model—a performance-based assessment system in which students assemble work portfolios and orally defend their learning before panels of teachers, peers, and community members at grades 8, 10, and 12, with the 12th-grade College Success Portfolio Defense serving as a graduation requirement. Complementary in-school programs include the Workplace Learning Experience (full-day internships for 11th-12th graders at partner organizations with measurable outcome projects) and the Envision Teacher Residency, a one-year Master's plus credentialing pathway run with Alder Graduate School of Education.

The revenue model rests on three streams: California charter per-pupil funding from state and district authorizers based on enrollment, philanthropic donations raised through annual events (Evening with Envision, Stand Up For Students) and foundation grants, and fee-based professional development revenue from Envision Learning Partners (ELP)—a wholly-owned consulting subsidiary that sells Portfolio Defense training and coaching to schools and districts nationwide. Defense Design Studios are priced at $175 per individual or $600 for a team of four, with an optional second-day extension at $125 per person. ELP's reported reach extends to 1,000+ teachers across 50+ schools and districts, with organizational leadership impacting 600 schools and 300,000-350,000 students annually; a CREDO at Stanford study found Envision students gained the equivalent of 66 additional days of reading learning versus peers, and an LAUSD coaching partnership produced a +16% ELA Common Core score increase.

Outcomes include a 99%+ college acceptance rate versus a 66% national average, 85% first-year college persistence versus a 75% national average, and the 2019 CREDO 'gap-busting' designation. The leadership team is led by CEO Jillian Juman with Chief Program Officer Justin Wells (a founding English teacher who co-developed the Portfolio Defense system and previously served at Stanford SCALE) as methodology steward. The organization was co-founded by Daniel McLaughlin (deceased 2019) and Bob Lenz, who remains on the Board of Directors. Operational tech consists of standard K-12 administrative tooling—PowerSchool for student information, College Board for SAT prep integration, and Stripe via ClickBid for donations—with no disclosed AI/ML capabilities.

Name

Envision Education

Legal name

Envision Education, Inc.

Website

https://envisionschools.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Envision Education is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating five Bay Area public charter schools serving about 1,500 grades 6-12 students through its Portfolio Defense assessment model, while its Envision Learning Partners arm provides fee-based consulting and professional development to districts nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Charter School Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Services (611), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter College-Prep & Advanced Academics Schools (EDAJACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Standards Alignment & Curriculum Mapping (State/National) (EDAJAFAD)

Keywords

• Charter school network
• K-12 education services
• Performance assessment consulting
• Teacher professional development
• College readiness programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Charter School Per-Pupil Funding: As a charter school network, Envision receives per-pupil funding from California state and district authorizers based on enrollment.
2. Donations and Philanthropic Support: Non-profit organization relies heavily on donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors; annual fundraising events such as Evening with Envision and Stand Up For Students generate charitable contributions.
3. Envision Learning Partners Professional Development: Fee-based professional development services, training, and consulting provided to schools and districts nationwide through Defense Design Studios and coaching partnerships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Envision Education operates a network of public charter schools in the San Francisco Bay Area (grades 6–12) and sells performance-assessment consulting and professional development to schools and districts nationwide. Its core methodology is the Portfolio Defense model, in which students defend their learning before panels of teachers, peers, and community members, supported by project-based learning, the Workplace Learning Experience internship program, and personalized college preparation.

Product overview

Envision Education is a charter school network and educational services organization operating multiple Bay Area schools and consulting programs. The core product is the Portfolio Defense Model—a nationally recognized performance assessment system where students defend their learning. Supporting this are the Defense Design Studios professional development program and Envision Learning Partners consulting division which train schools nationwide. The organization runs five schools (City Arts & Leadership Academy, Envision Academy, Impact Academy, and upcoming Envision Science HS) serving grades 6-12, plus the Envision Teacher Residency program with Alder Graduate School of Education, the Daniel McLaughlin College Persistence Scholarship, and annual Evening With Envision fundraising events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Portfolio Defense Model Nationally recognized performance assessment system in which students assemble portfolios of their best work and defend their learning before panels of teachers, peers, and community members; serves as the foundational assessment methodology delivered to K-12 students across Envision schools and replicated through ELP.
• Envision Learning Partners (ELP) Fee-based consulting and coaching division that helps schools and districts implement the Portfolio Defense performance-assessment model and project-based learning strategies; works with 1,000+ teachers in 50+ schools and districts, with leadership reach to 600+ schools and 300,000+ students annually.
• Defense Design Studios Professional development workshops for educators who observe live Portfolio Defenses at Envision schools and learn to apply the assessment model in their own contexts; offered as individual registrations ($175/person), team registrations ($600 for four), and optional extended learning day ($125/person).
• City Arts & Leadership Academy (CALA) Public charter high school in San Francisco (grades 9–12) focused on arts and leadership education, delivered through the Portfolio Defense model and project-based learning. Free public charter school enrollment via lottery-based admission.
• Envision Academy Public charter school in Oakland (grades 6–12) offering middle and high school programs centered on college preparation, Portfolio Defense assessment, and equity-focused education. Free public charter school enrollment via lottery-based admission.
• Impact Academy of Arts & Technology Public charter school in Hayward serving middle and high school students with an arts-and-technology curriculum and an explicit pro-Black, anti-racist mission. Recognized in 2019 by US News & World Report and Innovate Public Schools as a top Bay Area school. Free public charter school enrollment via lottery-based admission.
• Envision Science HS Upcoming Envision charter high school focused on science, currently in development for Oakland; not yet open for enrollment at the time of the source data.
• Envision Teacher Residency One-year teacher preparation program delivered in partnership with Alder Graduate School of Education, in which residents apprentice in Envision classrooms while earning a Master's Degree and Teaching Credential; 95% of graduates obtain full-time teaching positions.
• Daniel McLaughlin College Persistence Scholarship Endowed scholarship program housed at Silicon Valley Community Foundation that awards $1,000–$4,000 to approximately 10 Envision graduates per year who are currently enrolled in college, in honor of co-founder Daniel McLaughlin.
• Workplace Learning Experience (WLE) Full-day internship program for 11th and 12th grade Envision students, replacing traditional school days with work at external partner organizations under site-based mentors and producing measurable outcome projects.
• Student Support Services Special education and student support services at Envision, including IEP (Individualized Education Program) services, RTI (Response to Intervention) interventions, and Student Success Teams for students with diverse learning needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99%+ college acceptance rate (vs 66% nationwide)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, moderate and core.

• Khan AcademyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015LearnStorm challenge partnership; Impact Academy students achieved LearnStorm benchmarks qualifying for $15,000 technology funding from Google.org.
• California County Boards of Education (CCEE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCEE is listed as a partner/supporter of Envision Education, likely providing advocacy and network support for charter schools in California.
• QuestBridgemoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvision students have received significant scholarships through QuestBridge, including full-ride awards to prestigious colleges. Multiple students mentioned as QuestBridge scholarship recipients.
• Oakland PromisemoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing scholarship opportunities for Oakland students. Nearly 30 Oakland Promise awards received by Envision students.
• PBL WorksmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerBronze sponsor for Evening with Envision 2026 event. PBL Works focuses on project-based learning, aligning with Envision's educational approach.
• Bellwether Education PartnersmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured Envision Education in case study 'A Pragmatic Playbook for Impact' highlighting Envision's journey toward direct, widespread, and systemic impact in education.
• Alder Graduate School of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Envision Teacher Residency program where residents earn Master's Degree and Teaching Credential in one year while apprenticing in Envision classrooms. 95% of graduates obtain full-time teaching positions.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• EL Education: National deeper-learning school network and professional-development provider whose portfolio-based assessment and project-based learning model closely resembles Envision's Portfolio Defense and ELP professional development offerings.
• Rocketship Public Schools: Bay Area-based charter network serving elementary and middle school students in low-income communities, comparable to Envision in geography, demographic focus, and charter-based educational equity mission.
• PUC Schools: Los Angeles-based charter network serving historically underserved students through college-prep programs, a directly comparable California charter operator with similar demographics and outcomes focus.
• Green Dot Public Schools: One of the largest charter management organizations in California, with a similar college-prep focus on underserved communities, including Oakland-area campuses that compete with Envision's portfolio.
• Ednovate: Southern California charter network that explicitly prepares first-generation college-bound students for college and career, mirroring Envision's target demographics, mission, and college-prep instructional model.
• KIPP Foundation: National charter school network that, like Envision, operates tuition-free public schools focused on college preparation for underserved students, and now operates KIPP Northern California schools serving similar demographics in the Bay Area.
• Aspire Public Schools: California-based charter school network serving predominantly low-income and first-generation college-bound students with a college-prep focus, operating in many of the same California communities as Envision.
• Summit Public Schools: Bay Area-based charter network serving grades 6-12 with a project- and portfolio-based learning model, sharing Envision's college-prep mission, performance-assessment philosophy, and Bay Area footprint.

Emerging players

• New Tech Network: Network of project-based learning schools coupled with a school design and professional development offering, comparable to Envision Learning Partners' combination of curriculum model plus consulting work with districts.
• PBL Works: Project-based learning focused professional development provider (formerly Buck Institute for Education) that competes directly with Envision Learning Partners in selling PBL and performance-assessment services to schools and districts nationwide.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/envisioneducation
• Facebookfacebook.com/envisioneducation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/envision-education
• Instagraminstagram.com/envisioneducation
• Xx.com/envisionschools

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Envision Education