What Eagle Rock School does

Eagle Rock School & Professional Development Center is a nonprofit educational organization operating two integrated lines of activity. First, it runs a full-scholarship, year-round residential high school on a 640-acre campus adjacent to Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Park, Colorado. Founded in September 1993 through American Honda Motor Company's Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, the school serves approximately 72 students ages 15-21 (typical age range 15-17) recruited nationally from 15+ states and Puerto Rico through rolling admissions. All enrolled students receive a full scholarship covering tuition, housing, and meals. Educational delivery is experiential, project-based, and competency-based: small classes (average 8, maximum 12), interdisciplinary coursework, a 24-day wilderness orientation, Presentations of Learning (POLs) assessments (minimum six before graduation), and a dual curriculum combining academics with personal growth under an "8+5=10" values framework. Each graduate receives access to a $14,000 Graduate Fund for higher education costs.

The second line of activity is the Professional Development Center, which extends Eagle Rock's equity-driven model nationally. The centerpiece is the Changemaker Cohort, a one-year program launching its sixth iteration in February 2027, which pairs student-educator teams from schools across the country for collaborative school-improvement work. Adjacent programs include a Teacher Licensure Program administered in partnership with the Colorado Department of Education (with NASDTEC interstate reciprocity), an Eagle Rock Fellowship (8 fellows annually), visiting educator campus experiences, and Real World Learning summer immersive work placements.

The underlying "technology" is pedagogical rather than digital: there is no proprietary software platform; instead, the school's differentiation rests on curriculum design, outdoor education programming (accredited by AEE), small-class residential operation, and 30 years of community and alumni-building. Revenue mechanics are non-commercial in the conventional sense: primary funding flows from the American Honda Education Corporation (the parent entity), supplemented by Professional Development Center program fees from participating schools and donations to the Graduate Fund. Customer segments are split between (a) prospective students/families (the residential program, which is free at point of use) and (b) schools and educator teams paying for the Changemaker Cohort and teacher licensure pathways.

Name

Eagle Rock School

Legal name

Eagle Rock School & Professional Development Center

Website

https://eaglerockschool.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Eagle Rock School & Professional Development Center is a nonprofit, full-scholarship residential high school in Estes Park, Colorado serving disengaged students ages 15-21, while operating a national professional development center for educators through the Changemaker Cohort program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Alternative Residential Education

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)

Keywords

• Residential high school
• Experiential education
• Alternative education
• Professional development
• Competency-based learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Estes Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropy: Eagle Rock School operates as a nonprofit organization funded primarily through the American Honda Education Corporation, a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative of American Honda Motor Company. The school also receives donations to its Graduate Fund which supports alumni higher education expenses.
2. Professional Development Services: The Professional Development Center offers fee-based professional development services to schools nationally through the Changemaker Cohort program, teacher licensure partnerships with Colorado Department of Education, and hosting visiting educators at its campus.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Eagle Rock School & Professional Development Center operates a full-scholarship, year-round residential high school for students ages 15-17 in Estes Park, Colorado, delivering experiential, project-based, competency-based education with small class sizes and a dual curriculum combining academics with personal growth. The Professional Development Center extends the model nationally through the Changemaker Cohort program, Teacher Licensure Program, and Eagle Rock Fellowship, partnering with schools and educator teams on equity-driven school improvement.

Product overview

Eagle Rock School & Professional Development Center operates a unified portfolio of educational programs. The core offering is Eagle Rock School, a full-scholarship residential high school (ages 15-17) featuring competency-based, experiential learning. The Professional Development Center extends the school's impact nationally through the Changemaker Cohort program, which pairs student-educator teams for equity-driven school improvement. Supporting programs include the Teacher Licensure Program (in partnership with Colorado Department of Education), the Eagle Rock Fellowship for aspiring educators, wilderness orientation experiences, Real World Learning summer work experiences, Presentations of Learning assessments, and the Graduate Fund supporting alumni's post-secondary education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Eagle Rock School A full-scholarship, year-round, residential high school serving students ages 15-17 in Estes Park, Colorado. It delivers an innovative, experiential, competency-based learning approach with small classes (average 8, maximum 12) and a dual curriculum combining academics with personal growth.
• Professional Development Center An educational nonprofit division that connects with schools across the country to facilitate changemaking through professional development programs and initiatives, including the Changemaker Cohort, Teacher Licensure Program, and visiting educator experiences.
• Changemaker Cohort A national professional development program that pairs students and educators as co-leaders to implement equity-focused school improvements and leadership development initiatives. The one-year program includes in-person gatherings and continuous coaching support.
• Teacher Licensure Program A teacher licensure program exclusively open to Eagle Rock Fellowship participants, administered in partnership with the Colorado Department of Education. Provides pathways to teaching credentials with license reciprocity available through the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement.
• Eagle Rock Fellowship A residential, community-based year-long service and leadership development experience offering eight individuals the opportunity to work with high school students as Health and Wellness Fellows, Instructional Fellows, Residential Life Fellows, Professional Development Fellows, or Outdoor Education Fellows.
• Graduate Fund A higher education fund that supports each Eagle Rock graduate with $14,000 toward the costs of higher education, including college tuition, books, course fees, trade school, and online coursework, accessible in increments of $2,000 per fiscal year.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of graduates have access to $14,000 Graduate Fund for higher education
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Association of Colorado Independent Schools (ACIS)coreOthersEagle Rock is accredited by ACIS under the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), providing formal educational accreditation.
• Association of Experiential Education (AEE)coreOthersEagle Rock's Outdoor Education Program is accredited by the Association of Experiential Education (AEE).
• Colorado Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEagle Rock's Teacher Licensure Program is administered in partnership with the Colorado Department of Education, enabling fellows to become licensed teachers.
• National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEagle Rock has a close relationship with NOLS. Students regularly participate in NOLS courses and expeditions, with some completing courses such as 30-day expeditions in the Waddington mountain range. Alumni have become NOLS instructors.
• Outward BoundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEagle Rock is connected to Outward Bound and regularly supports students to secure scholarships to attend outdoor leadership skills courses with the organization.
• Rocky Mountain National ParkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEagle Rock has a close relationship with Rocky Mountain National Park adjacent to its campus. Many students have participated in summer internships with the park, some turning those experiences into careers as park rangers or Hot Shots crew members.
• Coalition of Essential SchoolsminorOthersEagle Rock is affiliated with the Coalition of Essential Schools, a national network promoting progressive education practices. Eagle Rock staff have received awards from this organization including the 'Commitment to Equity' award.
• NASDTEC (Interstate Agreement)minorOthersLicense reciprocity is available for Eagle Rock's Teacher Licensure Program graduates through the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement, allowing teachers to become licensed in other states.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• High Tech High: San Diego-based network of project-based charter schools with deep educator PD (Graduate School of Education). Closely parallels Eagle Rock's competency-based, POL-style assessment and its commitment to training educators in the same model they teach.
• SEED Schools: Residential college-prep public boarding schools for underserved youth. Direct peer to Eagle Rock's full-scholarship residential model serving disengaged students from across the country.
• Big Picture Learning: National nonprofit network founded on Deeper Learning and project-based internships for high schoolers. Highly comparable to Eagle Rock's student-as-learner/leader model and PD work with educators through a national network structure.
• Animas High School: Durango, CO project-based public high school founded with Big Picture Learning influence. Comparable alternative model serving disengaged/college-bound students in Colorado, often cited alongside Eagle Rock in CO alternative-ed discourse.
• Crosstown High: XQ- and Big-Picture-affiliated project-based high school in Memphis, TN. Already an Eagle Rock PD Center cohort participant and operates a near-identical student-as-learner/equity-driven model.

Emerging players

• National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS): Premier wilderness education nonprofit. Direct partner of Eagle Rock (students complete NOLS expeditions; alumni become NOLS instructors), and a peer for experiential education pedagogy and instructor training.
• Coalition of Essential Schools: National progressive-education network with which Eagle Rock is affiliated. Comparable as a peer/professional community for alternative school practitioners and PD; Eagle Rock staff have received CES 'Commitment to Equity' awards.
• Outward Bound: National experiential/wilderness education nonprofit with K-12 programming. Direct peer for Eagle Rock's wilderness orientation and outdoor leadership programming; Eagle Rock regularly places students in Outward Bound scholarships.

Others

• Learning Forward: National professional association for educator learning and PD. Comparable to the Professional Development Center's mission of building educator capacity, and a likely channel partner for the Changemaker Cohort.

Broad incumbents

• KIPP Schools: Large national charter network serving underserved K-12 students with college-prep focus. A broader incumbent in the alternative/equity-focused K-12 space that competes for the same students and partners/funders.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EagleRockSchool
• YouTubeyoutube.com/EagleRockSchool
• Facebookfacebook.com/EagleRockSchool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/eagle-rock-school
• Instagraminstagram.com/eaglerockschool
• TikToktiktok.com/@eaglerockschool

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Eagle Rock School