Knoch School District

What Knoch School District does

Knoch School District (legally South Butler County School District) is a Pennsylvania public K-12 school district headquartered at 345 Knoch Rd, Saxonburg, Butler County, PA. It serves students across four campuses — Knoch Primary (K-2), Knoch Intermediate (3-5), Knoch Middle School (6-8) and Knoch High School (9-12) — with reported honor-roll enrollment on the order of 549-605 high school students and 307-356 middle school students per nine-week marking period, implying total district enrollment in the ~1,400-1,800 range. The district is governed by an elected school board (Directors including David McRandal, Donna Eakin, Lori Musloe, Jesse Scheller, Anthony Infante, Bill Gebhart, Jake Weidner, Justin Kovach and Matt Bartlett) and is operationally led by Superintendent Dr. Melissa Grantz, who was officially commissioned in May 2026.

The core product is in-person public instruction delivered across the four schools, supplemented by a Knoch Cyber Academy online/hybrid program, a formalized Remote Instruction Day system for inclement weather, and a Brayman Innovation Center outfitted with 3D printers, laser engravers and industrial equipment for STEAM and manufacturing pathways. The technology stack is platform-consumer: Edgenuity for curriculum, Skyward for student information, Google Workspace for Education as the productivity backbone, a 1:1 Chromebook program governed by a district technology handbook, and ancillary vendor systems (Schoolcafe, FamilyID, Arbitersports, Jostens, Hilliard Imagery, Safe2Say PA) for meals, athletics, yearbook, photography and safety reporting. Extracurricular surface includes competitive athletics, band/chorus/orchestra (with PMEA state-level recognitions), theater, robotics/STEAM, the Little Knight Preschool, K-STEAM summer camps, and the Knight's Closet wraparound support resource accessed via the Counseling Office.

As a government entity, the district operates on a tax-and-appropriation revenue model — local property taxes, Pennsylvania basic education funding and federal grants — with only nominal ancillary fee revenue ($50 per sport with a $150 family cap, waived for free/reduced-lunch students). GTM is geographically captive: families residing in the attendance boundary constitute the de facto enrollment funnel. Distribution is multi-modal (in-person campuses + Knoch Cyber Academy + Remote Instruction Days), and outbound engagement is run through an Edlio-hosted district website, Facebook, email newsletters and a Virtual Backpack digital bulletin board. Strategic vendor and institutional partnerships include Butler Vo-Tech (CTE), The Nutrition Group (food service), Brayman Construction (Innovation Center naming/manufacturing support), Westminster College (PMEA festival host), and Run With Heart Foundation (CPR training).

Name

Knoch School District

Legal name

South Butler County School District

Website

https://high.knochsd.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Knoch School District is a Pennsylvania public K-12 district headquartered in Saxonburg, Butler County, operating four schools (Primary, Intermediate, Middle, High) that serve resident students through traditional classroom instruction, an online Knoch Cyber Academy, and STEAM/manufacturing pathways anchored by the Brayman Innovation Center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Public Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public K–12 Combined Schools (EDAJAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Full-Time Virtual K–12 Schools (Statewide/Cyber Charters & District Programs) (EDAJADAA)

Keywords

• K-12 public education
• Primary school programs
• Secondary school programs
• Career technical education
• Extracurricular athletics

Headquarters

HQ city

Saxonburg

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

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Knoch School District provides comprehensive K-12 public education to students in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania across four schools (Primary K-2, Intermediate 3-5, Middle 6-8, High School 9-12), delivering academic instruction, college/career readiness, athletics, performing arts, career and technical education pathways, and student support services. The district supplements in-person instruction with the Knoch Cyber Academy for online and hybrid learning options and offers community-facing programs such as K-STEAM Summer Camps, Little Knight Preschool, and the Brayman Innovation Center for manufacturing and STEAM education.

Product overview

Knoch School District operates as a public school district comprising four schools: Knoch High School (grades 9-12), Knoch Middle School (grades 6-8), Knoch Intermediate School (grades 3-5), and Knoch Primary School (K-2). The district also offers Knoch Cyber Academy as an online/remote instruction option. Educational programs include traditional academics, athletic activities, music programs (band, chorus, orchestra), theater productions, various clubs, career and technical education through Butler Vo-Tech, and special programs such as Little Knight Preschool, Child Development classes, and STEAM-focused summer camps.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Knoch High School

Quantifiable outcome

• 605 HS students and 356 MS students achieved Honor Roll status in 1st Nine Weeks
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Butler Vo-TechcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVocational-technical partnership providing career and technical education programs for students. Students have been recognized as Butler Vo-Tech Student of the Month (Breanna McCormick, Marah Gealey).
• Butler Vo-TechcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCulinary arts and sports medicine programs with students regularly recognized for outstanding achievement through Butler Vo-Tech Student of the Month awards.
• The Nutrition GroupcoreOthersDistrict food service provider managing breakfast and lunch programs. Also handles free/reduced meal program administration.
• Brayman Construction (Brayman Innovation Center)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovation center named after Brayman Construction, providing state-of-the-art manufacturing and STEAM education facilities for students including 3D printers, laser engravers, and industrial equipment.
• Westminster CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for PMEA District 5 Honors Band, Honors Chorus, and Honors Orchestra festivals.
• Safe2Say PennsylvaniacoreOthersAnonymous tip reporting system for student safety concerns (safe2saypa.org). Logo displayed on district website.
• JostensminorOthersYearbook publishing company producing high school and middle school yearbooks.
• Hilliard ImageryminorOthersSchool photography services for annual student portraits and picture day.
• SchoolcafeminorOthersOnline meal payment and management system for student cafeteria meals.
• FamilyIDminorOthersOnline athletic registration platform used for fall, winter, and spring sports registration.
• ArbitersportsminorOthersAthletic portal for fall sports registration and management.
• Meadow Rock FarmminorOthersMeeting location for Knoch Youth & Government club meetings.
• Fieldhouse RestaurantminorOthersLocal restaurant venue hosting Top 10 Senior Dinner event for honoring academic achievers.
• CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program)minorOthersHealth insurance information distributed to families through district resources.
• Run With Heart FoundationminorOthersNonprofit organization providing CPR certification training for students in Human Body Systems class.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pine-Richland School District: Western Pennsylvania public K-12 district within commuting distance. Operates a comparable combination of elementary, middle, and high schools with academic and athletic programs similar to Knoch.
• Mars Area School District: Adjacent Butler County K-12 public district with similar enrollment size and school configuration. Competes for students within overlapping residential areas and mirrors the K-12 + online + athletics model.
• Butler Area School District: Neighboring public K-12 school district in Butler County, Pennsylvania. Operates similar grade-level structure and serves a comparable community footprint, making it the most direct geographic and demographic peer.
• Seneca Valley School District: Butler County public K-12 district serving grades K-12 with multiple school buildings. Comparable in mission, structure, and geographic context, with similar curricular and extracurricular offerings.
• Slippery Rock Area School District: Butler County K-12 public school district with comparable enrollment scale and grade-level structure. Direct peer in terms of community profile, funding mechanisms, and curricular offerings.

Broad incumbents

• National Heritage Academies: Operates a network of charter schools serving K-12 students across multiple states. Comparable to Knoch in providing full K-12 educational services, with stronger corporate infrastructure but narrower public accountability.
• Connections Academy: Operated by Stride, Connections Academy is a leading K-12 virtual school network with statewide reach. Comparable to Knoch Cyber Academy as a full-time online K-12 provider, though at vastly larger scale.
• Stride (K12 Inc): National online K-12 education operator (formerly K12 Inc) offering full-time virtual schooling, including connections Academy. Most relevant broad incumbent comparable to Knoch Cyber Academy's online offering.
• Charter Schools USA: Large charter school management organization operating K-12 schools across multiple states. Comparable to Knoch as a full K-12 instructional provider, though operating as a private management entity rather than a public district.

Emerging players

• EdisonLearning: Education services company providing K-12 instructional programs, including hybrid and online models. Comparable to Knoch Cyber Academy as an EdTech-enabled provider, though primarily a service partner rather than a direct school operator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Knoch School District