Noble Academy Columbus

What Noble Academy Columbus does

Noble Academy Columbus is a tuition-free, non-selective public charter school in Columbus, Ohio, serving K-8 students and families. The school was founded in 2006, has a stated target enrollment of 355 students, and an enrollment video cited approximately 275 current students. Its academic offering is a STEM-focused, college-preparatory K-8 program, and the school is operated by Concept Schools, a nonprofit charter management organization that provides academic, financial, and operational services across a broader Midwest school network.

The core service is in-person K-8 education supplemented by student-development and enrichment programs such as the Concept Young Scholars Program and Knight's C.O.D.E. The operating technology is not proprietary software; it consists of a 1:1 technology program for student devices, Smart Boards in classrooms, PowerSchool Mobile for parent and student access to grades, attendance, assignments, and communications, and supporting tools such as Google, YouTube, and Zoom.

The business model is enrollment-driven rather than tuition-driven. Families do not pay tuition, while the school relies primarily on per-pupil state and local public funding tied to enrollment, supplemented by federal programs such as Title I, IDEA, and the National School Lunch Program. Go-to-market is direct to families through the school website, social media, enrollment videos, tours, and an online PowerSchool enrollment portal, with lottery admission if applications exceed capacity.

Name

Noble Academy Columbus

Legal name

Noble Academy Columbus

Website

https://noblecolumbus.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Noble Academy Columbus is a tuition-free, non-selective K-8 public charter school in Columbus, Ohio, serving students and families with STEM-focused, college-preparatory instruction supported by 1:1 devices, Smart Boards, and PowerSchool communication tools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-8 Public Charter School Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter College-Prep & Advanced Academics Schools (EDAJACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Charter Alternative & At-Risk Schools (Continuation, Credit Recovery, Juvenile) (EDAJACAE)

Keywords

• K-8 charter education
• STEM-focused curriculum
• College-preparatory schooling
• Tuition-free public school
• Non-selective enrollment

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Per-Pupil Public Funding: Charter schools receive per-pupil funding from state and local sources based on enrollment. This is the primary revenue stream for public charter schools.
2. Title I Funding: Federal Title I funding for schools with high percentages of children from low-income families to support academic achievement
3. IDEA Funds: Federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act funding to support special education services
4. National School Lunch Program: Federal child nutrition program providing free meals to all enrolled students under Provision 2

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Noble Academy Columbus is a nonprofit K-8 public charter school delivering tuition-free, STEM-focused, college-preparatory education to approximately 275 (target 355) students in Columbus, Ohio. It is operated by Concept Schools under authorization from Buckeye Community Hope Foundation and is accredited by Cognia with STEM Certification. The offering extends to supplemental programs such as the gifted Concept Young Scholars Program (CYSP) and College Credit Plus.

Product overview

Noble Academy Columbus operates as a single K-8 public charter school offering a unified STEM-focused and college-preparatory educational program. The school provides core K-8 instruction with supporting modules including PowerSchool Mobile for parent-student communication, the Concept Young Scholars Program for gifted education, College Credit Plus for early college access, and an enrollment video platform for prospective families. The institution is operated by Concept Schools, a nonprofit charter management organization, and is authorized by Buckeye Community Hope Foundation, accredited by Cognia, and STEM certified.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• K-8 STEM-Focused College-Preparatory Education Tuition-free public charter school education for grades K-8 in Columbus, Ohio, offering a STEM-focused and college-preparatory curriculum designed to prepare students for postsecondary success. Open to all Ohio families regardless of school district, with non-selective admission subject to a lottery when applications exceed capacity.
• Concept Young Scholars Program (CYSP) Gifted and talented enrichment program within the Concept Schools network providing advanced academic opportunities and support for high-achieving K-8 students at Noble Academy Columbus.
• College Credit Plus Program allowing eligible K-8 students to access partnerships with local colleges and universities enabling them to earn college credits while still in school.
• PowerSchool Mobile Parent/Student Portal Mobile application (iOS and Android) that provides parents and students of Noble Academy Columbus with real-time access to grades, attendance, assignments, and school communications, connected to the school's PowerSchool Student Information System using district code NMDD.

Quantifiable outcome

• Students demonstrate 1.2 years of academic growth for each school year enrolled
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Columbus WizardsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 January 2026Noble Academy and Horizon Science Academy entered a multi-year agreement to become a featured sponsor of the Columbus Wizards, a team joining The Basketball League (TBL). The academies will have logo placement on team jerseys, press releases, interviews, videos, and a dedicated segment on The Columbus Wizards Network throughout the season.
• Concept SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperated by Concept Schools, a nonprofit charter management organization that has supported high-performing public charter schools across the Midwest since 1999. Concept Schools provides comprehensive start-up, academic, financial, and operational services.
• Buckeye Community Hope FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAuthorizing organization for Noble Academy Columbus charter. BCHF is responsible for overseeing charter school accountability and performance standards.
• CogniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccreditation organization providing quality assurance. Noble Academy Columbus is accredited by Cognia and holds STEM Certification from Cognia. Concept Schools was named System of Distinction by Cognia, being only the 11th institution of over 400 Cognia-certified systems to receive this designation.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Columbus Preparatory Academy: Tuition-free K-8 public charter school in Columbus serving similar demographics and competing head-to-head with Noble Academy for lottery applicants and Title I-eligible families.
• National Heritage Academies: Large charter management organization operating K-8 and K-12 public charter schools with college-prep curricula, providing a like-for-like comparison as a multi-campus charter network with similar operating model.
• KIPP Columbus: Non-selective, tuition-free K-8 public charter school in Columbus with a college-preparatory mission and a national charter network affiliation, directly competing for the same lottery-driven family demand.
• Horizon Science Academy Columbus: Sister charter school in Columbus under the same Concept Schools network; jointly sponsored the Columbus Wizards partnership and shares the STEM, college-prep, tuition-free model and operational backbone, making it the most directly comparable peer.

Emerging players

• DSST Public Schools: High-performing STEM-focused charter network serving middle school grades with strong college-prep outcomes; relevant comparator on instructional model and STEM differentiation, though geographically concentrated in Denver.
• BASIS Charter Schools: National charter network known for accelerated STEM and college-prep curricula; comparable in academic-model rigor and college-readiness focus, though many campuses are tuition-charging, distinguishing them from the tuition-free model.
• Great Oaks Charter Schools: Charter management organization operating tuition-free public charter schools serving middle grades with college-preparatory focus; useful peer for benchmarking academic outcomes and network scale.

Broad incumbents

• IDEA Public Schools: Large national charter network with strong college-prep outcomes and a STEM-aligned curriculum; relevant as a scaled CMO reference point for what a mature version of Noble Academy's network could look like.
• Columbus City Schools: Traditional public school district serving Columbus with the broadest portfolio of K-8 schools; the primary incumbent alternative to charter enrollment and the main funnel from which charter schools draw dissatisfied families.

Others

• Buckeye Community Hope Foundation: Charter school authorizer that oversees Noble Academy Columbus; included as an ecosystem participant because charter authorizer decisions directly affect whether the school can continue operating and expanding.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NobleAcademyCo
• Facebookfacebook.com/NobleColumbus
• Instagraminstagram.com/noble.academycbus

Compliance6 records

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 Noble Academy Columbus