Pinellas Preparatory Academy

What Pinellas Preparatory Academy does

Pinellas Preparatory Academy (PPA) is a tuition-free public charter school operating as Pinellas Preparatory Academy, Inc., founded in 2001 and located at 2300 Belcher Road, Suite 100, Largo, Florida, within Pinellas County. The school serves approximately 800 students across kindergarten through 8th grade in 47 classrooms at a 15:1 student-teacher ratio, with staffing between 51 and 100 employees. PPA's core academic program is built on project-based learning (PBL) with cooperative learning integrated from kindergarten through 8th grade, emphasizing teamwork, written and spoken communication, time management, and leadership development. The school has been rated by the Florida Department of Education with an A grade in 2025, 2024, and 2022, and a B in 2023.

The business model is a per-pupil public charter funding stream under Florida Statute 1002.31 Controlled Open Enrollment. Families do not pay tuition; revenue is derived from state/district per-pupil allocations tied to enrolled student headcount, supplemented by modest auxiliary revenue streams including before/after care fees, school store merchandise, yearbook sales ($35), and parent fundraising through the affiliated PTEG 501(c)(3). Go-to-market is event-driven: prospective families attend Discovery Day presentations, schedule tours via SignUpGenius, and apply through a lottery-based admissions process with applications accepted November through February and the lottery held annually in February. Distribution is a single-campus, domestic-only footprint with no multi-site expansion evident.

Beyond the core academic program, PPA operates an integrated service ecosystem including a comprehensive middle-school athletics program (Boys/Girls Basketball, Soccer, Cheerleading, Cross Country, Flag Football, Softball, Track, Volleyball), before/after care, Maschio's-provided lunch with Free/Reduced Lunch application support, school store and field trip retail operations, and a uniform program. Technology infrastructure is built on a wide third-party ed-tech stack (Clever SSO, FOCUS SIS, School Messenger, i-Ready, IXL, PLTW, Amplify, Discovery Education, BrainPop, Khan Academy, Securly, ClassDojo, Navigate360, etc.) — all vendor-provided, with no documented proprietary AI/ML capability. The school is governed by a Board of Directors with publicly disclosed budgets, audits, charters, and corporate documents, and operates with no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no venture capital or private equity ownership.

Name

Pinellas Preparatory Academy

Legal name

Pinellas Preparatory Academy, Inc.

Website

https://pinellasprep.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Pinellas Preparatory Academy is a tuition-free public charter school in Largo, Florida, serving approximately 800 K-8 students through project-based learning, funded by Florida per-pupil allocations and supported by a 501(c)(3) parent organization.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-8 Charter School Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter College-Prep & Advanced Academics Schools (EDAJACAJ)

Keywords

• K-8 charter school
• Project-based learning
• Tuition-free education
• Public charter education
• Elementary middle school

Headquarters

HQ city

Largo

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, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Per-Pupil Funding: As a public charter school, PPA receives tax-payer funding based on student enrollment (per-pupil funding from state/district). The school is tuition-free to families.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Pinellas Preparatory Academy is a tuition-free public charter school serving approximately 800 students in grades K-8 at its campus in Largo, Florida. The school delivers a project-based learning (PBL) curriculum with integrated cooperative learning starting in kindergarten, supported by a 15:1 student-to-teacher ratio across 47 classrooms, complemented by athletics, before/after care, and a parent-teacher enrichment organization.

Product overview

Pinellas Preparatory Academy operates as a tuition-free public charter school offering a comprehensive K-8 educational program built around project-based learning, cooperative learning methodologies, and high academic and behavioral expectations. The school serves approximately 800 students across 47 classrooms with a 15:1 student-to-teacher ratio. Beyond the core academic curriculum, the school provides an integrated ecosystem of services including PTEG (a parent-teacher enrichment organization), athletics programs, before/after care, admissions/lottery services, and retail operations through its school store and yearbook program. The school utilizes various third-party educational technology platforms for curriculum delivery, communication, and student assessment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• K-8 Academic Program Core educational program serving kindergarten through 8th grade students with a project-based learning and cooperative learning curriculum, designed to develop leadership, teamwork, communication, and time management skills. Tuition-free for enrolled families.
• Athletics Program Comprehensive middle school athletics program offering Boys Basketball, Boys Soccer, Cheerleading, Cross Country, Flag Football, Girls Basketball, Girls Soccer, Softball, Track, and Volleyball.
• Before and After Care Extended childcare service for students before and after regular school hours, providing supervision and enrichment activities for enrolled families.
• Admissions and Lottery System Controlled open enrollment process meeting Florida Statute 1002.31, with applications accepted November through February and a randomized lottery held annually in February for the following school year.
• School Yearbook Annual yearbook documenting school events and student memories for the school community, available for purchase by families.
• PPA School Store Online store selling school merchandise including car tags at $3 each and iron-on patches (limit 2 per student) to the school community.
• Uniform Sales Program School uniform program with required polo shirts, oxford shirts, and approved bottoms; uniforms available through approved third-party vendors including SuzieQTeens, Big Frog, and FrenchToast.

Quantifiable outcome

• Maintains A grade from Florida Department of Education (2025, 2024, 2022)

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration40 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Maschio's Food ServicessupportOthersMaschio's provides food services for the school, including lunch programs. The school also facilitates Free and Reduced Lunch applications for eligible families.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PinellasPreparatoryAcademy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Pinellas Preparatory Academy