Chisholm Trail Academy

What Chisholm Trail Academy does

Chisholm Trail Academy (CTA) is a private, Christian, coeducational college-preparatory high school serving students in grades 9-12, located on a 27-acre campus at 401 S Old Betsy Rd, Keene, Texas, and operated as a ministry of the Keene Seventh-day Adventist Church. The institution traces its lineage to the 1893 Keene Industrial Academy (the first Adventist school in Texas), was renamed Southwestern Junior College in 1916, and became an independent entity under the Chisholm Trail Academy name in 1967-1968 with its first graduating class in 1968, before relocating to its current Keene campus in April 1976. It primarily serves families in Johnson and Tarrant counties in North Texas, with institutional ties extending to the Texas Conference and Southwestern Union of Seventh-day Adventists, Southwestern Adventist University (SWAU), and Andrews University.

CTA's product portfolio is built around a Christ-centered, college-preparatory core: an Academic Programs offering a diverse college-prep curriculum; a Spiritual Life program focused on worship, Bible study, and religious formation; an Athletics program with over 5 co-ed sports competing in the TAPPS and TCAF conferences; over 15 annual Educational Tours including international trips (e.g., Spain) and domestic destinations (Big Bend, Washington D.C., Colorado); extra-curricular activities including music and the Acroblazers acrobatic team; a Student Association; a horticulture program anchored by a newly completed greenhouse; and a Career Day program featuring more than 70 visiting professionals. Faculty credentials are unusually concentrated at the master's-degree level (90% of teaching staff). The underlying technology stack is described as a standard educational technology platform with no proprietary AI, API, or data-asset components.

The business model is subscription-recurring annual tuition, with tentative 2026-2027 tuition set at $9,868 (grade 9), $10,476 (grade 10), $10,816 (grade 11), and $11,351 (grade 12); the full cost to educate a student is approximately $15,500 per year, with the gap funded through church scholarships ($1,500-$2,100 per year), donations, and the new Texas Education Freedom Account (TEFA) state Education Savings Account program, which provides a standard $10,474 award per student and up to $30,000 for students with disabilities. CTA applies a $200 introductory TEFA discount. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the school's website (cta.school) and admissions office, with secondary funnel support from the Adventist education network, alumni referrals, and church community word-of-mouth.

Name

Chisholm Trail Academy

Legal name

Chisholm Trail Academy

Website

https://cta.school

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chisholm Trail Academy is a private Christian, coeducational college-preparatory high school (grades 9-12) in Keene, Texas, operated by the Keene Seventh-day Adventist Church and serving North Texas families with academics, athletics, spiritual life, and educational tours.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Christian Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Religiously Affiliated Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Outdoor Education & Adventure Programs (School-Run) (EDAJAJAJ)

Keywords

• Private Christian education
• College preparatory school
• Secondary education
• Adventist high school
• Religious K-12 education

Headquarters

HQ city

Keene

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Private school tuition charged per grade level, with additional fees for electives, enrollment, and educational trips. Church scholarships available for qualifying families.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Chisholm Trail Academy is a private Christian college-preparatory high school serving grades 9-12 on a 27-acre campus in Keene, Texas. It offers a Christ-centered academic curriculum, spiritual life programming, co-ed athletics, educational tours, and a range of extracurricular activities, with tuition billed annually per grade level. The school operates as a ministry of the Keene Seventh-day Adventist Church and draws primarily from Johnson and Tarrant counties in North Texas.

Product overview

Chisholm Trail Academy (CTA) is a private, Christian, college-preparatory high school (grades 9-12) operated by the Keene Seventh-day Adventist church in Keene, Texas. The institution offers a comprehensive educational program built around its core Christ-centered mission. The academic portfolio includes: (1) Academic Programs providing college-preparatory curriculum with diverse classes and extracurricular activities; (2) Educational Tours offering over 15 annual travel experiences including international trips to Spain and domestic destinations like Big Bend National Park and Washington D.C.; (3) Spiritual Life Program focused on religious development and worship; (4) Athletics Program with over 5 co-ed sports competing in TAPPS/TCAF conferences; (5) Extra-Curricular Activities including music, acrobatic gymnastics (Acroblazers), and various clubs; (6) Student Association for student governance and campus events; (7) Horticulture Program with new greenhouse facility for experiential learning; and (8) Career Day Program connecting students with 70+ professionals. Located on 27 acres, the school primarily serves Johnson and Tarrant counties in North Texas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Academic Programs A diverse range of college-preparatory classes and extracurricular academic activities for grades 9-12 students, designed to cater to each student's unique interests and needs.
• Educational Tours Annual educational travel program offering over 15 trips per year, including international destinations like Spain and domestic trips to Big Bend National Park, Washington D.C., and Colorado.
• Spiritual Life Program Christ-centered spiritual development program aimed at restoring each student to the image of their Maker through worship, Bible study, and religious activities.
• Athletics Program Co-ed athletics program offering over 5 sports including volleyball, soccer, and gymnastics, competing under TAPPS and TCAF athletic conferences.
• Extra-Curricular Activities Student activities including a music program, the Acroblazers acrobatic team, and various clubs encouraging well-rounded education.
• Student Association Student-led governance organization that organizes school events and activities, including the annual Handshake welcome event.
• Horticulture Program with Greenhouse Hands-on horticulture program featuring a newly completed greenhouse facility for teaching plant cultivation and gardening skills, led by Mrs. Briones.
• Career Day Program Annual career exploration event featuring over 70 professionals sharing career insights with students, including opportunities for job shadowing discussions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of teaching staff hold advanced (Master) degrees

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Keene Seventh-day Adventist ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperates Chisholm Trail Academy as a ministry. Church provides institutional support and alignment with Seventh-day Adventist educational mission and values.
• Southwestern Union of Seventh-day AdventistscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional conference connecting CTA with other Adventist schools. Students participate in leadership camps with other schools across the Southwestern Union.
• Southwestern Adventist University (SWAU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides leadership training for student leaders. Seniors visit campus for college preparation. SWAU presents scholarships at graduation. Historical connection dating to when CTA was part of the college.
• Andrews UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts annual SciFest event which CTA junior students attend. Provides science enrichment activities and spiritual programming.
• Texas Education Freedom Account (TEFA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerState-funded ESA program allowing families to apply funds toward CTA tuition. Standard award: $10,474 per student. Students with disabilities may qualify for up to $30,000. CTA offers $200 introductory TEFA discount.
• Texas Conference of Seventh-day AdventistscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts Freshman Bible Camp and other events for freshmen across the Texas Conference. Provides regional education coordination and support.
• TAPPS (Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAthletic conference organizing competitive sports schedules, dead weeks, and league games for CTA athletics including soccer and volleyball.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Southwestern Adventist University: Four-year Adventist university also located in Keene, TX, sharing historical lineage with CTA and serving as a core college-prep pipeline and scholarship source for CTA graduates under the same Southwestern Union governance.

Direct peers

• Colleyville Heritage Christian School: Private Christian K-12 school in Colleyville, TX. Comparable size and mission to CTA, competing for Northeast Tarrant County Christian-education families.
• Prestonwood Christian Academy: Large private Christian K-12 school in Plano, TX. Competes for the same North Texas families seeking faith-based college-prep education but at much larger scale and broader program breadth.
• Burton Adventist Academy: Adventist K-12 school in Arlington, TX operating under the same Texas Conference. Comparable Christ-centered college-prep model competing for North Texas Adventist families.
• Fort Worth Adventist Jr Academy: K-8 Adventist school in the same North Texas network. CTA explicitly references teachers transferring from this school, indicating they share the same denomination, governance ecosystem, and feeder families in Johnson and Tarrant counties.
• Fort Worth Christian School: Private non-denominational Christian K-12 school in North Richland Hills, TX. Directly comparable private Christian college-prep option in the same Tarrant County market as CTA.
• Trinity Christian Academy: Private Christian K-12 school system in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Competes for faith-seeking families in the North Texas private school market with comparable college-prep offerings.

Regional players

• Thunderbird Adventist Academy: Seventh-day Adventist K-12 academy in Scottsdale, AZ. Comparable Adventist college-prep high school serving a different regional market.
• Oklahoma Academy: Seventh-day Adventist residential academy in Harrah, OK. Comparable SDA-affiliated college-prep high school but operating in a different geography (Oklahoma) rather than North Texas.
• Lubbock Adventist Academy: Small Seventh-day Adventist K-12 academy in Lubbock, TX within the same Texas Conference. Similar scale and mission but serving West Texas families.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Chisholm Trail Academy