Collier High School

What Collier High School does

Collier High School is a state-approved, private, non-profit special education school operating on a 260-acre campus in Wickatunk, New Jersey, under the Collier Youth Services parent organization. Founded in the mid-1970s, it serves approximately 150 students in grades 9-12 (ages 14-21) referred by 77 constituent New Jersey school districts whose needs — including school refusal, oppositional/defiant behavior, low motivation, demand avoidance, depression, anxiety, trauma, and OCD-spectrum behaviors — cannot be met within traditional public school settings. Academic and clinical operations are tightly integrated: class sizes are capped at nine students (typically five to seven), weekly individual therapy is provided to every student by licensed clinicians, and the school runs a layered portfolio of therapeutic enhancement programs (Shepherding for school avoidance, HARP trauma therapy using EMDR/TF-CBT, STAR DBT skills training, OCD Specialized Therapy using CBT/ERP) plus a specialized Kateri Program for students requiring intensive structure and sensory supports.

The school offers a departmentalized academic curriculum alongside vocational courses in Cosmetology, Building Trades, Agriscience, and Culinary Arts, paired with a Work-Based Learning program placing students at 16+ community employers (Count Basie Theater, Monmouth County Parks System, Jiffylube, Monmouth Battlefield State Park, and others). Student-life offerings include clubs, sports, arts (including a podcast studio and student newspaper), and post-graduate planning covering college tours, SAT/ACT administration, financial-aid workshops, and transition assistance. An Extended School Year summer program with multiple tracks (Credit Recovery, Personal Wellness, Work-Based Learning, Social Emotional Learning, Job Skills Readiness, Service Learning) extends the service window beyond the academic year.

Revenue mechanics are district-funded rather than family-paid: tuition and transportation are covered by the student's sending New Jersey school district, in line with standard NJ practice for placing students whose needs exceed public-system capacity. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and there are no consumer-facing payment terms. Allocated student roster of approximately 150 plus ESY and ancillary service revenue implies an annual budget in the low-to-mid eight figures. Marketing and admissions are driven by referral partnerships with school districts, case managers, and child study teams, supplemented by the ASAH advocacy network, a website inquiry form, and minimal social media (Instagram, Facebook). No external investor, private-equity, or venture ownership is present; governance rests with the non-profit parent and its leadership team under Executive Director Sr. Deborah M. Drago.

Name

Collier High School

Legal name

Collier High School

Website

https://collierhighschool.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Collier High School is a state-approved, private non-profit special education school in Wickatunk, New Jersey, serving approximately 150 students in grades 9-12 with behavioral, emotional, and developmental challenges, funded by tuition paid by 77 referring New Jersey school districts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Special Education Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAJAKAH

Specialized Programs & Classrooms (Autism, Emotional/Behavioral, Intellectual/Developmental, Multi-Disability)

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/K–12 Special Education Services

SECONDARYEDAKAAAF

Special Education Alternative / Nonpublic Schools (NPS) & Placements

Education/Special Education & Learning Support Services/Special Education Schools & Programs

Keywords

• Special education services
• Therapeutic education programs
• Private special education
• Behavioral health education
• Alternative high school

Headquarters

HQ city

Wickatunk

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition from Sending School Districts: Collier High School is funded through tuition payments from the student's sending school district. The sending school district is responsible for both tuition and transportation. The school is a private non-profit entity that serves students whose needs cannot be met within the public school system, with costs covered by the referring districts rather than directly by families.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Collier High School is a state-approved, private non-profit special education school operating on a 260-acre campus in Wickatunk, New Jersey. It delivers a departmentalized academic program for grades 9-12 combined with comprehensive therapeutic counseling, specialized enhancement programs, vocational training, and work-based learning for approximately 150 students referred by 77 constituent New Jersey school districts whose behavioral, emotional, or developmental needs cannot be met within traditional public school settings.

Product overview

Collier High School is a state-approved, private, non-profit special education institution serving approximately 150 students in grades 9-12 from 77 districts throughout New Jersey. The school operates as a unified educational program combining academic instruction with robust therapeutic support services. The core academic program is departmentalized and prepares students for colleges, vocational schools, or employment. Supporting services include therapeutic counseling (individual and group), the specialized Kateri Program for students requiring intensive structure, vocational courses in Cosmetology/Building Trades/Culinary Arts/Agriscience, work-based learning experiences, and post-graduate planning. An Extended School Year Program offers summer enrichment through multiple tracks including credit recovery, job training, and social-emotional learning. Student life encompasses clubs, sports, arts, and service learning opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kateri Program: A specialized component of Collier High School offering a highly individualized learning experience that blends intensive therapeutic services with academic challenges, career exploration, community engagement, and recreational activities for students with social, emotional, and behavioral challenges.
• STAR Program (Skills Training and Retention)
• HARP (Heal and Restore Program)
• Shepherding Program
• Extended School Year Program (ESY)
• OCD Specialized Therapy Program

Products and services

• Collier High School Core Academic Program A state-approved, private non-profit special education school offering departmentalized academic instruction for grades 9-12. The program prepares students for entry into four-year colleges, community colleges, technical/vocational schools, the armed forces, or gainful employment. Designed for students with behavioral, emotional, or developmental challenges referred by New Jersey school districts.
• Therapeutic Support Services Comprehensive counseling services for enrolled students including weekly individual therapy, group therapy, psychiatric services, speech therapy, occupational therapy, substance awareness counseling, and specialized therapeutic enhancement programs. Delivered by licensed counselors (LCSW, LPC, LSW, LAC) including EMDR-trained trauma specialists, DBT practitioners, and a Certified Sand Play Therapist.
• Kateri Program A specialized component of Collier High School offering highly individualized learning that blends intensive therapeutic services with academic challenges, career exploration, community engagement, and recreational activities for students who benefit from structure and sensory supports. Targets students with social, emotional, and behavioral challenges who need additional support beyond the standard program.
• Extended School Year Program (ESY) A summer program offering multiple educational tracks including Credit Recovery, Personal Wellness, Work-Based Learning, Social Emotional Learning, Job Skills Readiness, and Service Learning. Provides year-round academic and therapeutic continuity for enrolled students.
• Vocational Courses Career-oriented vocational courses covering Cosmetology, Building Trades, Agriscience/Greenhouse Management, and Culinary Arts. Designed to prepare students for entry-level positions in skilled trades and to qualify for state licensing exams.
• Work-Based Learning Program Experiential learning program that places students at school or community work sites to develop workplace skills through real-world professional experience. Partners with employers including Chocolate Carousel, Count Basie Theater, Monmouth County Park System, Jiffylube, Old Bridge Animal Shelter, and other local businesses to provide internships and on-the-job coaching.
• Post Graduate Planning Services College and career preparation services including career interest inventories, SAT/ACT administration, college tours, financial aid workshops, scholarship guidance, and assistance with post-secondary transitions to two-year and four-year colleges, vocational schools, the armed forces, and gainful employment.
• Student Life Activities Extracurricular activities mirroring public school offerings including clubs, organized sports (soccer, basketball, softball), service learning, the Collier Pacer Podcast Studio, The Collier Post student newspaper, and arts programs including fall plays and spring musicals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 85% of Collier graduates continue their education each year after graduation
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Chocolate CarouselminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWork Based Learning partner hosting Collier students for internships and real-world work experience. Students receive on-the-job support through coaching and workplace accommodations provided by the work site mentor and WBL Coordinator.
• Count Basie TheaterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWork Based Learning partner providing internship opportunities for Collier students. The Count Basie Theater is a prominent cultural venue in Red Bank, NJ.
• Danny Clinch Transparent GalleryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWork Based Learning partner providing internship opportunities for Collier students in a creative/artistic environment.
• Educational Resource Systems, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWork Based Learning partner providing internship opportunities for Collier students.
• Huddy's InnminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWork Based Learning partner providing internship opportunities for Collier students in a hospitality/culinary environment.
• JeT'aime Coiffure at the GalleriaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWork Based Learning partner providing internship opportunities for Collier students in a salon/cosmetology environment.
• JiffylubeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWork Based Learning partner providing internship opportunities for Collier students in automotive services.
• Lydia's Magic TouchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWork Based Learning partner providing internship opportunities for Collier students.
• Mother KnitterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWork Based Learning partner providing internship opportunities for Collier students in a creative/textile environment.
• Monmouth Battlefield State ParkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWork Based Learning partner providing internship/volunteer opportunities for Collier students. One student, Scott Pendell, was placed there with aspirations of becoming a naturalist.
• Monmouth County Parks SystemminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWork Based Learning partner providing internship opportunities for Collier students. The WBL Coordinator develops an individualized student training plan with goals aligned to NJCCCS.
• Morganville Flower FarmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWork Based Learning partner providing internship opportunities for Collier students in an agricultural/horticultural setting.
• Old Bridge Animal ShelterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWork Based Learning partner providing internship opportunities for Collier students in animal care.
• Orada TechnologyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWork Based Learning partner providing internship opportunities for Collier students in a technology environment.
• Santiago SportsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWork Based Learning partner providing internship opportunities for Collier students in a sports/recreation environment.
• ZumiezminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWork Based Learning partner providing internship opportunities for Collier students in a retail/sports environment.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Melmark: Melmark is a Pennsylvania-based private non-profit providing special education schools, residential, and clinical services for individuals with autism, intellectual disabilities, and behavioral health needs. Comparable as a multi-program private special-ed provider with academic and clinical integration.
• Sage Day Schools: Sage Day Schools operate therapeutic private day schools in New Jersey serving adolescents with emotional and behavioral challenges, mirroring Collier's small-class, therapeutic-academic hybrid model for grades 9-12.
• Bancroft: Bancroft is a New Jersey/Philadelphia-area non-profit serving children and adults with autism, intellectual, and developmental disabilities through school, residential, and therapeutic programs. It competes for similar district referrals and serves overlapping student populations.
• Woods Services: Woods Services is a Pennsylvania-based non-profit providing residential, educational, and behavioral health services for children and adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities and complex needs. It is comparable to Collier's continuum-of-care model and behavioral-clinical specialization.
• Newmark Education: Newmark Education is a New Jersey private special education provider serving students with social, emotional, behavioral, and academic challenges across multiple schools. It is directly comparable in mission, district-paid tuition model, and clinical-academic integration.
• Green Brook Academy: Green Brook Academy is a New Jersey private special education school serving students with emotional, behavioral, and learning challenges in small-class settings. It directly competes for the same district-referred high school population in New Jersey.
• Y.A.L.E. School: Y.A.L.E. School is a New Jersey-based private special education provider serving students with autism, behavioral, and learning challenges through multiple regional campuses. It is directly comparable to Collier as a NJ private special-ed alternative referenced by sending districts for out-of-district placements.

Broad incumbents

• Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health: Devereux is a large, multi-state non-profit operating K-12 special education schools, residential programs, and behavioral health services. It serves overlapping populations (autism, emotional/behavioral disorders) at greater scale and geographic breadth, making it a broad incumbent in the same space.

Regional players

• Children's Specialized Hospital (RWJBarnabas Health): Children's Specialized Hospital is a New Jersey-based pediatric specialty provider offering outpatient behavioral health, therapy, and chronic illness programs. It is comparable as a New Jersey clinical-pediatric resource, though it primarily serves younger children and does not directly compete for grade 9-12 placements.

Emerging players

• ACMH (Association for Children's Mental Health) Partner Schools: ACMH-affiliated schools and partner programs serve children with emotional/behavioral challenges across multiple states. They are comparable as therapeutic school alternatives to Collier, though they typically operate at smaller scale and may not match Collier's full district-referral pipeline.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CollierYouthServices
• Instagraminstagram.com/collieryouthservices
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/collier-youth-services

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries8 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 Collier High School