Capstone Education Group

What Capstone Education Group does

Capstone Education Group (CEG) is a Memphis, Tennessee-based charter management organization that operates four tuition-free public charter schools — Cornerstone Prep Denver Campus, Cornerstone Prep Lester Campus, Cornerstone Prep Knight Rd Campus, and Lester Prep — serving approximately 1,400 students across Pre-K through 8th grade. The organization was founded circa 2013 by Memphis residents with a stated mission to equip students with both the "Knowledge" (academic skills, problem-solving, communication) and the "Wisdom" (character and applied judgment) needed to succeed in college and lead in their communities. CEG deliberately concentrates its footprint in three underserved Memphis neighborhoods — Binghampton, Frayser, and Parkway Village — and was designated one Reward School by the Tennessee Department of Education, with three schools ranked as highest performing in the district and 33 TVAAS Level 5 ratings accumulated across the network.

CEG generates revenue almost entirely through Tennessee per-pupil public funding for charter schools, augmented by federal allocations and supplemental grants; families pay no tuition. The go-to-market motion is community-led rather than traditional marketing: enrollment flows through neighborhood word-of-mouth, 15 active community partner organizations, and direct website-based student interest forms (available in English and Spanish). The organization employs 192 staff members across its four campuses and maintains an internal Board of Directors with public meeting schedules and minutes consistent with Tennessee charter governance requirements. Marketing channels are limited to organic Facebook and Instagram profiles plus the cegmemphis.org website.

No proprietary technology platform, AI/ML capabilities, mobile applications, patents, or third-party integrations are disclosed in the source material; core technology is explicitly listed as "Not explicitly disclosed." The organization operates without disclosed external private equity or venture capital backing, parent company, or subsidiaries beyond the four operating schools, and revenue is not publicly disclosed. Fundraising infrastructure (Sponsor A Classroom, Give) suggests modest philanthropic capacity in addition to government funding.

Name

Capstone Education Group

Legal name

Capstone Education Group

Website

https://capstoneeducationgroup.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Capstone Education Group is a Memphis-based charter management organization operating four tuition-free public charter schools serving approximately 1,400 Pre-K through 8th grade students in the Binghampton, Frayser, and Parkway Village neighborhoods, funded primarily by Tennessee per-pupil allocations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-8 Charter School Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter School Networks (Multi-Site) (EDAJACAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Independent Charter Schools (Single-Site) (EDAJACAB)

Keywords

• Charter school management
• K-8 education services
• Public charter schools
• Tuition-free education
• College preparation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Memphis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Charter School Funding: As a tuition-free public charter school organization, CEG receives per-pupil funding from the state of Tennessee. Schools are publicly funded institutions serving the Memphis community at no cost to families.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Capstone Education Group is a charter management organization that operates four tuition-free public charter schools serving Pre-K through 8th grade students in Memphis, Tennessee. The network includes Lester Prep and three Cornerstone Prep campuses (Denver, Lester, and Knight Rd), delivering a combined "Wisdom and Knowledge" curriculum that integrates academic instruction with character and leadership development to prepare under-resourced children for college and community leadership.

Product overview

Capstone Education Group (CEG) is a charter management organization that operates four award-winning tuition-free, public charter schools for Pre-K through 8th grade in Memphis, Tennessee. The organization operates as a unified network of schools including Lester Prep and three Cornerstone Prep campuses (Knight Rd, Lester, and Denver), all serving under-resourced children in the Memphis area. CEG's mission is to equip students with both knowledge (academic skills, problem-solving, communication) and wisdom (character and leadership qualities) necessary to succeed in college and become community leaders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CEG Schools: The network of four tuition-free public charter schools operated by Capstone Education Group in Memphis, serving Pre-K through 8th grade.

Products and services

• Lester Prep A tuition-free, public charter school serving Pre-K through 8th grade students, with clubs and athletics programs, located in a Memphis neighborhood and part of Capstone Education Group's network of schools.
• Cornerstone Prep – Knight Rd Campus A tuition-free, public charter school serving Pre-K through 8th grade students at the Knight Road location in Memphis.
• Cornerstone Prep – Lester Campus A tuition-free, public charter school serving Pre-K through 8th grade students at the Lester Campus location in Memphis.
• Cornerstone Prep – Denver Campus A tuition-free, public charter school serving Pre-K through 8th grade students at the Denver Campus location in Memphis.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% Parent Satisfaction Rating
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Community Partners (15 Active)coreOthersCEG maintains 15 Active Community Partners for neighborhood outreach, student support services, and community engagement across Memphis neighborhoods of Binghampton, Frayser, and Parkway Village. Specific partner names are not listed on the website.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• KIPP Foundation: Largest US charter school network operating a multi-site CMO model with neighborhood-based campuses serving under-resourced communities — directly comparable structure, mission, and operating approach to CEG's four-school Memphis network.
• Achievement First: Northeast charter school network operating multiple tuition-free public charter schools with a college-prep mission targeting underserved communities — directly comparable CMO structure and educational philosophy.
• YES Prep Public Schools: Houston-based charter school network serving primarily under-resourced students with a college-prep mission across multiple campuses — analogous CMO structure, public-per-pupil funding model, and outcome-driven positioning.
• Green Dot Public Schools: Multi-state charter management organization running a network of tuition-free public charter schools with a college-prep focus — closely mirrors CEG's CMO model, public funding model, and K-12 college-preparation mission.
• Aspire Public Schools: California-based charter management organization operating a network of public charter schools focused on college preparation for under-resourced students — closely aligned CMO model with multi-site, tuition-free operations.
• Gestalt Community Schools: Memphis-based charter management organization operating multiple public charter schools serving local students — the closest geographic CMO peer, competing for the same Memphis families and per-pupil dollars.
• National Heritage Academies: Multi-state charter management organization operating numerous public charter schools under a centralized operating model — analogous to CEG as a CMO running multiple tuition-free campuses on per-pupil funding.

Broad incumbents

• Charter Schools USA: One of the largest US charter management organizations, operating schools across many states with a broad portfolio — overlapping CMO/operator model with CEG but at significantly larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• Memphis-Shelby County Schools: The public school district serving Memphis and Shelby County — the incumbent education provider whose families CEG targets; competes with CEG for students, funding, and political goodwill at the local level.

Regional players

• LEAD Public Schools: Nashville-based charter school network serving Tennessee students with a college-prep focus — operates under the same Tennessee charter framework and state per-pupil funding as CEG but in a different metro.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/capstoneeducationgroupmemphis
• Instagraminstagram.com/ceg_memphis
• Xx.com/cornerstoneprep

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Capstone Education Group