The Classical Academy Charter School

What The Classical Academy Charter School does

The Classical Academy (TCA) is a public K-12 charter school chartered by Academy School District 20 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, founded in 1996/1997 by Mary and Jim Kretchman with eight co-founding families. It operates three campuses — North (a single integrated K-12 facility at Stout Road), East (Elementary, Cottage School, and College Pathways at Cross Point View, currently under construction), and Central (Elementary off Springcrest Rd.) — and enrolls more than 3,800 students across seven programs. TCA is the largest brick-and-mortar K-12 charter public school in Colorado and larger than 75% of Colorado public school districts.

The academic model is a classical liberal arts curriculum grounded in the Trivium (grammar, logic, rhetoric), the Socratic method, and Charlotte Mason philosophies, delivered in class sizes of 18-22 students. TCA operates three enrollment pathways: a Traditional K-10 day program, the Cottage School Program (a K-6 hybrid homeschool offering Language Arts plus Music, Art, and PE one day per week with parents teaching the rest), and College Pathways (a 7-12 hybrid online program partnered with Pikes Peak State College for early college credit). Supporting platforms are standard K-12 SaaS (Infinite Campus, Schoology, Office 365, Naviance, x2vol, BSN Sports, Applitrack). The community is values-driven, codified through the Core Values framework (adopted December 6, 2010) and Titan's Creed (adopted March 10, 2014), with parents volunteering over 35,000 hours annually and electing the Board of Directors.

TCA is tuition-free; revenue is driven primarily by per-pupil funding from the State of Colorado via ASD20, supplemented by activity-based school fees and a developed giving program (Titan Club, Titans Give, Annual Fund, team-specific fundraising). Distribution is entirely through the three physical campuses and a waitlist-based enrollment system that prioritizes staff children, legacy students, siblings, and currently enrolled TCA students, with ASD20 residents receiving preference.

Name

The Classical Academy Charter School

Legal name

The Classical Academy

Website

https://tcatitans.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Classical Academy is a tuition-free public K-12 charter school in Colorado Springs serving 3,800+ students across three campuses, delivering a Trivium-based classical curriculum via Traditional, Cottage School, and College Pathways programs funded by Colorado per-pupil allocations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Charter School Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter Montessori/Waldorf/Classical/Expeditionary (Pedagogical Models) (EDAJACAL)

Keywords

• Charter school education
• K-12 classical education
• Classical liberal arts
• Homeschool enrichment programs
• Early college pathways

Headquarters

HQ city

Colorado Springs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Per-Pupil Funding: As a public charter school, TCA receives per-pupil funding from the state of Colorado based on student enrollment.
2. School Fees: School fees are assigned for various field trips, materials, and activities each year. Federal assistance available through Free and Reduced Lunch program for qualifying families.
3. Donations and Giving Programs: TCA encourages families to give generously of their time, talent, and treasure. Programs include Titan Club (athletics and activities support), Titans Give, Annual Fund, and school/team-specific fundraising.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Classical Academy is a tuition-free public charter school delivering K-12 classical liberal arts education across three Colorado Springs campuses. It offers three distinct programs: the Traditional day program (K-10, Monday-Friday), the Cottage School Program (K-6 homeschool enrichment one day per week), and College Pathways (7-12 hybrid online program with free early college credit at Pikes Peak State College). The curriculum is built on the Trivium (grammar, logic, rhetoric), the Socratic method, and Charlotte Mason philosophies, with class sizes capped at 18-22 students.

Product overview

The Classical Academy is a public charter school offering a K-12 classical education program across three campuses in seven schools. The school operates three distinct enrollment programs: the Traditional K-10 day program (with Central, East, and North Elementary campuses plus High School and Junior High), the Cottage School Program K-6 (a once-weekly homeschool language arts enrichment), and College Pathways 7-12 (a hybrid online program with early college access). The classical education model is guided by the Trivium (grammar, logic, rhetoric stages) and integrates Charlotte Mason philosophies at the elementary level. The school emphasizes small class sizes of 18-22 students, whole-person development, and partnerships with parents to develop exemplary citizens with analytical thinking skills and virtuous character.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Traditional Program (K-10) TCA's standard Monday-Friday full-time academic program serving students from Kindergarten through 10th grade, with small class sizes of 18-22 students and half-day kindergarten on Fridays. The program follows the classical Trivium model (grammar, logic, rhetoric) with emphasis on literature, history, mathematics, science, the arts, and Charlotte Mason philosophies.
• Cottage School Program (K-6) A K-6 hybrid homeschool program where students attend one day per week (grades 1-6) or two half-day sessions (Kindergarten) for Language Arts, Music, Art, and PE classes, while parents teach Math, Science, Reading, and other core subjects at home. Designed for homeschooling families seeking structured language arts instruction and enrichment.
• College Pathways (7-12) A hybrid online program for grades 7-12 offering TCA's core academic curriculum and electives, with free early college opportunities at Pikes Peak State College (PPSC) for qualified students who may carry a full or part-time course load. Official transcripts include both College Pathways and PPSC grades for dual-enrolled coursework.

Quantifiable outcome

• TCA High School ranked #2 of 529 schools in Colorado (2024)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Pikes Peak State CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009College Pathways program is a hybrid online high school/college partnership through Pikes Peak State College (PPSC), offering qualified students free early college opportunities. Students can earn college credit while completing high school requirements. Official transcripts include both CP and PPSC grades.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Aspen Academy: Public charter school in Highlands Ranch, Colorado serving K-8 (with secondary affiliations) college-prep families; comparable charter-school target segment and Colorado geography.
• Liberty Common School: Public K-12 classical charter school in Fort Collins, Colorado using a Core Knowledge / classical liberal arts curriculum; comparable in pedagogy and Colorado charter context but serves a different metro.
• Mountain Sage Academy: Project-based / classical-influenced public charter school in Fort Collins, Colorado; relevant as another Colorado charter offering an alternative to traditional K-12 education.

Direct peers

• Valor Education: Network of classical charter schools using the Trivium and classical liberal arts pedagogy; comparable classical charter model and target audience of college-prep families.
• Great Hearts Academies: Network of tuition-free classical charter schools serving K-12 with a Trivium-based liberal arts curriculum and Socratic pedagogy; the closest direct analog to TCA's classical charter model.
• BASIS Charter Schools: High-performing public charter school network with rigorous college-prep academics and STEM-infused classical liberal arts; comparable as a top-ranked public charter competitor pursuing similar parental demand.
• Jefferson Academy: K-12 public charter school in Jefferson County, Colorado with rigorous college-prep academics and a community of engaged parents; comparable as a top-rated Colorado charter with similar parental-volunteer culture.
• Thomas MacLaren School: Colorado Springs K-12 classical charter school using a classical liberal arts and Socratic seminar approach; competes head-to-head with TCA in the same metro for classical-education families.
• Cheyenne Mountain Charter Academy: Public K-12 charter school in the Colorado Springs area; competes for similar families seeking non-traditional public school options in the same geography as TCA.
• Hillsdale Charter Schools: K-12 classical public charter schools affiliated with Hillsdale College, emphasizing a content-rich liberal arts curriculum and American civic education; directly comparable pedagogy and governance model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tcatitans
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCjLU7ocFQ1gy7czWYfGk8qg
• Facebookfacebook.com/TCATitans.Official
• Instagraminstagram.com/tca.titans/?locale=en_CA

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 The Classical Academy Charter School