St. Michael’s Catholic Preparatory School

What St. Michael’s Catholic Preparatory School does

St. Michael's Catholic Preparatory School is an independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit Catholic school serving approximately 930 students from PreK3 through 12th grade across two campuses in Southwest Austin, Texas. The institution was formed in 2018 through the unification of St. Michael's Catholic Academy (founded 1984, grades 9-12) and St. Gabriel's Catholic School (founded 1999, PK-8), and operates independently of the Diocese of Austin under dual accreditation from Independent Schools of the Southwest and the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops. It employs 180 faculty and staff, half of whom hold Masters or Doctoral degrees, delivering an 8:1 student-teacher ratio and an average class size of 16 across 262,000 square feet of instructional space on an 86-acre campus.

The school operates three academic divisions — Lower School (PreK3-4), Middle School (5-8), and Upper School (9-12) — and packages its curriculum around signature programs including a competitive robotics track (LightSaders FTC team with four consecutive TAPPS State Championships and a 13th-place finish at the FIRST World Championship), an Advanced Vertical Robotics drone program, a state-of-the-art recording studio with a 32-channel SSL mixing console, a four-year Film Studies curriculum, comprehensive fine arts (music, dance, theater, visual arts), athletics for grades 5-12, and a January Winter Term featuring international travel and local internships. The offering is structured for direct-to-consumer enrollment via inquiry forms, campus tours, and online applications, with selective financial aid reaching 24% of students. The College Counseling program employs three full-time counselors and uses YouScience assessments, with the Class of 2026 earning $18.3 million in merit aid across acceptances at Caltech, Stanford, Notre Dame, Rice, and others.

Revenue is generated through two streams: tuition, which covers 80-90% of operating costs on a recurring subscription-like annual basis, and philanthropic contributions through the Annual Fund, endowment gifts, and planned giving, covering the remaining 10-20%. Specific tuition figures are not publicly disclosed. The school is governed by a Board of Trustees and led by Head of School Colleen Lynch, with functional leadership across admissions, advancement, athletics, finance/HR, facilities, IT, and counseling. The mySMP portal (powered by mySchoolApp) serves as the primary digital interface for families.

Name

St. Michael’s Catholic Preparatory School

Legal name

St. Michael's Catholic Preparatory School

Website

https://smcprep.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

St. Michael's Catholic Preparatory School is an independent, non-profit Catholic PreK3-12 school in Austin, Texas, serving 930 students with an 8:1 student-teacher ratio across two campuses. It delivers college-preparatory academics alongside signature programs in competitive robotics, fine arts, athletics, and international Winter Term experiential learning.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition: Primary revenue source covering 80-90% of operating costs. St. Michael's Prep operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit independent of the Diocese of Austin.
2. Philanthropic Donations: Annual Fund (Operation 10-4), endowment gifts, planned giving, and campaign contributions cover 10-20% of operating costs. School receives donations from alumni, parents, grandparents, and community members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

St. Michael's Catholic Preparatory School delivers independent Catholic education for students from PreK3 through 12th grade at two Austin campuses, structured into Lower School (PreK3-Grade 4), Middle School (Grades 5-8), and Upper School (Grades 9-12). Core academic instruction is enhanced by signature programs including competitive robotics, fine arts (music, film, theater, dance, visual arts), athletics, the Winter Term travel/internship program, integrated Social Emotional Learning, and four-year college counseling that produced over $18.3 million in merit aid for the Class of 2026.

Product overview

St. Michael's Catholic Preparatory School is an independent, Catholic PreK3-12th grade institution in Austin, TX, offering a comprehensive educational program through three academic divisions: Lower School (PreK3-Grade 4), Middle School (Grades 5-8), and Upper School (Grades 9-12). The school provides core college-preparatory academics enhanced by signature programs including Fine Arts (Music with Kodaly/Orff methodologies and a state-of-the-art recording studio, Film Studies, Theater, Dance, Visual Arts, and SMP-TV news production), Athletics (5th-12th grade with fall, winter, and spring sports), Competitive Robotics (Lightsaders FTC team), and the Winter Term travel/internship program. The school integrates Social Emotional Learning throughout its curriculum and offers extensive college counseling services. Students access information through the mySMP portal powered by mySchoolApp.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lower School (PreK3 - Grade 4)
• Middle School (Grades 5-8)
• Upper School (Grades 9-12)
• Music Program
• Film Studies Program
• Dance Program
• Theater Program
• Visual Arts Program
• Athletics Program
• Robotics Program
• College Counseling Program
• Winter Term Program
• mySMP Portal
• After School Programming and Summer Camps

Quantifiable outcome

• Class of 2026 earned $18.3 million in merit aid
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• EF ToursminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Travel partner for 8th grade Washington D.C. educational trip. The partnership provides immersive historical experiences including tours of U.S. Capitol, Arlington National Cemetery, U.S. Holocaust Museum, and other historic sites.
• SIFMA FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025The Stock Market Game program host, providing financial education through a virtual $100,000 portfolio where students invest in real stocks, bonds, and mutual funds on NYSE and Nasdaq.
• Dominican Republic Service PartnersminorOthersInternational service opportunities for students through Winter Term program, including medical service training and community service in the Dominican Republic and Belize.
• Belize Health Clinic PartnersminorOthersLocal health clinic training partnerships for Winter Term program where students earn 30+ hours of documented medical service.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Greenhill School: Independent non-sectarian PreK-12 school in Dallas with strong college placement track record and signature programs in arts and athletics. Tier-1 Texas private school comparable.
• Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas: Catholic college-prep high school in Dallas with similar academic rigor, athletic breadth, and emphasis on forming graduates of character. Direct faith-based college-prep comparable.
• The Latin School of Chicago: Independent non-sectarian K-12 school in Chicago with similar college-prep outcomes and signature programs in arts, athletics, and STEM. Comparable urban private school for programming depth.
• Casady School: Independent Episcopal PreK-12 school in Oklahoma City with similar college-prep focus, signature programs, and donor-driven operating model. Useful peer for programming and fundraising benchmarking.
• Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School (MICDS): Independent, non-sectarian K-12 school in St. Louis with similar size, college-prep outcomes, and donor-supported operating model. Comparable for endowment and capital campaign benchmarking.
• The Kinkaid School: Independent non-sectarian PreK-12 school in Houston with similar size, college-prep positioning, and robust athletics/fine arts. Direct Texas-market comparable for scale and programming depth.
• Hyde Park Schools: Independent non-sectarian K-12 school in Austin serving a similar college-prep market with comparable tuition tier and signature programs. Closest same-city competitor for tuition-paying families.
• St. Andrew's Episcopal School: Independent Episcopal K-12 school in Austin, TX with comparable college-prep curriculum, athletics, and fine arts programming. Most direct geographic and tier competitor in the Austin private school market.
• Regis School of the Sacred Heart: Catholic, Sacred Heart K-8 school in Houston serving similar tuition-paying Catholic families with comparable academic and character formation emphasis. Useful peer for Lower/Middle School benchmarking.
• Strake Jesuit College Preparatory: Catholic, Jesuit college-prep school for boys in Houston with comparable college counseling and signature programs. Strong same-faith, same-state peer for benchmarking.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@StGabrielsCatholicSchool
• Facebookfacebook.com/StMichaelsATX
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/st-michaels-catholic-prep
• Instagraminstagram.com/smcacrusaders

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 St. Michael’s Catholic Preparatory School