What The Vanguard School does

The Vanguard School is a tuition-free, public charter school serving grades K-12 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, operating since 1995 under charter authorization from Harrison School District 2. The school delivers a classical liberal arts curriculum based on the Hillsdale Academy Model, structured across two physical campuses: the Wahsatch Avenue Lower Elementary (grades K-3) and the Corona Avenue campus housing Upper Elementary (grades 4-6), Junior High (grades 7-8), and High School (grades 9-12, capacity 400). Core pedagogy relies on Direct Instruction methodology and the E.D. Hirsch Core Knowledge curriculum sequence in the elementary grades, with CHAMPs behavior management, Saxon Math, and a 20-course AP plus dual enrollment offering at the secondary level. Total enrollment approximates 1,400 students drawn from 16 school districts across the Pikes Peak region, with a minority student population of 54%.

The school supplements core academics with a college counseling program using SCOIR and Naviance, a Class 3A athletics program (Tri-Peaks League, CHSAA member since 2008), a Summer Semester for credit recovery and enrichment, a Global Studies study abroad program, National Honor Society, fine arts (choir, visual, dramatic), and a broad extracurricular club portfolio. Operational technology stack includes Infinite Campus (student information system), RevTrak (payments), FlashAlert (emergency notifications), Destiny/Follett (library catalog), JSTOR and Google Scholar (research databases), BambooHR (HR), and AlphaBEST (before-and-after school care partner). The school maintains FERPA, Colorado HB 16-1423, Title IX, and E-Verify compliance.

Revenue mechanics are anchored by per-pupil state funding at 90% of the standard public school rate, supplemented by a $125 annual student fee per student (K-12), Summer Semester fees (including discounted $90 per class for Free/Reduced Lunch families), athletic camp fees, donations through the Annual Fund, corporate sponsorships (Courser $2,500, Gold $1,750, Blue $1,000 tiers), PTO contributions, and benefit events such as Colorado Gives Day and Benefit Bash. Governance rests with a five-member elected Board of Directors, and enrollment is administered via annual lottery with sibling and in-district priority.

Name

The Vanguard School

Legal name

The Vanguard School

Website

https://thevanguardschool.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Vanguard School is a tuition-free K-12 public charter school in Colorado Springs serving approximately 1,400 students from the Pikes Peak region with a classical liberal arts curriculum based on the Hillsdale Academy Model, chartered under Harrison School District 2 since 1995.

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

Independent Charter Schools (Single-Site) (EDAJACAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• K-12 education
• Charter school
• Classical education
• Primary education
• Secondary education

Headquarters

HQ city

Colorado Springs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Per-Pupil Funding: As a public charter school, The Vanguard School receives per-pupil funding from the state based on enrollment. The school receives 90% of the funding per child compared to typical public schools.
2. Student Fees: Annual student fee of $125.00 for all grades (K-12) covering individual student costs, classroom supplies, textbooks, and planners. Additional fees for summer programs, athletics, and before/after school care.
3. Donations and Fundraising: Annual Fund donations, corporate sponsorships, PTO contributions, and various fundraising events support school programs and facilities. Colorado Gives Day participation and benefit events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Tuition-free K-12 public charter school offering a classical liberal arts education based on the Hillsdale Academy Model, employing Direct Instruction methodology. Serves elementary, junior high, and high school students in the Pikes Peak region of Colorado Springs, Colorado, funded through per-pupil state funding with an additional annual student fee.

Product overview

The Vanguard School is a tuition-free, public charter school serving grades K-12 in Colorado Springs, CO. The school offers a classical liberal arts curriculum based on the Hillsdale Academy Model, featuring distinct programs across three campuses: Lower Elementary (K-3) at Wahsatch Campus, Upper Elementary (4-6), Junior High (7-8), and High School (9-12) at Corona Campus. The core educational offering is the K-12 Classical Education Program, which uses Direct Instruction methodology and Core Knowledge curriculum. Supporting programs include College Counseling using SCOIR/Naviance software, a comprehensive Athletics Program (Class 3A, Tri-Peaks League), Summer Semester for credit recovery and enrichment, Global Studies Program for study abroad, Student Services (Special Education, counseling, nursing), Library Services with online research tools, Before and After School Care through AlphaBEST, and extensive Fine Arts and extracurricular offerings including clubs and National Honor Society. The school operates Infinite Campus as its student information system and uses various third-party platforms for specific functions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Elementary Education
• Junior High Education

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $30.7 million in college scholarships earned by students over 8 years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Integration16 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AlphaBESTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlphaBEST serves as the before-and-after school extended learning provider for The Vanguard School. They operate at both the Wahsatch Campus (grades K-3) and Corona Campus (grades 4-6), providing experiential learning including STEM, language and culture, arts, and fitness activities. The partnership engages more than 25,000 students across 17 states daily.
• Harrison School District 2coreOthersThe Vanguard School is chartered under Harrison School District 2. While the school operates independently with its own philosophy and curriculum, it maintains governance oversight and receives per-pupil funding through the district. Families residing within the chartering district receive enrollment priority.
• International Exchange AgenciesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe school enrolls a limited number of international students who apply through international exchange agencies. This allows the school to serve international students while maintaining compliance with visa and exchange program requirements.
• Infinite CampuscoreTechnology or IntegrationThe school uses Infinite Campus as its student information system, providing parents real-time access to schedules, homework, grades, report cards, attendance, test scores, and more. Accessible via web browser and mobile app.
• SCOIRcoreTechnology or IntegrationCollege counseling software program used to track students through high school and college application process. Students can search and compare colleges, request transcripts and recommendations, and track milestones.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BASIS Charter Schools: BASIS Charter Schools are tuition-free public charters serving K-12 with a rigorous, college-prep curriculum and a strong record of national rankings and AP outcomes. Like Vanguard, they compete for high-achieving families and consistently rank in top state and national school lists.
• Great Hearts Academies: Great Hearts is a network of tuition-free charter schools offering a classical, liberal arts curriculum similar to The Vanguard School's Hillsdale-derived model. Both emphasize virtue, Core Knowledge-style content sequencing, and college-preparatory outcomes.
• The Classical Academy (Colorado Springs): The Classical Academy is a K-12 charter school located in Colorado Springs, directly competing with The Vanguard School for Pikes Peak region families. Both serve the same geographic market with classical education, college-prep focus, and lottery-based enrollment.
• Hillsdale Academy: Hillsdale Academy is the direct pedagogical model on which The Vanguard School's classical K-12 curriculum is built. Both schools serve K-12 with a classical liberal arts and Core Knowledge-focused curriculum, making them the most direct comparable in mission and content.

Broad incumbents

• Success Academy Charter Schools: Success Academy is a high-performing urban charter network with consistently top-ranked schools and a strong academic outcomes record. Although New York-based, it serves as a comparable reference point for ambitious charter operators focused on measurable K-12 outcomes.
• IDEA Public Schools: IDEA Public Schools is a large charter network operating tuition-free K-12 campuses with a strong college-preparatory focus and high college matriculation rates. It operates at a much larger scale than Vanguard but shares the public, college-prep charter model.
• National Heritage Academies: National Heritage Academies is a charter management organization operating K-8 charter schools across multiple states. It represents the broader charter management peer set, where Vanguard sits as a single-site charter operator.
• Charter Schools USA: Charter Schools USA is a national charter management organization operating K-12 charter schools in multiple states. It is comparable to Vanguard as a charter operator at smaller scale, with similar per-pupil funded economics and school-based governance models.
• KIPP Foundation: KIPP is one of the largest national charter school networks serving K-12 with a college-preparatory mission. It operates at a much larger scale than Vanguard and competes for the same families seeking tuition-free, high-performing charter alternatives.

Emerging players

• Classical Charter Schools of America: Classical Charter Schools of America is a newer charter network explicitly built on a classical, Hillsdale-influenced model. It overlaps with Vanguard's pedagogical approach but is at an earlier stage of scale and geographic reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@thevanguardschoolCS
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheVanguardSchool
• Instagraminstagram.com/thevanguardschoolcos/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cheyenne-mountain-charter-academy

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Vanguard School