What GATEWAY SCIENCE ACADEMY does

Gateway Science Academy of St. Louis is a non-selective, tuition-free public charter school network serving grades PreK-12 across four campuses in St. Louis, Missouri (Smiley Elementary, South Elementary, Fyler Middle School, and Fyler High School). The network was founded in 2012 (high school) with elementary and middle campuses added in 2013, and is managed end-to-end by Concept Schools, a charter management organization operating 34 schools serving 13,500+ primarily low-income students of color across 6 Midwestern states. The core product is a STEM-focused, college-preparatory curriculum aligned with Common Core and delivered through extended school days, a 1:1 device program, and specialized programs including Project Lead the Way (PLTW) engineering courses, a competitive VEX Robotics program (with multiple World Championship qualifications), and the Concept Young Scholars Program (CYSP) for leadership development and international travel. As of 2025, GSA launched a two-year AI integration initiative using the MagicSchool platform for teacher lesson planning, assessment generation, and differentiated instruction, with a stated goal of all-teacher AI proficiency by 2026.

Name

GATEWAY SCIENCE ACADEMY

Legal name

Gateway Science Academy of St. Louis

Website

https://gsastl.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gateway Science Academy of St. Louis is a non-selective, tuition-free public charter school network serving grades PreK-12 across four campuses in St. Louis, Missouri, operated under the Concept Schools charter management organization.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

St. Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Per-Pupil Public Funding: As a public charter school, GSA receives government funding based on student enrollment (per-pupil funding). This is the primary revenue source.
2. Federal and State Grants: The school receives Title I.A. funding for schoolwide programs, STEM grants (e.g., $10,000 PLTW/Emerson Grant), and expansion grants ($1,655,000 from The Opportunity Trust). The parent network Concept Schools received nearly $14 million in federal CSP grants.
3. Concept Schools Network Support: Concept Schools provides comprehensive start-up, academic, financial, and operational services to the school as part of its charter management organization relationship.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Gateway Science Academy of St. Louis operates a network of four non-selective, tuition-free public charter school campuses serving grades PreK-12 in St. Louis, Missouri. The school delivers a STEM-focused, college-preparatory curriculum aligned with Common Core standards, featuring Project Lead The Way courses, a competitive VEX Robotics program, a 1:1 student device program, and an ongoing MagicSchool AI integration for teachers and students. All campuses operate under the management of Concept Schools charter management organization.

Product overview

Gateway Science Academy of St. Louis operates as a network of four public charter school campuses (PreK-12) under the Concept Schools management organization. The core offering is a STEM-focused and college-preparatory curriculum aligned with Common Core and state standards. Key products include: GSA South Elementary (PreK-5), GSA Fyler Middle School (6-8), and GSA Fyler High School (9-12). Supporting programs include Project Lead the Way (PLTW) STEM courses, a competitive VEX Robotics program, and the Concept Young Scholars Program (CYSP) for mentorship and leadership development. The network recently launched an AI Integration Program using MagicSchool platform for educators. All campuses are non-selective, tuition-free, and accredited by Cognia with STEM certification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CYSP (Concept Young Scholars Program): Academic and personal development initiative supporting students through mentorship, hands-on experiences, and goal-driven learning toward academic success and college readiness.
• Future Institute

Products and services

• GSA Fyler High School Public charter high school serving grades 9-12, located at 5049 Fyler Avenue, St. Louis. Founded 2012 with target enrollment of 400 students. Ranked #1 charter high school in Missouri by U.S. News & World Report. Offers 1:1 technology and college-preparatory curriculum.
• GSA Fyler Middle School Public charter middle school serving grades 6-8, located at 5028 Rhodes Avenue, St. Louis. Offers STEM-focused curriculum with award-winning robotics program and Project Lead The Way courses.
• GSA South Elementary Public charter elementary school serving grades PreK-5, located at 6651 Gravois Avenue, St. Louis. Founded 2013 with target enrollment of 450 students. Part of the STEM-focused college-preparatory network.
• GSA Smiley Elementary Public charter elementary school serving grades PreK-5, located at 6576 Smiley Avenue, St. Louis. Part of the STEM-focused college-preparatory network.
• STEM-Focused College-Preparatory Curriculum Comprehensive STEM-focused educational program aligned with Common Core and state standards, featuring Project Lead The Way (PLTW) courses, robotics programs, and extended school day. Designed to prepare students for higher education and careers in STEM fields.

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% college acceptance rate for 2024 graduating class
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.

• Concept SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999Concept Schools is the charter management organization that manages Gateway Science Academy. They provide comprehensive start-up, academic, financial, and operational services including curriculum aligned with Common Core, financial management, marketing, HR support, and school evaluations. Concept Schools has operated since 1999 and serves 13,500+ students in 34 schools across 6 Midwestern states.
• Missouri Charter Public School CommissioncoreOthersThe Missouri Charter Public School Commission is the authorizer of Gateway Science Academy. Charter schools operate autonomously through individual agreements with state or local governments that dictate rules and performance standards.
• CogniacoreOthersGSA is accredited by Cognia (Network Accreditation) and holds STEM Certification from Cognia. Cognia is a global network of passionate educators that works alongside schools to ensure quality learning.
• PowerSchoolcoreTechnology or IntegrationPowerSchool provides the online enrollment system (PowerSchool Enrollment) used by GSA families to apply and register students. The school also uses PowerSchool for grades online.
• Future InstitutesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerFuture Institute provides college-related services including alumni transcript requests and college guidance programming, supporting students' post-secondary planning.
• Project Lead The Way (PLTW)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPLTW provides STEM-focused curriculum including Automation and Robotics courses. GSA Middle received a $10,000 PLTW/Emerson Grant to expand and diversify PLTW offerings.
• BrightArrowsecondaryTechnology or IntegrationBrightArrow delivers important information to families through voice, email, and text messaging. Parents can opt-in to receive notifications through this platform.
• SchoologysecondaryTechnology or IntegrationSchoology is the learning management system (LMS) used by GSA for student coursework and classroom management.
• U.S. Department of StateminorOthersThe Youth Ambassadors Program is sponsored by the U.S. State Department. GSA 11th grader Murllin Bender was accepted into this prestigious three-week program traveling to Brazil.
• MagicSchoolsecondaryTechnology or IntegrationMagicSchool is an AI platform offering tools for lesson planning, assessments, and differentiated instruction. GSA is implementing a two-year rollout of MagicSchool tools.
• VEX RoboticssecondaryTechnology or IntegrationVEX Robotics provides the competition platform and framework for GSA's robotics teams. Multiple GSA teams have qualified for VEX Robotics World Championship through state competitions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Success Academy Charter Schools: Success Academy runs a network of top-ranked urban charter schools in NYC known for STEM/college-prep rigor and high accountability outcomes, directly comparable to GSA's positioning as Missouri's #1 charter high school with strong academic outcomes for low-income cohorts.
• Noble Schools: Noble operates a network of college-preparatory public charter campuses concentrated in Chicago, comparable to GSA in single-metro focus, CMO-driven scale, college-readiness outcomes, and tuition-free charter model serving urban low-income populations.
• Achievement First: Achievement First operates a network of high-performing public charter schools in the Northeast with explicit gap-closing goals for low-income students of color — closely aligned with Concept Schools / GSA's equity mission and college-prep charter positioning.
• Uncommon Schools: Uncommon Schools is a nonprofit charter network operating college-preparatory public schools in the Northeast, with comparable academic rigor, gap-closing outcomes for low-income students, and emphasis on teacher development — similar to GSA's value proposition.
• Alliance College-Ready Public Schools: Alliance is a nonprofit CMO operating tuition-free public charter schools in Los Angeles with a college-prep mission for underserved students — directly comparable to Concept Schools / GSA in target population, non-selective enrollment, and CMO-managed scale.
• National Heritage Academies: National Heritage Academies is a for-profit charter management organization operating 90+ schools across multiple states with a similar CMO-driven model and per-pupil public funding structure; comparable to Concept Schools in providing centralized operational and academic support.
• BASIS Charter Schools: BASIS operates STEM-focused public charter schools with consistently top-ranked academic outcomes, directly comparable to GSA's STEM specialization, Cognia STEM certification, and PLTW/VEX robotics program. Targets similar college-prep outcomes for ambitious students.
• KIPP: KIPP is a national network of college-preparatory public charter schools serving primarily low-income students, comparable to GSA in mission, tuition-free charter model, and STEM/college-readiness focus. Operates a much larger multi-state footprint (~200+ schools) with similar per-pupil funding dynamics.
• IDEA Public Schools: IDEA is one of the largest nonprofit charter management organizations in the U.S., serving predominantly low-income students of color across multiple states — closely analogous to Concept Schools/ GSA in mission, college-prep focus, and CMO-driven scaling model.
• Green Dot Public Schools: Green Dot is a charter management organization running college-preparatory public high schools serving predominantly low-income students of color, with comparable CMO structure, mission, and outcome-tracking focus to Concept Schools / GSA.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GSASouth
• Facebookfacebook.com/GatewaySciHigh
• Instagraminstagram.com/gsamiddleschool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gateway-science-academy

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 GATEWAY SCIENCE ACADEMY