What Berkeley Technology Academy does

Berkeley Technology Academy is a public alternative high school operating within Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) at 2701 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley, California. Its core offering is an accelerated Credit Recovery Program targeted at students aged 16 and older who are seeking to recover academic credits toward high school graduation. The school allows students to earn up to 80 credits per year — 20 more than Berkeley High School — and structures instruction around 85-minute class sessions that approximate a college-style block schedule, with an approximately 8:1 teacher-to-student ratio delivered by nine listed staff under Principal Heidi Weber.

The curriculum pairs core academic subjects (Math, English, Social Studies, Science Lab) with distinct elective tracks including Digital Arts & Marketing (operational since 2018), Career Exploration & Hip Hop, Language & Leadership, and a Library Corner. These electives differentiate the program from conventional BUSD offerings and signal a focus on credit recovery combined with project-based and culturally relevant coursework. The academy does not deploy proprietary educational technology; instructional delivery relies on standard pedagogical methods.

As a public alternative school, Berkeley Technology Academy has no commercial revenue model. It is fully funded through BUSD general-fund allocations and state K-12 funding streams, and is tuition-free to enrolled students. The entity is a publicly administered program nested inside a government entity rather than a standalone enterprise, which structurally precludes equity investment, M&A activity, or external fundraising.

Name

Berkeley Technology Academy

Legal name

Berkeley Technology Academy

Website

https://berkeleytechacademy.weebly.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Berkeley Technology Academy is a BUSD public alternative high school offering an accelerated credit-recovery program for students aged 16+ alongside elective tracks such as Digital Arts & Marketing, operating tuition-free under district funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Berkeley Technology Academy is a public alternative high school within the Berkeley Unified School District that provides secondary education and an embedded credit recovery program for students aged 16 and older. The school operates with approximately 8:1 teacher-to-student ratios and 85-minute class sessions, enabling students to earn up to 80 credits per year, and offers a holistic learning environment that addresses physical, mental, and emotional well-being alongside academic instruction. Course offerings span core academics (Math, English, Social Studies, Science) and electives (Digital Arts & Marketing, Career Exploration & Hip Hop, Language & Leadership, Library Corner), with college and career counseling support.

Product overview

Berkeley Technology Academy is an alternative high school within the Berkeley Unified School District offering a holistic learning environment with individualized instruction (approximately 8:1 teacher-to-student ratio). The school provides a credit recovery program as its core educational product, enabling students to earn 80 credits per year in 85-minute sessions. Course offerings span Digital Arts & Marketing, Career Exploration & Hip Hop, Math, English, Social Studies, Language & Leadership, Science Lab, and Library Corner. The school operates from 2701 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley, CA 94703, led by Principal Heidi Weber.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Credit Recovery Program An embedded credit recovery program within the school day that allows students aged 16+ to regain academic credits needed for graduation, enabling up to 80 credits per year (20 more than at Berkeley High School).
• Digital Arts & Marketing Course combining digital media arts (video production, pre-production, storyboarding, post-production editing) with marketing and entrepreneurship education, including career exploration and resume building.
• Career Exploration & Hip Hop Career exploration course incorporating hip hop culture and pedagogy to engage students in work-based learning and career development.
• Math Course Mathematics instruction with associated teacher blog for student engagement, supporting credit recovery and core academic graduation requirements.
• English Course English language arts curriculum taught by Sherene Randle, supporting core academic and credit recovery needs.
• Social Studies Course Social studies instruction taught by Jesse Sclafani, supporting core academic graduation requirements.
• Language & Leadership Course Language and leadership development course taught by Dr. Dawn Williams, combining language arts with leadership development.
• Science Lab Course Science laboratory instruction taught by Fred Werner, who also teaches architectural studies.
• College and Career Counseling Guidance services helping students prepare for college applications and career pathways, including assistance with FAFSA completion.

Quantifiable outcome

• Students can earn 80 credits per year, which is 20 credits more than at Berkeley High School

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Berkeley High School: The comprehensive high school within Berkeley Unified School District that BTA explicitly differentiates against (60 credits/year vs. BTA's 80) and from which it draws the majority of its transfer referrals.
• Green Dot Public Schools: Operator of alternative and charter public high schools serving at-risk populations, including credit-recovery focused campuses; shares BTA's mission of providing alternative pathways within the public-school system.
• Continuation High Schools (CA Department of Education): California's network of continuation high schools serves the same 16+ at-risk student segment as BTA, providing credit recovery and alternative graduation pathways under district oversight.

Broad incumbents

• K12 Inc. (Stride Inc.): Large publicly traded provider of online K-12 education and credit-recovery programs; competes with BTA for at-risk high-school students seeking alternative pathways, but delivers instruction virtually rather than in-person.
• Edmentum: Provider of online credit-recovery and alternative-education curriculum used by school districts to deliver flexible high-school programming — represents the kind of vendor solution BTA's in-person model competes against.
• Apex Learning: Established digital curriculum provider focused on credit recovery, dropout prevention, and alternative education pathways for middle and high school students — directly relevant to BTA's core credit-recovery product.

Regional players

• Odyssey Learning Network: Network of alternative and credit-recovery programs serving California high-school students; comparable in student segment and credit-recovery mission, but operates under a different administrative structure than BTA.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/berkeley-technology-academy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Berkeley Technology Academy