Chattanooga Charter School of Excellence

What Chattanooga Charter School of Excellence does

Chattanooga Charter School of Excellence (CCSE) is a public K-12 charter school serving students residing in Hamilton County, Tennessee across three centrally located campuses: CCSE Elementary (Grades K-5, 2029 E 23rd St), CCSE Middle (Grades 6-8, 1912 S Willow St), and CCSE High School (Grades 9-11, 201 E 37th St). Founded in 2011 by co-founders and current operators Marcia Griffin (CEO) and Tedric Griffin (COO), the school operates under a charter authorization from the Hamilton County Department of Education and has earned TVAAS Level 5 recognition—the highest state designation for academic growth—at both the Elementary and High School levels. The organization employs 58 staff and is governed by an independent Governance Board chaired by Dr. Laurence Brown.

CCSE delivers a specialized, content-rich curriculum across English, mathematics, sciences, social studies, world languages, STEM, music, hydroponics, and wellness, supplemented by Response to Intervention (RTI) support, ACT and End-of-Course preparation, and what the school describes as cutting-edge interactive educational technology. Co-curricular programming includes athletics (volleyball, basketball, soccer, wrestling, cross country, track & field, softball, and cheerleading, with football offered through a co-op agreement with Brainerd High School), arts (theater, fine arts, dance, music, film, photography), and college/career readiness. The High School launched in 2022 and is adding one grade level per academic year to complete the K-12 sequence.

As a public charter school, CCSE charges no tuition and is funded primarily through per-pupil state allocations from the Tennessee Department of Education and Hamilton County Department of Education, supplemented by private fundraising to cover building, transportation, and special program costs. Enrollment is managed through an annual open-enrollment application process (opening November 1st with a December 15th priority deadline) and a lottery mechanism activated when applications exceed available seats. The school markets to prospective families via campus tours, its website, WDEF News earned-media coverage, and community word-of-mouth within Hamilton County, with no commercial sales motion or out-of-district enrollment pathway.

Name

Chattanooga Charter School of Excellence

Legal name

Chattanooga Charter School of Excellence

Website

https://chattanoogacharter.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Chattanooga Charter School of Excellence is a public K-12 charter school serving Hamilton County, Tennessee families across three campuses since 2011. Funded through per-pupil state allocations with no tuition, it delivers specialized curricula enhanced by interactive educational technology and holds TVAAS Level 5 recognition.

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 School Networks (Multi-Site) (EDAJACAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Charter College-Prep & Advanced Academics Schools (EDAJACAJ)

Keywords

• Charter school education
• K-12 public education
• Elementary school programs
• Secondary school programs
• Tuition-free schooling

Headquarters

HQ city

Chattanooga

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Per-Pupil State Funding: As a public charter school, CCSE receives public funds allocated on a per-student basis by the state of Tennessee and the Hamilton County Department of Education. The school also supplements public funding by raising private funds to cover building, transportation, and special program costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Chattanooga Charter School of Excellence is a tuition-free public charter school operating three campuses in Chattanooga, Tennessee, delivering K-12 education through a specialized, content-rich curriculum enhanced by cutting-edge interactive educational technology. It serves Hamilton County students in grades K-12 (with the high school adding one grade per year) and supplements core academics with athletics, arts, and school-bus transportation for students outside a two-mile radius.

Product overview

Chattanooga Charter School of Excellence is a public charter school offering a unified K-12 educational program across three centrally located campuses in Chattanooga, Tennessee since 2011. The core offering consists of three school levels: Elementary School (Grades K-5), Middle School (Grades 6-8), and High School (Grades 9-11). The school provides a specialized, content-rich curriculum enhanced by educational technology. Supplementary programs include athletics (Middle and High School), arts (Theater, Fine Arts, Dance, Music, Film, Photography), transportation services, an online store, campus tours, and admissions processing. Senior leadership includes CEO/Co-Founder Marcia Griffin and COO/Co-Founder Tedric Griffin, with principals for each school level.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CCSE Elementary School Tuition-free public charter elementary school program for students in Grades K-5 residing in Hamilton County, Tennessee. Recognized as a TVAAS Level 5 school — the highest recognition by the state of Tennessee for academic growth. Located at 2029 E 23rd St, Chattanooga, TN 37404.
• CCSE Middle School Tuition-free public charter middle school program for students in Grades 6-8 residing in Hamilton County, Tennessee, providing a rigorous instructional model focused on individual student growth and achievement. Praised for specialized, content-rich curriculum. Located at 1912 S Willow St, Chattanooga, TN 37404.
• CCSE High School Tuition-free public charter high school program for students in Grades 9-11 (and expanding by one grade each academic year) located in Chattanooga's Alton Park community, designed to complete the K-12 educational pathway for Hamilton County students. Holds TVAAS Level 5 recognition. Located at 201 E 37th St, Chattanooga, TN 37410.

Quantifiable outcome

• CCSE Elementary and High School recognized as TVAAS Level 5 schools — the highest recognition by the state of Tennessee for academic growth.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Brainerd High SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCSE High School participates in athletic co-op programs with Brainerd High School, enabling students to compete in football, football cheerleading, and baseball — sports not offered independently at CCSE High due to small school size.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Baylor School: Independent private K-12 school located in Chattanooga, serving the same regional K-12 demographic as CCSE. Comparable as a Chattanooga K-12 competitor for families, though it operates on tuition-based revenue rather than per-pupil state funding.
• McCallie School: Prominent private K-12 day and boarding school in Chattanooga competing for the same high-performing regional K-12 demographic. Comparable to CCSE as a Chattanooga K-12 option for families, though funding model and admission selectivity differ substantially.

Broad incumbents

• National Heritage Academies: Large charter management organization operating K-8 charter schools across multiple states. Comparable to CCSE in that it demonstrates the multi-campus charter operating model and provides a benchmark for governance scale, though it focuses on K-8 rather than K-12.
• Great Hearts Academies: Multi-state charter network operating classical, content-rich K-12 academies. Comparable to CCSE in its emphasis on a specialized, content-rich curriculum and shared governance model, and serves as a benchmark for charter replication and scale.
• Hamilton County Schools: The incumbent K-12 public school district that authorizes CCSE and serves as the primary alternative for Hamilton County families. Comparable in that it provides the same funded K-12 instruction, but at much broader scale and without the charter specialization.

Emerging players

• LEAD Academy: Nashville-based public charter school serving grades 5-12 with a college-prep mission. Comparable to CCSE as a Tennessee charter serving a similar demographic, with a college-prep curriculum and similar per-pupil funding model.
• KIPP Nashville: Tennessee-based charter network serving K-12 students with a similar mission of high-quality public education for underserved communities. Comparable in operational model (multi-campus charter, K-12 pathway, per-pupil funding) and benchmarking target for CCSE's growth trajectory.

Direct peers

• Ivy Academy: Public charter school located in Hamilton County, Tennessee, serving K-12 students. Directly comparable to CCSE as a local charter peer serving the same county, same regulatory authorizer, and overlapping student demographic.
• ChattAcademy: Charter school operating in the Chattanooga area, serving a comparable K-12 niche. Operates as a direct local competitor for Hamilton County students seeking a charter alternative to traditional public schools.
• STEM School Chattanooga: STEM-focused public charter school in the Chattanooga region. Comparable to CCSE in that it offers a specialized content-rich curriculum (STEM emphasis) targeting similar Hamilton County families seeking non-traditional public school options.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chattanooga-charter-school-of-excellence

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chattanooga Charter School of Excellence