UC San Diego CREATE

What UC San Diego CREATE does

UC San Diego CREATE (Center for Research on Education, Assessment, and Teaching Excellence) is a university-based education research and partnership center operating within the University of California San Diego system. Founded in 1997 and headquartered in La Jolla, California, CREATE houses an integrated portfolio of more than 11 co-located programs and services spanning K-12 student support, teacher professional development, K-20 consulting, and education research and evaluation. The center serves students in grades 1-12, practicing teachers, school districts, and administrators across San Diego and Imperial Counties, with flagship programs including the Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP), which serves 3,000+ students at 16 high schools, and the federally funded TRIO Outreach Programs, which serve 900+ students through five programs.

The operational model is a grant-funded nonprofit embedded in a public university. CREATE does not sell a commercial product or operate with a software or technology platform; its core technology is the program delivery infrastructure and the intellectual property of its research and evaluation team. Revenue is assembled from federal grants (TRIO, NSF, IES, Department of Defense, Office of Naval Research), California state funding (California Subject Matter Projects, Golden State Pathways), and private foundation support (Gates, Carnegie, Spencer, Ford, MacArthur, Howard Hughes). The go-to-market is direct outreach to school districts and educators through UC San Diego's brand and partnerships with the San Diego County Office of Education, supplemented by online delivery for the Career Pathway Program.

The organization is led by Director Susan Yonezawa and Research and Evaluation Co-Director Monica Sweet, with a 17-person staff that delivers programs, conducts independent evaluation, and provides paid consulting services through CREATE K-20 Consulting. The customer base is concentrated in two Southern California counties, and the bulk of CREATE's economic value is captured by the students, teachers, and districts served rather than by commercial revenue; the organization exists primarily as a public-good intervention funded by taxpayer and philanthropic dollars.

Name

UC San Diego CREATE

Legal name

CREATE (Center for Research on Education, Assessment, and Teaching Excellence), UC San Diego

Website

https://create.ucsd.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UC San Diego CREATE is a university-based education research and partnership center that delivers K-12 college preparation, teacher professional development, and consulting services to students, educators, and districts across San Diego and Imperial Counties, funded by federal, state, and foundation grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Research and K-20 Student Support Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

College Readiness & Admissions Prep Centers (Small-Group Workshops) (EDANAHAI)

Keywords

• Education research services
• Teacher professional development
• College preparation programs
• STEM outreach programs
• Education program evaluation

Headquarters

HQ city

La Jolla

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

UC San Diego CREATE is an education research and partnership center that delivers K-20 student success programs, teacher professional development, and independent education research and evaluation. Its offerings include federally funded pre-college programs (TRIO, EAOP), the Young Scholars summer enrichment program, the Career Pathway Program, STEM outreach, multiple California Subject Matter Projects (CRLP, SDAWP, SDSP, Mathematics Project), K-20 consulting services including Golden State Pathways support, and applied research and evaluation for districts and funders.

Product overview

UC San Diego CREATE is an education research and partnership center offering a collection of programs and consulting services focused on K-20 student success. The portfolio includes student-facing programs (Young Scholars Program, Career Pathway Program, EAOP, TRIO, STEM Outreach) and teacher professional development programs (CRLP, SDAWP, SDSP, Math Project, Code.org Partnership, CSTA). CREATE also provides K-20 Consulting services including Golden State Pathways support and Research and Evaluation services. The organization connects UC San Diego resources to regional schools and districts to improve college and career readiness.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EAOP: Early Academic Outreach Program - provides pre-college services to increase eligibility of college-bound students for UC, CSU and community college admission.
• TRiO
• Young Scholars Program
• Career Pathway Program (CPP)
• CREATE K-20 STEM Outreach

Products and services

• Young Scholars Program A family-paid summer enrichment program for K-12 students (grades 1-12) hosted on the UC San Diego campus, offering interdisciplinary instruction and exploration of novel topics tailored to grade level and interests.
• Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) A pre-college services program providing counseling, FAFSA support, and academic events to increase college eligibility for K-12 students at partner high schools across San Diego and Imperial counties.
• TRIO Outreach Programs A collection of five federally funded TRIO programs including Upward Bound, Upward Bound Math Science, and Talent Search, serving 900+ students with ongoing pre-college services to support high school completion and college transition.
• Career Pathway Program (CPP) A free online personalized support program helping students navigate their pathway through high school to postsecondary institutions, with emphasis in Engineering, Computing, Business, Education, and Health industries.
• K-20 College and Career Preparation CREATE's portfolio of student-facing programs based in K-12 schools, the community, and on the UC San Diego campus focused on preparing students for college and careers.
• CREATE K-20 STEM Outreach STEM learning events targeting K-12 future college applicants and their families, engaging community college students, undergraduates, and graduate students through the STEMULATE program.
• Teacher Professional Development CREATE's portfolio of professional development opportunities for practicing teachers serving diverse student populations in San Diego and Imperial Counties, encompassing multiple California Subject Matter Projects and Code.org and CSTA partnerships.
• CREATE K-20 Consulting Education program design and evaluation consulting services that connect UC San Diego faculty, students, and staff to schools, districts, educators, and students, including professional learning, coaching, and program materials.
• Golden State Pathways Consulting Statewide California initiative in which CREATE provides districts with Golden State Pathways Design services including professional learning, coaching, and program materials for administrators, teachers, counselors, and students at high schools to meet the nine Golden State Pathway Outcomes.
• Research and Evaluation Services Quality and cost-effective research and evaluation projects delivered for districts, foundations, and federal agencies, including nationally relevant research, local and regional education issue investigation, and independent evaluation of educational programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• EAOP program serves 3,000+ students at 16 high schools in San Diego and Imperial counties
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• California Reading and Literature Project (CRLP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRLP provides professional learning in Reading/Literacy, centering educators as learners and leaders to ensure CA students receive high-quality, rigorous, comprehensive literacy instruction responsive to student identities, assets, and needs. CRLP is a California Subject Matter Project.
• San Diego Area Writing Project (SDAWP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSDAWP is one of 16 sites of the California Writing Project network dedicated to improving the teaching and learning of writing. Provides high-quality professional development opportunities for K-16 educators.
• San Diego Science Project (SDSP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional site of the statewide California Science Project, a science teacher professional network. Works closely with San Diego County Office of Education and informal education institutions to provide professional development for preK-16 teachers throughout San Diego and Imperial Counties.
• UC San Diego Mathematics ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNewest of 20 California Subject Matter Projects for mathematics. Seeks to build mathematics teacher leadership and ensure more San Diego teachers are prepared to provide high-quality, engaging mathematics education.
• Code.org Regional Partnership ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to expand access to computer science in the San Diego region through professional learning programs that train teachers to introduce computer science to middle and high school students.
• Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) San DiegominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal chapter of the International Computer Science Teachers Association, housed inside CREATE.
• Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPre-college services program providing counseling, FAFSA help, and academic events to youth. Serves more than 3,000 students at 16 high schools in San Diego and Imperial counties.
• TRiO Outreach ProgramscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederally funded TRIO programs including two Upward Bound programs, two Upward Bound Math Science programs, and a Talent Search program. Houses five programs serving 900+ students with ongoing pre-college services.
• Golden State PathwayscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide California initiative where CREATE provides districts with Golden State Pathways Design services including professional learning, coaching, and program materials for administrators, teachers, counselors, and students at high schools.
• CREATE Career Pathways Program (CPP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram providing FREE ONLINE personalized support for students to navigate their pathway through high school to postsecondary institutions with emphasis in Engineering, Computing, Business, Education, and Health industries.
• San Diego County Office of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCREATE partners with SDCOE and other informal education institutions to provide professional development for teachers throughout San Diego and Imperial Counties.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ucsdcreate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UC San Diego CREATE