The Denver Street School

What The Denver Street School does

The Denver Street School is a non-profit 501(c)(3) faith-based private secondary school located in Lakewood, Colorado, serving at-risk youth in the Metro Denver area. Founded in 1985 by Tom Tillapaugh, the school targets high-school-age students who have dropped out, been expelled, or are otherwise struggling in traditional school environments. The school operates with a 10:1 student-to-teacher ratio and reports a 95% graduation rate, with 95% of graduates transitioning to higher education, vocational programs, military service, or the workforce within two years. Students experience an average 1.5 GPA improvement from intake through the end of their first year.

The school's core product is a personalized secondary education program, accredited by Cognia, that combines small-class instruction with individualized support for disengaged learners. Programming is supplemented by partnerships with adjacent support organizations, most notably CrossPurpose, which extends post-secondary and vocational pathway services for graduates. The school does not operate multiple campuses and serves students from a single Lakewood location, with administrative correspondence handled through a Denver P.O. Box.

The Denver Street School runs a hybrid revenue model combining nominal tuition with private charitable giving. Students pay approximately $200 per year in tuition ($50 per quarter) plus $25 in technology fees and $25 in insurance fees. The school is 100% privately funded and accepts no federal or local government money. The implied all-in cost per student is roughly $12,500 per year, with the gap between tuition and operating cost bridged entirely through donations processed via Network for Good, fundraising campaigns through MadMimi, vehicle donations through Cars Helping Charities, and financial oversight from WaterStone. The organization employs approximately 17 staff under Principal and Acting Executive Director Patrick Fisher, with Sherry Snead serving as Associate Executive Director.

Name

The Denver Street School

Legal name

Denver Street School

Website

https://denverstreetschool.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Denver Street School is a Cognia-accredited, faith-based 501(c)(3) private secondary school in Lakewood, Colorado, serving at-risk youth including dropouts and expelled students with a 10:1 student-teacher ratio and 100% private donor funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based (Religious) K–12 Schools (EDAJABAC)

Keywords

• Private secondary education
• At-risk youth programs
• Faith-based schooling
• Trauma-informed education
• Alternative high school

Headquarters

HQ city

Lakewood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Private Donations and Contributions: The school is 100% privately funded by individuals. Receives no federal or local government funding. Donors can give one-time or monthly donations through Network for Good platform.
2. Student Tuition: Tuition of $50 per quarter ($200 per year), with technology fee of $25 and insurance fee of $25 per year. Community service option allows students to complete 8 hours in exchange for one quarter's tuition. Academic excellence credit available for passing students.
3. Stock and Investment Gifts: Accepts gifts of stocks, mutual fund shares, and other non-traditional assets. Tax identification number: 84-1216351. Partners with WaterStone for giving strategies.
4. Vehicle Donations: Accepts vehicle donations through Cars Helping Charities partnership.
5. Planned Giving and Estate Donations: Accepts will designations and qualified charitable distributions (QCD) from 401K retirement accounts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Denver Street School is a faith-based private secondary school that provides high school education and wraparound support services to at-risk youth in the Lakewood, Colorado area. It operates with a 10:1 student-to-teacher ratio, charges nominal tuition of $50 per quarter, and reports a 95% graduation rate, with programs built on trauma-informed care and the Hope Initiative. The school is 100% privately funded through donations and operates with approximately 17 employees.

Product overview

The Denver Street School operates as a single, unified educational institution offering a comprehensive secondary education program for at-risk youth in the Denver Metro area. The core product is its accredited high school program (accredited by Cognia) which integrates personalized academics with trauma-informed care, faith formation, and student support services. Key program components include the Hope Initiative for trauma-informed care, weekly chapel and Bible classes for faith formation, college and career preparation services, and community service opportunities. Additional offerings include an Amazon-based merchandise store (DSS Gear) for school spirit items. The school maintains a 10:1 student-teacher ratio to enable individualized education plans and operates as a 100% privately funded ministry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Denver Street School Secondary Education Program Faith-based, private high school education delivered on campus in Lakewood, Colorado for at-risk youth in the Metro Denver area. Features a 10:1 student-to-teacher ratio, individualized academic support, and a reported 95% graduation rate. Tuition is $50 per quarter ($200 per year).
• Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) Student Support Wraparound student support service built on a Trauma-Informed Care framework, integrated into the school's educational program to help at-risk students engage with learning and persist through graduation.
• Hope Initiative Recovery and persistence program offered as part of the school's services to support at-risk youth in re-engaging with education and completing their high school education.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% graduation rate (based on eligible seniors)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Network for GoodcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOnline donation platform facilitating one-time gifts, monthly partnerships, and memorial contributions. Handles payment processing; banking information never passed to Denver Street School. DSS receives only confirmation information for payment processing.
• Cars Helping CharitiesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVehicle donation partner making it simple to donate vehicles to support the school's mission.
• WaterStonecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGiving strategies specialist (Lori York) handles stock and mutual fund transfers. Provides tax advantage information for donating stocks, mutual funds, or other non-traditional assets. Contact: 719-447-4620 or WaterStone.org.
• Community Nonprofits (Quarterly Service Projects)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with other nonprofits in the Metro Denver area for quarterly community service projects, allowing DSS students to participate and gain real-world experience serving others.
• CrossPurposecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCareer and vocational program mentioned by multiple graduates (Mauriccio, Neves) as their next step after graduation. Pursued for careers in HVAC, CDL, and pharmacy technician training.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• Year Up: Year Up provides workforce training and post-secondary pathways for young adults from underserved communities. Comparable career-readiness outcome orientation, though focused on young adults post-high-school rather than secondary completion.
• Boys Town: Boys Town runs residential and educational programs for at-risk youth nationwide with a faith-based heritage. Comparable faith-rooted mission to DSS, though operating at much larger scale and across multiple service lines (residential, behavioral health, education).

Direct peers

• NativityMiguel Network of Schools: NativityMiguel runs faith-inspired middle schools that prepare students from underserved communities for college preparatory high schools. Comparable mission, target population, faith-based identity, and small-school personalized approach to DSS.
• Cristo Rey Network: Cristo Rey Network operates Catholic, college-prep high schools serving low-income students through a corporate work-study model. Highly comparable to DSS as a faith-based private secondary school serving at-risk/underserved youth with strong post-secondary outcomes.

Others

• Agnes Scott College (Inspire Atlanta): Broader network of faith-rooted, mission-driven secondary and post-secondary programs serving underserved populations. Thematically related to DSS's faith-based mission, though operating in a different geography and educational stage.
• Rite of Passage: Rite of Passage operates residential and education programs for at-risk and court-involved youth. Comparable at-risk-youth education mandate; adjacent rather than directly competitive given residential focus and different funding model.

Regional players

• KIPP Colorado Schools: KIPP Colorado is the local chapter of the KIPP charter network serving Denver-area students from underserved communities. Comparable in serving at-risk Colorado youth, though operates under a charter/public-funding model versus DSS's private faith-based model.
• Denver Public Schools Alternative Programs: DPS runs dropout-recovery and alternative high school programs serving the same Denver at-risk youth market as DSS. Competes for the same student population locally, though operates under public funding versus DSS's private/donation-funded model.

Emerging players

• CrossPurpose: CrossPurpose is a Denver-based career and vocational training program referenced by DSS graduates. Comparable in mission to equip underserved adults and youth with workforce credentials, and is already a referral/placement partner of DSS.
• Communities In Schools of Colorado: CIS of Colorado places student support coordinators inside public schools to prevent dropouts among at-risk youth. Overlaps DSS in serving the same Colorado at-risk population with wraparound services, but delivers via public schools rather than operating its own campus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/DenStreetSchool
• Facebookfacebook.com/DenverStreetSchool
• Instagraminstagram.com/denverstreetschool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/denver-street-school

Compliance1 record

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 Denver Street School