What Eau Claire Area School District does

Eau Claire Area School District (ECASD) is a public K-12 school district organized under Wisconsin state law and governed by a seven-member Board of Education elected at large for three-year terms. Founded in 1889 and operating as a unified district since 1982, ECASD serves approximately 11,000 students across 22 buildings in a 200-square-mile service area covering most of the city of Eau Claire and portions of 11 surrounding townships, making it the eighth largest district in Wisconsin. The district operates a portfolio of 12 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, 2 high schools, a secondary school, and 2 charter schools (Eau Claire Virtual School and Chippewa Valley Montessori Charter School), plus an early learning center offering Head Start and EC4T programs through a partnership with Western Dairyland.

ECASD's technology infrastructure centers on an enterprise ecosystem of integrated ed-tech platforms: Skyward Family Access serves as the rostering source of truth; Infinite Campus (newly adopted in 2024) functions as the Student Information System; Canvas and Seesaw serve as Learning Management Systems for grades 3-12 and K-2 respectively; ParentSquare handles family-school communications; and Clever Portal provides single sign-on. The district operates a 1:1 device program deploying Apple iPads to K-5 students and Dell laptops to grades 6-12, supported by a 40-person technology department. Approximately 2,081 staff support operations across instruction, student services, special education, food and nutrition, facilities, human resources, payroll, and central administration.

ECASD's revenue model is government-funded with no tuition charged for resident students. Funding derives primarily from Wisconsin state aid and local property taxes regulated by state revenue limits, supplemented by voter-approved referenda (the 2022 Capital Referendum authorizing $98.6M in general obligation bonds and the 2024 Operational Referendum authorizing $18M/year for 4 years), federal Title and special education funding, ESSER grants, and National School Lunch/Breakfast Program reimbursements. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through school enrollment, with additional channels including Wisconsin Open Enrollment for non-resident students, charter school options, and early learning programs.

Name

Eau Claire Area School District

Legal name

Eau Claire Area School District

Website

https://ecasd.us

Company type

Public

Founded year

1889

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Eau Claire Area School District is a public K-12 school district in Wisconsin serving approximately 11,000 students across 22 buildings in a 200-square-mile service area. Founded in 1889, it is the eighth largest district in Wisconsin and offers traditional, charter, virtual, and early learning education programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public K-12 Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public K–12 Combined Schools (EDAJAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Virtual/Online Charter Schools (EDAJACAD), Public Virtual & Blended Learning Programs (District-Run) (EDAJAAAI)

Keywords

• Public K-12 education
• Early childhood programs
• Special education services
• Student information systems
• School meal programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Eau Claire

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Property Tax Revenue: Primary funding source through local property taxes regulated by state revenue limits. District receives property tax revenue to fund general operations, debt service, and capital projects.
2. Operational Referendum Funding: Voter-approved referenda allow district to exceed state revenue limits for specific operational purposes including elementary reading, behavioral and mental health resources, school safety, and maintaining student-to-staff ratios. The 2024 referendum authorized $18,000,000 per year for 4 years.
3. Capital Referendum Bond Funding: Voter-approved general obligation bonds for capital construction and facility improvements. The 2022 referendum authorized $98,600,000 for school building and facility improvement projects.
4. Federal Food Service Programs: District participates in National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, providing meals to students. Revenue from federal reimbursement for meals served.
5. State Aid and Federal Funding: Revenue from Wisconsin state aid and federal programs including Title programs, special education funding, and grants such as ESSER funds.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Eau Claire Area School District provides comprehensive public K-12 education to approximately 11,000 students across 22 buildings, including 12 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, 2 high schools, 2 charter schools (virtual and Montessori), 1 secondary charter (McKinley), and early learning programs. Core offerings include standard academic curriculum, special education, English Language Learner support, mental and behavioral health services, school meals, dual language immersion, and a 1:1 device program providing technology to every student.

Product overview

Eau Claire Area School District operates as a K-12 public school district with approximately 11,000 students, offering educational services through a portfolio of schools and digital platforms. The district's product ecosystem consists of multiple integrated technology platforms: Skyward Family Access serves as the primary student data system, while Infinite Campus (recently adopted) functions as the Student Information System. Canvas LMS and Seesaw serve as the Learning Management Systems for grades 3-12 and K-2 respectively. ParentSquare handles family-school communication. The district maintains a 1:1 device program providing iPads (K-5) and Dell laptops (6-12). Additional services include MySchoolBucks for meal payments, rSchoolToday for activity management, and Clever Portal for single sign-on access. These products operate as interconnected modules sharing student roster data through Skyward's rostering capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Elementary Schools (K-5) Twelve elementary schools serving kindergarten through fifth grade students across the district, including Flynn, Lakeshore, Locust Lane, Longfellow, Manz, Meadowview, Northwoods, Putnam Heights, Robbins, Roosevelt, Sam Davey, and Sherman elementary schools.
• Middle Schools (6-8) Three middle schools serving grades 6-8: DeLong Middle School, Northstar Middle School, and South Middle School.
• High Schools (9-12) Two comprehensive high schools serving grades 9-12: Memorial High School and North High School, providing college and career readiness programming.
• Charter Schools District-authorized charter schools offering alternative educational models: Eau Claire Virtual School (online education), Chippewa Valley Montessori Charter School (Montessori method), and McKinley Secondary School (alternative secondary education).
• Early Learning Programs Early childhood education programs through Prairie Ridge Elementary / Early Learning Center, including Head Start (age 3, in partnership with Western Dairyland) and EC4T (Early Childhood 4 Target for age 4) programs preparing children for kindergarten.
• Special Education and Student Support Services Comprehensive student services including special education, English Language Learner support, mental and behavioral health services, nursing, ATOD support, family services for homeless students, American Indian student services, and academic/social-emotional coordinators.
• Food and Nutrition Services National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs providing daily meals to all students, with free and reduced-price meal programs available for income-eligible families.
• 1:1 Device Program

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Western DairylandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Head Start program delivery. Western Dairyland collaborates with ECASD to provide early childhood education services for eligible 3-year-old children through Head Start program. ECASD Early Learning Head Start is proudly partnering with Western Dairyland for early childhood development services.
• Eau Claire Public Schools FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent nonprofit foundation supporting ECASD students and schools through fundraising, grants, and community partnerships. District website links to foundation website. Foundation newsletter available for community subscription to support district educational initiatives.
• Achieve HealthminorOthersHealth clinic affiliation providing no-cost health services for ECASD employees enrolled in district health insurance. Near-site clinic with convenient hours available to district staff and their families.
• Student Transportation of WisconsinminorOthersThird-party transportation provider for student bus services. District partners with Student Transit for school transportation (opens in new window/tab).

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction: Wisconsin's state education agency that sets revenue limits, administers state aid, and oversees public school district compliance. Functions as a regulatory and funding counterpart rather than a competing operator, but materially shapes ECASD's operating environment.

Direct peers

• Madison Metropolitan School District: Largest Wisconsin public school district operating a comparable K-12 public education model with similar funding mechanisms (state aid, property taxes, referenda) and serving diverse urban-area student populations. Closest scale comparable among WI districts.
• Wausau School District: Mid-size Wisconsin public school district with similar enrollment (~9-10K students) and comparable demographic profile including significant ELL populations. Operates under same state funding framework and referendum structure.
• Stevens Point Area Public School District: Wisconsin public school district of similar enrollment scale and mid-size city profile. Operates under same state funding framework with comparable technology infrastructure and referendum-driven capital plans.
• Janesville School District: Wisconsin public school district with comparable enrollment scale and urban-suburban footprint. Operates under identical state revenue limits and referendum framework, with similar capital improvement cycles.
• Kenosha Unified School District: Wisconsin public school district serving a similar-sized Wisconsin city with comparable diversity metrics, bilingual programs, and reliance on voter-approved referenda for capital and operational funding.
• Appleton Area School District: Wisconsin public school district of similar enrollment scale (~15K students) operating under the same state revenue limit framework. Comparable use of operational referenda, charter schools, and 1:1 device programs in a mid-size Wisconsin city.
• Green Bay Area Public School District: Wisconsin public school district of similar size (~20K students) with comparable urban-suburban footprint and bilingual education programs. Shares Wisconsin's open enrollment and referendum-driven funding structure with ECASD.
• La Crosse School District: Wisconsin public school district of similar enrollment scale and geographic footprint. Shares comparable reliance on property tax referenda, 1:1 device initiatives, and integrated SIS/LMS technology stack.

Emerging players

• Stride Inc. (K12 Inc.): National online K-12 education provider whose virtual school model competes with Eau Claire Virtual School. While not a public district, Stride offers an alternative K-12 virtual education pathway that ECASD's virtual school must differentiate against.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ecasdboardroom/streams
• Facebookfacebook.com/ECASD
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eau-claire-area-school-district
• Instagraminstagram.com/ecasd1

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries21 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 Eau Claire Area School District