Freire Schools

What Freire Schools does

Freire Schools is a nonprofit public charter school network founded in 1999 that operates four tuition-free campuses serving approximately 2,000 students in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Wilmington, Delaware. The network spans Freire Charter High School (founded 1999), Freire Charter Middle School (founded 2012), Freire Charter School Wilmington (founded 2015), and TECH Freire Charter High School (founded 2016), covering grades 5 through 12. The student body is approximately 89% Black and 94% Black or Latinx, with nearly all students qualifying as economically disadvantaged. Freire Schools is structured as a 501(c)(3) governed by the Freire Foundation and is recognized by CREDO at Stanford University as the highest-performing charter management organization in Pennsylvania and among the highest nationally, classified as 'gap-busting' for closing achievement gaps. Reported outcomes include an 88% four-year high school graduation rate, a 96% college acceptance rate (Class of 2026 to 113 unique colleges), $19.7M in scholarships and aid earned by the Class of 2026, and a 57% fall-after-graduation college enrollment rate versus a 49% national low-income average.

The network's core educational products include a rigorous liberal arts college-prep curriculum, dual enrollment through a long-running partnership with Temple University's Fox School of Business (B4USoar), and the network-wide Freire Forward initiative, which encompasses the Experienceship paid summer internship program at 20+ area businesses, career fairs, and job-shadowing rotations. Differentiated technical assets include state-of-the-art makerspaces with laser cutters and virtual reality equipment at TECH Freire, comprehensive student data warehousing managed by a dedicated data analytics director, and free mental health services reaching approximately 25% of students annually. The network operates with a 16:1 student-to-faculty ratio and certified teacher starting salaries of $60,000 in Philadelphia and $55,000 in Wilmington, positioning it among the higher-paying charter employers in the region.

Freire Schools' revenue model is the standard public charter school model: per-pupil state and local district allocations tied to the ~2,000 enrolled students, supplemented by philanthropic contributions managed through the Freire Foundation (a 501(c)(3) supporting organization with a tiered sponsorship structure from $10,000 Tutor-level to $100,000+ Scholar-level) and corporate tax credit contributions through the Pennsylvania Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program. Additional income streams include merchandise sales through an online store, U.S. Department of Education multi-year grants (STEAM-based learning since 2007), 21st Century Community Learning Centers funding, and foundation grants from entities such as the Longwood Foundation, Welfare Foundation, Philadelphia School Partnership, and Laffey-McHugh Foundation. Because Freire is a 501(c)(3), revenue is not publicly disclosed and is reported through Form 990 filings.

Name

Freire Schools

Legal name

Freire Foundation

Website

https://freireschools.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Freire Schools is a nonprofit public charter school network founded in 1999 that operates four tuition-free campuses in Philadelphia, PA and Wilmington, DE, serving approximately 2,000 economically disadvantaged students in grades 5-12. It is recognized by CREDO/Stanford as the highest-performing charter management organization in Pennsylvania.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charter School Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter College-Prep & Advanced Academics Schools (EDAJACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Charter School Networks (Multi-Site) (EDAJACAC)

Keywords

• Charter school education
• College preparatory programs
• Public charter network
• K-12 tuition-free education
• Experiential learning programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Charter School Funding: As a public charter school network, Freire Schools receives per-pupil funding from state and local school districts based on enrollment. This is the primary revenue source supporting operations.
2. Donations and Grants: Freire Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, raises funds through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and planned giving to support programming beyond basic educational funding.
3. EITC Program: Pennsylvania Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program allows businesses to receive tax credits by designating contributions to Freire Foundation as an approved Educational Improvement Organization, funding arts programs, mock trial, and maker space education.
4. Online Store Merchandise: Freire Schools Online Store sells clothing and merchandise with proceeds benefiting students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Freire Schools is a nonprofit public charter school network operating four tuition-free campuses in Philadelphia, PA and Wilmington, DE, serving approximately 2,000 students in grades 5-12. The network delivers college-preparatory liberal arts education with comprehensive academic, emotional, and career support services including dual enrollment with Temple University, paid internships through the Experienceship Program, and free mental health services.

Product overview

Freire Schools is a charter school network operating four distinct campuses (Freire Charter High School, Freire Charter Middle School, Freire Charter School Wilmington, and TECH Freire Charter High School) serving approximately 2,000 students in Philadelphia, PA and Wilmington, DE. Founded in 1999, the network provides college-prep education with a focus on social justice, equity, and comprehensive student supports. The schools operate as tuition-free public charter schools with no testing or GPA requirements for enrollment. Key programs include the Freire Forward experiential learning initiative, the Experienceship paid internship program, dual enrollment partnerships with Temple University, and emotional support services including free therapy for students and families.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Freire Forward: Network-wide experiential learning initiative helping students connect classroom learning to hands-on experiences through career exploration, dual enrollment, and professional prep programs.
• Experienceship Program

Products and services

• Freire Charter High School The flagship Freire school founded in 1999, offering grades 9-12 college and professional prep education focused on social justice and academic excellence, with a student-to-faculty ratio averaging 16:1. Serves Philadelphia students with rigorous liberal arts curriculum and comprehensive wraparound supports.
• Freire Charter Middle School Middle school serving grades 5-8, preparing students for college-prep high school with a persistent growth mindset approach. Located at 1026 Market Street, Philadelphia. Students arriving grade levels behind in math and reading receive constant, individualized support.
• Freire Charter School Wilmington Five-year college and professional prep program starting in grade 8, focused on Graduation x2 - success in both high school and college completion. Located at 201 W. 14th Street, Wilmington, DE. The first public college-prep, non-selective high school in Wilmington in decades.
• TECH Freire Charter High School College and professional prep high school infused with technology and entrepreneurship education, featuring state-of-the-art makerspaces with laser cutters and virtual reality equipment fully integrated into the curriculum. Located at 2221 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia.
• Freire Forward Network-wide experiential learning initiative connecting classroom learning to hands-on experiences including career days, job shadowing, dual enrollment programs, career fairs, networking opportunities, resume workshops, and the Experienceship Program.
• Experienceship Program Summer internship program placing students at 25+ area businesses for real-world professional experience, soft skills training, and job shadowing. 58 students participated in 2025, interning at partners including Buccini Pollin Group, WSFS Bank, Gilbane Building Company, O'Donnell & Naccarato, and others.
• B4USoar Dual Enrollment Partnership Partnership with Temple University's Fox School of Business B4USoar program allowing select high school students to attend college classes and earn college credit at no cost. Freire Schools has supported the initiative since its inception in 2019, collaborating for the seventh year in 2025-26.
• Online Store (SpreadShop) E-commerce platform selling Freire-branded merchandise including clothing, with proceeds benefiting students. Operated via SpreadShop.

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% college acceptance rate for Class of 2026 at 113 unique colleges/universities
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Temple University Fox School of Business (B4USoar Program)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership with Temple University's Fox School of Business B4USoar program allows select high school students to attend college classes and earn college credit at no cost. Freire Schools has been supporting the initiative since its inception in 2019, collaborating for the seventh year in 2025-26.
• Buccini Pollin GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReal estate development firm hosting Experienceship Program interns. Students participate in job shadowing and professional experiences at the company.
• World Cafe LivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing live music workshops and programming for students. Part of the creative arts integration in Freire schools.
• WSFS BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinancial institution partner in Experienceship Program providing career exposure and internship opportunities for students.
• Gilbane Building CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConstruction and building company participating in Experienceship Program for career exploration.
• O'Donnell & NaccaratocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStructural engineering firm partner in Experienceship Program providing student internship opportunities.
• Play On, Philly!secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerArts partner providing orchestral music programming for Freire Middle School's after school programming since 2012.
• Mural ArtssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerArts education partner beginning in 2014, integrating mural arts into Freire Schools' creative programming.
• LiveConnectionssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerArts education provider that began partnership with Freire in 2010, hosting Bridge Sessions pairing professional artists with faculty and students.
• Relay Graduate School for EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlternative certification program partner helping teachers earn certification while working at Freire Schools.
• African Family Health OrganizationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExperienceship Program partner providing internship and career exploration opportunities.
• Greater Philadelphia Chamber of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChamber partner in Experienceship Program supporting career exploration for students.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Uncommon Schools: Northeast regional CMO operating multiple college-prep charter campuses serving predominantly low-income students of color; comparable mission, network structure, and outcome orientation to Freire.
• Green Dot Public Schools: National CMO operating multiple charter high schools focused on college and career readiness for underserved students; comparable as a multi-site charter operator with similar wraparound supports and outcome reporting.
• Success Academy Charter Schools: Large NYC-based CMO network known for exceptionally high academic outcomes for low-income students of color; comparable as a high-performing, multi-site gap-busting charter network with similar mission and student demographics.
• Mastery Charter Schools: Philadelphia-based CMO operating multiple campuses serving low-income students with a college-prep focus; the closest direct geographic peer and a competitor for the same families and authorizers in Philadelphia.
• KIPP Philadelphia Schools: KIPP is a national charter management organization with a Philadelphia region serving similar economically disadvantaged, predominantly Black/Latinx students with a college-prep mission; directly comparable as another multi-site urban CMO pursuing gap-busting outcomes.
• Great Oaks Charter School: Multi-site CMO operating charter campuses in the Northeast serving under-resourced communities with college-prep curricula; comparable as a gap-busting charter network with similar tutoring-intensive academic model.

Broad incumbents

• National Heritage Academies: Large for-profit charter management organization operating ~90 schools nationwide; comparable as a broader charter-sector incumbent operating at greater scale than Freire but with a less gap-busting academic reputation.

Regional players

• Philadelphia Performing Arts Charter School: Philadelphia charter network serving grades K-12 with a strong arts-infused academic model; comparable as a regional peer competing for similar Philadelphia families and donor support.
• Aspira Inc. Philadelphia-based nonprofit operating charter schools serving Latino and other underserved youth with college-prep programming; comparable as a regional Philadelphia peer serving similar student demographics.

Others

• Relay Graduate School of Education: Alternative teacher-certification partner already embedded with Freire; comparable as a sector enabler that supplies the teacher pipeline critical to Freire's 16:1 student-to-faculty model and differentiated culture.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/freireschools
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/freire-schools
• Instagraminstagram.com/freireschools

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Subsidiaries5 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 Freire Schools