Friends School Of Minnesota

Name

Friends School Of Minnesota

Legal name

Friends School of Minnesota

Website

https://fsmn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private K-8 Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Alternative/Pedagogical Model Private Schools (Project-Based, Democratic, etc.) (EDAJABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Private K-8 education
• Progressive Quaker schooling
• Primary school tuition
• Extended day childcare
• Social-emotional learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition: Annual tuition payments from families with K-8 enrollment. Tuition ranges from $20,546-$21,796 depending on grade level. Nearly half of students receive need-based aid.
2. Plant Sale Revenue: Annual plant sale fundraiser generating over $600,000 net for the school. One of the largest volunteer-run plant sales in the region with approximately 1900 volunteers.
3. Donations and Fundraising: Annual fund campaigns, monthly sustaining donors, employer matching gifts, legacy/planned giving, and Donor Advised Fund contributions. End-of-year match campaigns and Great Gatherings community events.
4. Lunch Program: Partnered with FamFare Kitchen to provide daily lunch. Families order monthly through Family Portal. Full pay $5.99/reduced $5.05 per meal.
5. Merchandise Sales: FSMN branded merchandise including apparel, mugs, blankets sold through online logo store with free shipping to school.
6. Extended Day Program: Before and after-school care from 7:30am-6pm. Additional fee-based childcare on release days.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Friends School of Minnesota operates an independent K-8 progressive, Quaker school in St. Paul, Minnesota, enrolling approximately 137 students with a 7:1 student-to-teacher ratio. The core offering is a year-long academic program grounded in Quaker values (peace, justice, simplicity, integrity, community, equity, stewardship) and incorporating project-based learning, mixed-age classrooms, integrated arts, conflict resolution, environmental education, and Spanish language instruction from K-8. Tuition is sold as an annual subscription ($20,546-$21,796) inclusive of supplies, field trips, and overnight field trips.

Product overview

Friends School of Minnesota operates as a single unified K-8 educational institution offering progressive Quaker-based education. The core product is the academic program (K-8), supplemented by fee-based add-on services including Extended Day child care, After School Music lessons, Summer Camp, the Lunch Program, and the Plant Sale (major annual fundraiser). The Conflict Resolution Program, developed in-house since 1988, is also offered for licensing to other schools. Tuition ranges from approximately $20,546 to $21,796 annually, with significant tuition aid available to about half of enrolled families.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• K-8 Academic Program
• Extended Day Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Average class size of 16 students
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Integration7 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Friends Council on Education (FCE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSMN is a member of the Friends Council on Education, the national organization of Quaker schools. FCE helps Quaker schools explore and strengthen their Quaker identity through a Self-Study and Membership Renewal Process, which FSMN conducted in 2018-19.
• Twin Cities Quaker MeetingscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMembers of Twin Cities Friends Meeting, Minneapolis Friends Meeting, Prospect Hill Friends Meeting and Cannon Valley Friends Meeting have served on the School Committee. Staff member Esly Giron Vargas currently serves on the committee.
• FamFare KitchenminorOthersProvides daily lunch program for students including pizza days on Thursdays. Families order monthly through Family Portal with full pay $5.99 and reduced price $5.05 options.
• Branding WearhouseminorOthersLocal St. Paul business near the fairgrounds that produces FSMN branded merchandise including apparel, mugs, blankets. Handles online ordering and school deliveries on Fridays.
• Twin Cities Sports League (LIST)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSMN participates in a Twin Cities sports league with other private and public schools committed to positive sports experiences. League emphasizes mixed-gender teams, equal playing time, and good sportsmanship.
• Hamline Midway CommunityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool is located in Hamline Midway neighborhood just east of Hamline University. Engages with local community through plant sale, volunteer programs, and partnerships with local organizations.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Minnehaha Academy: Minneapolis Christian-based K-12 private school. Comparable to FSMN as a Twin Cities private school with faith-influenced curriculum, though distinct in religious affiliation and broader age span.

Direct peers

• Friends Select School: Philadelphia K-12 Quaker school. Direct peer to FSMN on Quaker pedagogy, college-prep orientation, and progressive city-based private school positioning.
• Mounds Park Academy: Independent K-12 progressive private school in St. Paul, MN. Most direct local peer to FSMN on geography, progressive academic model, and Twin Cities family demographic.
• Friends Central School: Suburban Philadelphia K-12 Quaker school. Comparable to FSMN as a Friends Council member with progressive values-based education and similar conflict-resolution/social-emotional curriculum emphasis.
• Germantown Friends School: Philadelphia-area K-12 Quaker day school. Comparable to FSMN as a member of the Friends Council on Education with a progressive, values-based academic program and similar age span of served students.

Broad incumbents

• The Blake School: Large independent K-12 day school in Minneapolis with multiple campuses. Comparable to FSMN as a Twin Cities private school competitor for progressive, college-prep families, though at much larger scale.
• St. Paul Academy and Summit School: Independent K-12 college-prep school in St. Paul. Comparable to FSMN as a same-city private school competitor for academically oriented Twin Cities families.
• Sidwell Friends School: Quaker K-12 school in Washington, D.C. and the most prominent Friends school in the U.S. Most directly comparable to FSMN on philosophy (Quaker values, progressive pedagogy) and program (conflict resolution/social-emotional learning), though operates at much larger scale and endowment.

Emerging players

• Prairie Hill Waldorf School: Local Waldorf/Steiner K-8 school in the Twin Cities. Comparable to FSMN as an alternative-pedagogy independent school competing for the same progressive-education families in the region.
• Capstone Classical Academy: Independent K-12 classical school in the Twin Cities area. Comparable to FSMN as a small, values-driven private school serving families seeking an alternative to conventional public education in the same metro.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FriendsSchoolMinnesota
• Instagraminstagram.com/friendsschoolmn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/friends-school-of-minnesota

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Friends School Of Minnesota