Hales Franciscan High School

What Hales Franciscan High School does

Hales Franciscan High School is a private, nonprofit Catholic high school located at 4930 S. Cottage Grove Ave. in Chicago's historic Bronzeville neighborhood. Founded in 1961 by the Franciscans of the Sacred Heart Province with support from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, it is the only Catholic high school in the Midwest started for African-American males and one of only three such schools nationally. The school operates with 19 employees and has graduated over 3,000 students across 53 senior classes, maintaining a 100% college acceptance rate since 1996.

The school's core offering is a blended learning educational model that combines Service Learning and Performance Based Learning with spiritual and character development, with a distinctive focus on engineering entrepreneurship. Curriculum includes Honors and AP coursework, dual enrollment opportunities, ACT preparation, and a required 40+ hours of service learning. The technology stack centers on real-time performance feedback systems, mastery-based grading, detracked curriculum access, and individualized academic plans, supported by partnerships with Illinois Institute of Technology, the University of Chicago, the National Society of Black Engineers, and Cisco Networking Academy for mentorship and certification programs.

Hales Franciscan generates revenue through three primary streams: student tuition ($13,000 for 2022-23, with financial aid reducing effective cost to approximately $10,000 per student), donations and grants from a broad base of foundations and individuals (including a $5 million contribution from Michael Jordan), and external scholarship granting organizations such as Link Unlimited Scholars, HighSight, Daniel Murphy Scholars, and HFS Chicago Scholars. The school distributes its services through direct enrollment with a multi-step admission process targeting families seeking college-preparatory Catholic education in the Chicago regional market.

Name

Hales Franciscan High School

Legal name

Hales Franciscan High School

Website

https://halesfranciscan.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hales Franciscan High School is a private, nonprofit Catholic high school in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood, founded in 1961 as the only Catholic high school in the Midwest for African-American males. It delivers a blended learning curriculum with an engineering entrepreneurship focus, serving students seeking college preparatory education with 100% college acceptance since 1996.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Catholic Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAJABAC

Faith-Based (Religious) K–12 Schools

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/Private & Independent K–12 Schools

SECONDARYBPAGADAB

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

Keywords

• Private catholic education
• College preparatory programs
• Secondary education services
• Character development education
• Engineering entrepreneurship curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Student Tuition: Tuition payments from families cover the cost of academic, extracurricular, and athletic programs as well as facility and administrative expenses. The school charges $13,000 tuition for 2022-23, though financial aid typically reduces the effective cost to approximately $10,000 per student.
2. Donations and Grants: Ongoing donations, grants, volunteer work, and pro-bono services from individuals and corporations help cover the gap between affordable tuition and actual educational costs. Major donors include Michael Jordan ($5 million contribution), Big Shoulders Fund, John Canning Foundation, Cuneo Foundation, Knights of Peter Claver Ladies Auxiliary, Searle Foundation, and individual donors.
3. Scholarship Granting Organizations: Scholarships from external organizations that students can apply toward tuition, including Link Unlimited Scholars, HighSight, Daniel Murphy Scholars, and HFS Chicago Scholars, typically ranging from $1,000 to $2,500.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Hales Franciscan High School is a private Catholic high school that delivers a four-year college preparatory education to African-American male students in grades 9-10 entry. Its core offering is a blended learning program that integrates Service Learning and Performance Based Learning with spiritual and character development, featuring a detracked curriculum providing full access to Honors and AP coursework including pre-calculus and two years of physics. The program is supplemented by required 40+ hours of service learning, the Spartans Athletics Program, enrichment activities such as ACT prep and dual enrollment, and tuition assistance through scholarships and need-based financial aid.

Product overview

Hales Franciscan High School is a private, Catholic high school offering a unified educational program centered on its blended learning academic model that combines Service Learning and Performance Based Learning with spiritual and character development. The school provides a comprehensive college prep curriculum through its main educational program (with Honors and AP coursework), supplemented by Spartans athletics, required Service Learning, Enrichment Programs (tutoring, ACT prep, dual enrollment, clubs), and Tuition/Financial Aid services. All students receive access to the same high-quality curriculum with support for academic acceleration through individualized learning plans.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Educational Program (Blended Learning Model) A blended learning academic program combining Service Learning and Performance Based Learning approaches with spiritual and character development, tailored for students interested in engineering and entrepreneurship. The program includes real-time performance feedback systems, mastery-based grading, detracked curriculum access, and individualized academic plans.
• Academic Curriculum (Honors and AP Courses) Rigorous college prep curriculum with detracked full curriculum access, allowing students to qualify for Honors and AP classes, including pre-calculus, two years of physics, and annual technical writing units.
• Spartans Athletics Program Athletics program offering football, basketball, track, soccer, cross country, and baseball teams competing in the Chicago Catholic League and IHSA-sanctioned leagues, with emphasis on character development and life success skills.
• Service Learning Program Required community service program where students must complete minimum 40 hours for graduation, participating in school-based service learning projects each semester aligned with Christian Works of Mercy and Franciscan Values.
• Enrichment Programs After-school programs including tutoring, ACT test prep, advanced placement testing, colloquia opportunities, dual college enrollment courses, and extracurricular clubs such as chess, debate, robotics, newspaper, and yearbook.
• Tuition and Financial Aid Services Affordable tuition program with merit scholarships (Father Augustus Tolton Scholarship at $1,000, Franciscan Province of the Sacred Heart Scholarship at $3,000), need-based assistance, parent fundraising credits, and access to scholarship granting organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% college acceptance rate since 1996
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Illinois Institute of TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents are regularly paired with engineering college students and professionals through mentoring, tutoring, project coaching and knowledge sharing programs. Provides access to engineering expertise and college preparation support.
• University of ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents are regularly paired with college students and professionals through mentoring, tutoring, project coaching and knowledge sharing programs. Provides academic mentorship and college preparation support.
• National Society of Black EngineerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides engineering mentorship and professional connections for students interested in engineering careers. Supports knowledge sharing programs and project coaching.
• Center For Community DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with the school for service learning projects and community engagement. Students participate in community-based organizations through their service learning requirements.
• Cisco Networking AcademysupportingTechnology or IntegrationProvides technology education and certification opportunities for students. Supports the Business & Technology curriculum focused on bringing ideas to market.
• Link Unlimited ScholarssupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorScholarship granting organization that eligible students can apply their scholarship toward Hales Franciscan tuition. Provides merit-based scholarships typically ranging from $1,000 to $2,500.
• HighSightsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorScholarship organization allowing eligible students to apply scholarships to Hales Franciscan tuition.
• Daniel Murphy ScholarssupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorScholarship granting organization whose scholarships can be applied to Hales Franciscan tuition.
• HFS Chicago ScholarssupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChicago-based scholarship organization whose awards can be applied toward Hales Franciscan tuition.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Fenwick High School: Catholic college-prep high school in Oak Park, IL with a comparable athletics tradition, donor base, and college-prep academic model serving Chicago-area families.
• De La Salle Institute: Private Catholic college-prep high school in Chicago serving a similarly urban, diverse student body with comparable tuition-aid and athletics-driven identity; competes for the same Catholic-school families on Chicago's South Side.
• Brother Rice High School: All-male Catholic college-prep high school in the Chicago suburbs with overlapping extracurricular, athletics, and scholarship-partner ecosystems targeting similar families.
• Mount Carmel High School: All-male Catholic college-prep high school on Chicago's South Side with a comparable athletics program (Catholic League, state titles) and similar donor-supported funding model.
• St. Augustine High School: Catholic college-prep high school in New Orleans founded for African-American young men; the closest national peer in terms of mission, demographics, and Catholic heritage.
• Marian Catholic High School: Catholic co-ed college-prep high school in Chicago Heights competing for similar South Side / south-suburban Catholic-school families with comparable athletics and college-prep positioning.
• St. Rita of Cascia High School: All-male Catholic college-prep high school on Chicago's South Side with overlapping athletics pipelines and a similar college-prep + character formation value proposition.
• Cristo Rey Jesuit High School: Chicago-based Catholic college-prep high school serving low-income urban students through a corporate work-study model; competes for similar mission-driven families and donor pools.
• Providence St. Mel School: Private Chicago school with a long-standing mission of college preparation for African-American students; shares Hales Franciscan's demographic focus, college-outcomes track record, and donor-supported model.

Others

• Big Shoulders Fund: Chicago-based nonprofit that funds tuition scholarships and operating support for Catholic schools serving low-income students; an overlapping donor/funder in Hales Franciscan's ecosystem rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/hales-franciscan-high-school

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Hales Franciscan High School