Heartland Christian School & Preschool

What Heartland Christian School & Preschool does

Heartland Christian School & Preschool is a private, non-denominational K-12 Christian school and preschool located in Columbiana, Ohio, founded in 1996 by Rev. Cecil Jones and nineteen couples from the Church of the Nazarene. The school enrolled 560 students for the 2025-2026 academic year (484 full-time K-12, 8 homeschool, 9 and 68 preschool), operates across a debt-free 60,000-square-foot main campus at 28 Pittsburgh Street and a dedicated K-1 building at 350 Ohio Route 7, and holds 50 acres of land. It is accredited by the Ohio Department of Education and offers a biblically integrated curriculum with state-certified teachers, small class sizes (15:1 in K-1), and dedicated special-needs services including Discovery (NILD-based) educational therapy, reading intervention using DIBELS and Orton Gillingham, speech therapy, and coordination of the Ohio Autism and Jon Peterson Scholarship programs.

The business model is a tuition subscription model billed over 10 monthly installments (August through May), with K-8 tuition at $6,166 per year, grades 9-12 at $8,408 per year, a $500 per-student operations fee (capped at $1,500 per family), and tiered preschool pricing of $135 to $275 per month. Approximately 95% of families qualify for full coverage through the Ohio EdChoice scholarship program, which the school accepts as primary funding; Ohio SGO scholarships through OCEN provide up to $500 per student in supplemental aid. Ancillary revenue streams include bus transportation ($425/child), the Discovery program fee ($375/year), the Scrips gift-card program (0.5% processing fee retained), lunch service, athletics, theatre, music, and tax-credit-eligible donations processed through OCEN and DonorPerfect. Go-to-market relies on community presence, word-of-mouth, school tours, the heartlandschool.org website, the hcslions.com athletics site, YouTube content, and Parent-Teacher Fellowship engagement.

The underlying technology stack is conventional education SaaS: FACTS SIS and RenWeb power the family portal, online enrollment, tuition billing, and parent communication; ShopWithScrip handles gift-card ordering; DonorPerfect processes donations; and OCEN serves as the Scholarship Granting Organization platform. There is no proprietary technology, AI/ML capability, or data flywheel disclosed; the only AI-related artifact is a formal AI usage policy documented in the student handbook. College Credit Plus partnerships with five Ohio universities (Cedarville, Kent State, Mount Vernon Nazarene, Southeastern Ohio, Youngstown State) provide dual-enrollment pathways for grades 7-12, and approximately 87% of graduates continue to college.

Name

Heartland Christian School & Preschool

Legal name

Heartland Christian School

Website

https://heartlandschool.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Heartland Christian School & Preschool is a private, Ohio-accredited K-12 Christian school and preschool in Columbiana, Ohio, serving 560 students with a biblically integrated curriculum, special-needs services, and college-prep pathways funded largely through the Ohio EdChoice scholarship program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private K-12 Christian Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Preschools (EDACABAF), Preschool Programs within Childcare Centers (EDACABAL)

Keywords

• Christian K-12 education
• Private faith-based schooling
• Preschool education services
• College preparatory curriculum
• Accredited private school

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbiana

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. K-8 Tuition: Annual tuition for grades K-8 is $6,166, paid over 10 months with first payment due August 15 and last by May 15
2. 9-12 Tuition: Annual tuition for grades 9-12 is $8,408, paid over 10 months with first payment due August 15 and last by May 15
3. Preschool Tuition: Monthly preschool tuition: Junior Preschool $135/month (T/Th), Preschool $170/month (M/W/F), Pre-K $275/month (M-F full day)
4. Operations Fee: Yearly Operations Fee of $500 per student ($1,500 max per family) rolled into 10-month payment schedule
5. Ohio EdChoice Scholarship: State scholarship program covering up to full tuition; approximately 95% of families qualify for full scholarship
6. Ohio SGO (Jon Peterson) Scholarships: Need-based scholarships through Scholarship Granting Organizations, up to $500 per student for operations fee or tuition
7. Bus Transportation: Optional bus transportation service at $425 per child, divided over 10 months
8. Discovery Program Fee: Special education therapy program fee of $375 per year in addition to regular tuition
9. Scrips Program: Gift card ordering program where families earn tuition credits from retailer purchases; school retains 0.5% processing fee

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Heartland Christian School & Preschool provides continuous private Christian education from preschool through 12th grade at a single campus in Columbiana, Ohio. The school delivers a faith-based academic curriculum accredited by the Ohio Department of Education, supplemented by athletics and arts programs, and is offered to families seeking a biblically-grounded K-12 alternative. The school enrolls 560 students for the 2025-2026 school year and operates debt-free.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Preschool Program Early childhood Christian education program serving preschool-age children as the entry point into the school's continuous preschool-through-12th grade pathway at the Columbiana, Ohio campus. Designed for Christian families in eastern Ohio seeking faith-based early learning.
• Elementary School Program Christian elementary education for grade-school students, delivered on the Columbiana campus with a biblically integrated curriculum accredited by the Ohio Department of Education. Targeted at families seeking faith-based primary schooling in eastern Ohio.
• Middle School Program Christian middle school education bridging elementary and high school years on the same Columbiana campus, combining state-accredited academics with biblical worldview instruction for adolescent students.
• High School Program Christian high school education culminating the school's K-12 pathway, providing state-accredited college-preparatory coursework alongside biblical worldview curriculum, athletics, and arts programming for students in grades 9-12.
• Athletics Program School-sponsored athletic programs complementing the academic curriculum, available to enrolled students across grade levels as part of the broader Christian K-12 education offering.
• Arts Program School-sponsored arts programming complementing the academic curriculum, available to enrolled students across grade levels as part of the broader Christian K-12 education offering.

Quantifiable outcome

• 87% of students go on to college
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cedarville UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCP (College Credit Plus) university partner allowing Heartland students to earn college credit while in high school through online and on-campus courses
• Kent State University (Salem/East Liverpool)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCP university partner offering on-campus and online college courses for Heartland students in grades 7-12
• Mount Vernon Nazarene UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCP university partner providing online dual enrollment opportunities for Heartland high school students
• Southeastern University OhiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCP university partner offering online college courses for Heartland students to earn dual high school and college credit
• Youngstown State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCP university partner with on-campus and online options; hosts career pathways field trips for Schools of Distinction program
• OCEN (Ohio Christian Education Network)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorScholarship Granting Organization certified by Ohio Attorney General; processes tax-credit-eligible donations (up to $750/person) designated for Heartland student scholarships
• New Waterford Lions ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLions Club International branch that supports the Heartland Leo Club, a student service organization for middle and high school students
• FACTS Management (SIS)coreTechnology or IntegrationStudent Information System provider powering family enrollment portal, tuition billing, and parent access
• ShopWithScripminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGift card ordering platform enabling families to earn tuition credits through retailer purchases; school receives 0.5% processing fee
• National Institute for Learning Disabilities (NILD)coreTechnology or IntegrationOrganization that established the Discovery educational therapy program used at Heartland for students with learning difficulties; provides therapist certification through Level 2 training

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• FACTS (FACTS Management): Student Information System provider powering Heartland's enrollment, billing, and family portal — adjacent enabling technology vendor used across many comparable faith-based private K-12 schools.
• AACS (American Association of Christian Schools) Member Schools: National accreditation and support network for faith-based K-12 schools comparable to Heartland — adjacent ecosystem organization providing shared standards, resources, and curricular frameworks used by similar independent Christian schools.

Direct peers

• Heritage Christian School: Independent Christian K-12 school in Northeast Ohio serving families seeking biblically integrated education with college-prep academics — comparable size, mission, and reliance on Ohio EdChoice scholarships.
• Liberty Christian Academy: Faith-based K-12 school in Ohio offering college preparatory academics, athletics, and arts within a Christian framework — directly comparable private Christian school peer serving similar family segments.
• Calvary Christian School (Columbus): Independent Christian K-12 school in Ohio with college-prep curriculum and athletics — comparable faith-based operator serving EdChoice-eligible families.
• Tree of Life Christian Schools: Central Ohio private Christian K-12 network with multiple campuses offering biblically integrated curriculum, AP courses, and dual enrollment — comparable faith-based K-12 operator with similar college-prep value proposition.
• Worthington Christian School: Faith-based private K-12 school in central Ohio offering biblically integrated curriculum, college-prep academics, and athletics — directly comparable to Heartland's Christian K-12 model with similar college-readiness focus and Ohio EdChoice acceptance.
• Gahanna Christian Academy: Ohio-based faith-based K-12 school providing biblically integrated education with college-prep academics and athletics — directly comparable in mission, scale, and target demographic.

Broad incumbents

• Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy: Larger, well-established private Christian K-12 school in southwest Ohio offering comprehensive academics, fine arts, and athletics — broader portfolio than Heartland but overlapping faith-based K-12 mission and EdChoice-eligible student base.
• Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy: Long-established private Christian K-12 school in Northeast Ohio with extensive athletics, arts, and college-prep programming — comparable mission, significantly larger scale and broader extracurricular portfolio than Heartland.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutu.be/PkbSIVVRY_I
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/heartland-christian-school-&-preschool

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 Heartland Christian School & Preschool