Higher Ground Academy
Higher Ground Academy is a tuition-free K-12 college preparatory charter school in St. Paul, Minnesota, founded in 1999, serving families with environmental education focus, Title I/ELL/Special Education services, and a MLK college scholarship program under Minnesota District #4027 authorization.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersSt. Paul, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Higher Ground Academy does
Higher Ground Academy is a K-12 college preparatory charter school operating tuition-free under Minnesota authorization as District #4027 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1999 by William L 'Bill' Wilson, the school serves families seeking college preparatory education with an environmental literacy emphasis, operating two academic divisions: an Elementary and Junior High program (grades K-7) at 1381 Marshall Avenue and a Secondary Academy (grades 8-12) at 1471 Brewster Street. The curriculum is supplemented by Title I reading support, English Language Learners (ELL) services, Special Education programming, an MLK 'Earn as You Learn' Scholarship tied to GPA and attendance, athletics (boys and girls basketball), student-produced podcasts in partnership with Saint Paul Neighborhood Network, and integrated environmental education aligned with Minnesota standards. The school's value proposition emphasizes culturally responsive teaching, small class sizes, and preparation of students as ethical, college-ready, environmentally literate citizens.
The school is authorized by Osprey Wilds Environmental Learning Center under a 2025-2030 charter contract and is governed by an independent Board of Directors with Dr. Samuel Yigzaw serving as Executive Director. A wholly-owned subsidiary, HGA Building Company, manages school facilities. Technology infrastructure is built on standard third-party educational platforms: Schoology as the Learning Management System for course delivery and parent communication, Google Meet for live virtual instruction during e-Learning Days, and Clever Portal for single sign-on access to educational applications. Recent strategic activity includes a January 2025 Career Exploration Program partnership with Catalyst for Systems Change and Youthprise, renewed five-year charter authorization through 2030, and active enrollment outreach for the 2026-2027 school year.
The business model is a nonprofit public charter school funded through Minnesota per-pupil state aid, federal Title I funding, Special Education allocations, and ancillary programs; no tuition or enrollment fees are charged to families. Distribution is entirely direct enrollment to families in the St. Paul metropolitan area, with marketing conducted through the school website, Facebook, school newsletters, and community events. The school competes within the Minnesota charter school market and the broader St. Paul public and private K-12 education ecosystem for student enrollment and per-pupil funding.
Higher Ground Academy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Higher Ground Academy
- Legal name
- Higher Ground Academy
- Website
- https://hgacademy.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Higher Ground Academy is a tuition-free K-12 college preparatory charter school in St. Paul, Minnesota, founded in 1999, serving families with environmental education focus, Title I/ELL/Special Education services, and a MLK college scholarship program under Minnesota District #4027 authorization.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Higher Ground Academy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- K-12 Charter School Education
- NAICS
- Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Charter College-Prep & Advanced Academics Schools (EDAJACAJ)
Keywords
Where Higher Ground Academy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- St. Paul
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Higher Ground Academy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Higher Ground Academy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Higher Ground Academy is a tuition-free public K-12 college preparatory charter school operating campuses in St. Paul, Minnesota. It delivers college preparatory academics across Elementary & Junior High (K-7) and Secondary Academy (8-12), augmented by Title I services, ELL programs, Special Education, Athletics, Environmental Education integrated through a partnership with Osprey Wilds Environmental Learning Center, the MLK Earn as You Learn Scholarship, and digital learning tools including Schoology LMS, Google Meet, and Clever Portal.
Product overview
Higher Ground Academy is a K-12 college preparatory charter school offering a unified educational program with distinct divisions for Elementary/Junior High (K-7) and Secondary School (8-12). The school provides core academic instruction supplemented by specialized programs including Title I support, English Language Learners (ELL) services, and Special Education. Additional offerings include the MLK Earn as you Learn Scholarship for college preparation, Athletics (basketball teams), Environmental Education integrated across the curriculum, Podcasts created through partnership with Saint Paul Neighborhood Network, and an Online Library. The school operates with digital learning tools including Schoology (LMS), Clever Portal (SSO), and Google Meet for e-learning days.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- K-12 College Preparatory Education Comprehensive K-12 college preparatory charter school education serving grades K-12 with an environmental education focus and emphasis on preparing students for college readiness. Tuition-free public charter school for families in St. Paul, Minnesota.
- Elementary & Junior High Program (K-7) Elementary and junior high education program for grades K-7 featuring small class sizes, culturally responsive teaching, and a safe learning environment that builds strong academic foundations and social skills. Located at the 1381 Marshall Avenue, St. Paul campus.
- Secondary Academy Program (8-12) High school program for grades 8-12 offering rigorous college-prep academics, mentorship, and real-world skills to prepare students for graduation and beyond. Located at the 1471 Brewster Street, St. Paul campus.
- Special Education Services (Total Special Education System) Total Special Education System providing program development, coordination, evaluation, in-service training, and general special education supervision and administration for students with special needs at Higher Ground Academy.
- Athletics Program Athletic programs at Higher Ground Academy including boys and girls varsity basketball, junior varsity, and B squad teams.
- MLK Earn as You Learn Scholarship Scholarship program allowing students to earn money every year they attend HGA toward college tuition, with earnings based on cumulative GPA, years attended, and graduation requirement.
- Environmental Education Curriculum Environmental education integrated across K-12 curriculum with emphasis on developing environmentally literate citizens, aligned with Minnesota standards and delivered in partnership with Osprey Wilds Environmental Learning Center.
- e-Learning Days Program Online learning system using Schoology LMS and Google Meet for remote instruction when school buildings are closed, enabling continuity of K-12 instruction through live virtual lessons, assignment distribution, and parent communication.
Quantifiable outcome
- Students graduate college ready with emphasis on environmental stewardship and ethical citizenship
Companies that use Higher Ground Academy
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Higher Ground Academy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature1 record
Higher Ground Academy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, core and minor.
- Catalyst for Systems ChangestrategicPartnered with HGA for the Career Exploration Program designed to inspire and prepare high school students for future professional journeys. The program connected students with professionals from diverse industries for interviews and career guidance. Formerly known as Center for School Change.
- YouthprisestrategicPartnered with HGA to support the Career Exploration Program, a youth empowerment initiative providing students opportunities to explore careers and develop professional skills.
- Osprey Wilds Environmental Learning CentercoreOsprey Wilds serves as the charter school authorizer for Higher Ground Academy. They provide oversight, renewal evaluation, academic performance monitoring, and contract management. The partnership includes a 2025-2030 contract with annual performance reviews. Erin Anderson serves as Director of Charter School Authorizing.
- Saint Paul Neighborhood NetworkminorPartnered with HGA students in Ms Eisele's Economics class and Ms Carlson's Writing class to create Fast Fashion podcasts, providing media production support and training.
- ClevercoreSingle Sign-On (SSO) platform providing students access to educational applications and resources through the HGA Clever Portal.
- SchoologycoreLearning Management System (LMS) used for e-Learning Days, assignment distribution, parent communication, and online course delivery.
- Google MeetcoreVideo conferencing platform used for live online instruction during e-Learning Days and parent-teacher conferences.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Higher Ground Academy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Great River School: St. Paul public charter school serving grades K-12 with a project-based learning model. Comparable as a fellow St. Paul charter competitor drawing from the same local family pool.
- Nova Classical Academy: St. Paul-based K-12 charter school with a college-preparatory focus. Most directly comparable peer due to shared geography, charter status, and college-prep mission; differs in emphasizing classical curriculum rather than environmental literacy.
- Harvest Preparatory School: Minneapolis-based charter school with K-12 college preparatory focus. Comparable as a Twin Cities charter competitor targeting similar demographics with college-prep mission.
- Twin Cities Academy: St. Paul public charter school serving grades 6-12 with a college-prep focus. Comparable urban charter serving overlapping student demographics in the same metro area.
- City Academy: St. Paul charter school serving K-12 with emphasis on culturally responsive education. Comparable as a local charter peer with similar mission alignment to underserved families.
Broad incumbents
- BASIS Charter Schools: National charter network known for rigorous college-prep academics and advanced curriculum. Comparable as a broader incumbent offering similar college-prep value proposition at scale across multiple states.
- National Heritage Academies: Charter management organization operating K-8 schools nationwide. Comparable as a broad incumbent providing charter school operational infrastructure and educational programming at scale.
- KIPP Schools: Large national charter network serving K-12 with college-prep mission. Comparable as a broad incumbent operating in the same college-prep charter space, though much larger and operating across many states.
- Success Academy Charter Schools: NYC-based charter network with rigorous college-prep K-12 model. Comparable as a broad incumbent with similar college-readiness outcomes and standardized test performance focus.
Emerging players
- Aspire Public Schools: California-based charter network operating K-12 college-prep schools. Comparable as a charter operator with similar college-preparatory mission, though concentrated on the West Coast.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Higher Ground Academy social profiles
Digital presenceHigher Ground Academy compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Higher Ground Academy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Higher Ground Academy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Higher Ground Academy subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Higher Ground Academy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Higher Ground Academy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Higher Ground Academy
What does Higher Ground Academy do?
Higher Ground Academy is a tuition-free public K-12 college preparatory charter school operating campuses in St. Paul, Minnesota. It delivers college preparatory academics across Elementary & Junior High (K-7) and Secondary Academy (8-12), augmented by Title I services, ELL programs, Special Education, Athletics, Environmental Education integrated through a partnership with Osprey Wilds Environmental Learning Center, the MLK Earn as You Learn Scholarship, and digital learning tools including Schoology LMS, Google Meet, and Clever Portal.
Is Higher Ground Academy a public or private company?
Higher Ground Academy is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Higher Ground Academy founded?
Higher Ground Academy was founded in 1999. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Higher Ground Academy based?
Higher Ground Academy is headquartered in St. Paul, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Higher Ground Academy's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Great River School, Nova Classical Academy, Harvest Preparatory School, Twin Cities Academy and City Academy. Broad incumbents are BASIS Charter Schools, National Heritage Academies, KIPP Schools and Success Academy Charter Schools. Aspire Public Schools is listed as an emerging player.
Does Higher Ground Academy have an API?
No public API is recorded for Higher Ground Academy.
What industry is Higher Ground Academy in?
Higher Ground Academy's product category is K-12 Charter School Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJACAJ, Charter College-Prep & Advanced Academics Schools. Its NAICS code is 6111 and its SIC code is 8200.