Kolbe Academy & Trinity Prep

What Kolbe Academy & Trinity Prep does

Kolbe Academy & Trinity Prep, operating as St. Maximilian Catholic School, is a private, nonprofit, TK-12 classical Catholic school located at 2055 Redwood Road, Napa, California. Founded in 1980 by three lay Catholic families and consolidated through the 2008 merger of Kolbe Academy and Trinity Grammar and Prep, the institution has served the Napa Valley for over four decades and was formally recognized as a Catholic school of the Diocese of Santa Rosa in 2014. It is fully accredited by the Western Catholic Educational Association (WCEA) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), with ongoing NAPCIS accreditation renewal. The school operates with approximately 22 employees under the leadership of President John Bertolini (an alumnus, appointed 2022), Principal Philip Duncan, and an independent Board of Directors.

The academic offering is built on a classical liberal-arts framework structured around the seven liberal arts (Trivium: Grammar, Logic, Rhetoric; Quadrivium: Arithmetic, Geometry, Astronomy, Music), integrated with Catholic theology as the queen of sciences. Core products include a TK-8 curriculum, a high school curriculum featuring the Humane Letters seminar program (integrated history, literature, philosophy, and composition using great books of Western Civilization), a structured homeschool program that extends the Kolbe curriculum nationwide and worldwide, and ancillary faith and formation programs such as Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Virtues in Practice, Sacramental Preparation, retreats, and Techne electives. Standardized assessment is delivered through the Classic Learning Test (CLT), with scores accepted at 280+ colleges including prominent Catholic institutions.

The business model is tuition-driven philanthropy supplemented by ancillary fees. Published 2026-2027 tuition is $15,500/year for grades 9-12, $8,950/year for TK-8, with a $28,500 family-maximum cap; non-refundable registration fees run $600 (high school) and $450 (TK-8). Supplemental revenue streams include extended after-school care ($8/hour plus $25 registration), a $6 hot lunch program, sports fees, and the Immaculata Fund, which raised over $300,000 in the last fiscal year for financial assistance to families. Go-to-market is community-driven: open houses, Discover Catholic Schools Week, speaker series, public fundraisers (International Food Festival, Taste of the Valley, Crab Feed), and direct campus enrollment supported by FACTS tuition management and the BASIC Fund scholarship channel. The school explicitly does not have venture, private equity, or external ownership.

Name

Kolbe Academy & Trinity Prep

Legal name

St. Maximilian Catholic School

Website

https://kolbetrinity.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kolbe Academy & Trinity Prep (operating as St. Maximilian Catholic School) is a private, nonprofit TK-12 classical Catholic day school in Napa, California, serving Napa Valley families with a seven-liberal-arts curriculum, an affiliated homeschool program, and tuition-plus-philanthropy funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private K-12 Catholic Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Classical Education K–12 Schools (EDAJABAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Classical Catholic education
• K-12 private schooling
• Liberal arts curriculum
• Catholic faith formation
• Homeschool curriculum programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Napa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition Revenue: Primary revenue stream from tuition payments for TK-12 education. 2026-2027 rates: High School $15,500/year, TK-8 $8,950/year, Family Maximum $28,500.
2. Registration Fees: Non-refundable registration fees per student: $600 for 9th-12th grade, $450 for TK-8th grade.
3. Fundraising (Immaculata Fund): Annual fund-raising campaign supporting financial assistance. Last fiscal year raised over $300,000 for the Immaculata Fund to assist families with tuition costs.
4. Extended Care Services: After-school extended care at $8.00/hour with $25 registration fee per child.
5. Hot Lunch Program: Weekly hot lunch service at $6 per student provided by parent volunteers.
6. Sports Fees: Per-sport fees for athletic participation (TK-12), priced per sport.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Kolbe Academy & Trinity Prep, operating as St. Maximilian Catholic School, is a private TK-12 classical Catholic day school in Napa, California that delivers a rigorous liberal arts education integrated with Catholic faith formation. It also operates a separate homeschool curriculum program serving families nationally and internationally, and provides ancillary programs such as Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Sacramental Preparation, retreats, electives, athletics, after-care, and hot lunch services.

Product overview

Kolbe Academy & Trinity Prep (operating as St. Maximilian Catholic School) is a private TK-12 Catholic school offering a classical education model. The institution operates three main programs: a day school providing TK-8th and High School curricula on their Napa campus, a separate homeschool program serving families nationwide, and various supplementary programs including Sacramental Preparation, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Virtues in Practice, Techne electives, field trips, retreats, and family formation activities. After the 2008 merger of Kolbe Academy and Trinity Grammar and Prep, the school now offers a unified classical Catholic education from transitional kindergarten through 12th grade.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TK-8th Grade Day School Curriculum A classical education curriculum for Transitional Kindergarten through 8th grade students on the Napa campus, featuring combined grade-level classrooms, humanities, religion, math, science, English language arts, foreign language (Spanish and Latin), physical education, music, and art.
• High School Curriculum A comprehensive classical high school program including Humane Letters (integrated history, literature, philosophy), theology, math, science, foreign language (Latin), techne electives, and performing arts (choir or drama) for grades 9-12.
• Homeschool Program A structured homeschool curriculum serving families across the country and worldwide, offering traditional and online homeschool options that expanded from the original Kolbe Academy after the 2008 merger.
• Catechesis of the Good Shepherd An international faith formation program for children ages 3-9 featuring Level I and Level II Atriums where children encounter Jesus and essential truths of the Catholic Faith through hands-on materials.
• Sacramental Preparation Preparation programs for First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion (2nd grade) and Confirmation (7th-8th grade) aligned with Diocese of Santa Rosa requirements.
• Virtues in Practice A three-year cycle program from the Nashville Dominicans in which the whole school studies the same virtue each month, covering 27 virtues and 81 saints over the cycle.
• Techne Electives Elective classes teaching non-academic skills such as fine art, architecture, guitar, basic first aid, and cooking for high school students.
• After Care Service Extended care service available Monday through Thursday from 3:00 PM to 4:45 PM for students not picked up after school, including homework assistance, at $25 registration fee per child and $8.00 per hour.
• Hot Lunch Program Weekly hot lunch service provided by parent volunteers at $6 per student per meal.
• Field Trips Program Educational field trips including Catholic pilgrimages, historical sites, cultural institutions, science centers, nature reserves, and community service opportunities.
• Family Formation Nights Faith and Seminar Nights for parents and students to learn together about Catholic educational principles and traditions.
• Student Retreats Spiritual retreats including High School Camping Trip, First Communion Retreat, and Our Lady of Guadalupe Day of Recollection for students.
• Alumni Fellowship Program Engagement program for former students including contact updates, alumni events, volunteering opportunities, mentorship, and giving programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• CLT accepted at over 280 colleges including prominent Catholic colleges
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Diocese of Santa RosacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Officially welcomed into the Diocese of Santa Rosa in 2014 by Bishop Robert Vasa. The school maintains ongoing loyalty to the Magisterium of the Church while preserving its classical education approach. Recognized as a Catholic School of the Diocese.
• FACTS ManagementcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerIndependent third-party service that determines eligibility for St. Maximilian financial aid, manages tuition payment plans, and handles billing. Families apply for financial aid through this platform.
• BASIC FundmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorScholarship program for Catholic school families. Families in grades TK-8 must apply to BASIC Fund if they qualify as prerequisite for receiving St. Maximilian financial assistance.
• Kiwanis Club (Local)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with local Kiwanis Club for installation of new play structure. Kiwanis provides free installation if the school can fund the purchase of the play equipment.
• Business Donors (Oxbow Landscape, Roche Winery, Napa Pediatric Dentistry, etc.)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal businesses that support the school through donations and sponsorship. Listed on school's support page as business donors to patronize.
• Classic Learning Test (CLT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCLT is the school's standardized testing partner. School is a pilot school for CLT 3-6th grade tests. CLT scores accepted at 280+ colleges including prominent Catholic institutions.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Providence Academy: Providence Academy (various U.S. campuses) is a private Catholic classical K-12 school with similar curriculum emphasis on Western Civilization and the liberal arts; comparable in mission and pedagogy but located in different geographies.
• Benedictine College Preparatory: Benedictine College Prep is a private Catholic college-prep high school in Virginia with a strong humanities and classical curriculum; comparable in mission and CLT-aligned college-prep track but located in a different region.
• Our Lady of Victory Catholic School: A private Catholic K-8 day school comparable in grade span, faith-based mission, and tuition tier; useful as a regional peer for benchmarking enrollment, fundraising, and academic model within the Napa/Northern California market.

Direct peers

• Chesterton Academy: Chesterton Academy operates a network of Catholic classical high schools built on a similar great-books and Socratic-seminar model; comparable to Kolbe-Trinity's Humane Letters high-school curriculum and Catholic identity, though Chesterton runs multiple campuses across the U.S.
• Seton Home Study School: Seton is one of the largest Catholic homeschool curriculum providers in the U.S., serving families nationwide with a faith-based classical curriculum—the closest direct competitor to Kolbe-Trinity's homeschool program in terms of audience, delivery model, and Catholic identity.
• Classical Conversations: Classical Conversations is a homeschool community-based classical education program with co-op and curriculum components; comparable to Kolbe-Trinity's homeschool program in pedagogy (classical trivium) but broader and Protestant-leaning in religious orientation.
• Mother of Divine Grace: Mother of Divine Grace is a Catholic homeschool program with a classical, integrated curriculum and an advisor-based support model—directly comparable to Kolbe-Trinity's homeschool offering in pedagogy, target family, and distance-learning delivery.
• Regina Caeli Academy: Regina Caeli Academy is a Catholic classical homeschool hybrid program with on-campus tutorial days and home curriculum; a very direct match for Kolbe-Trinity's hybrid day-school/homeschool structure and target family.

Broad incumbents

• Hillsdale College K-12 Initiative: Hillsdale's K-12 Initiative provides a classical liberal arts curriculum, teacher training, and charter-school affiliations; it is a broader institutional actor in the same classical-education space but lacks the Catholic theological integration central to Kolbe-Trinity.

Emerging players

• Great Hearts Academies: Great Hearts is a multi-state charter network delivering a classical liberal arts K-12 curriculum; overlaps with Kolbe-Trinity's classical pedagogy but operates publicly funded charter schools rather than private Catholic day schools.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KolbeAcademyandTrinityPrep
• Instagraminstagram.com/kolbetrinityschool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kolbe-academy-&-trinity-prep

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Kolbe Academy & Trinity Prep