Academy Prep Center of Lakeland

What Academy Prep Center of Lakeland does

Academy Prep Center of Lakeland is a nonprofit, tuition-free middle school serving economically disadvantaged students in grades 5-8 in Lakeland, Florida. Founded in 2019 as the third Academy Prep campus (following St. Petersburg in 1997 and Tampa in 2003), the school operates on the Nativity Miguel network model, which has a 50+ year track record of educating low-income youth. The school is housed in the renovated former John Cox Elementary School building (originally built in 1928) at 1021 Lakeland Hills Blvd. All students attend on full scholarships funded entirely by private donations at a cost of $20,000 per student per year, with families required to meet federal free/reduced-price meal program income guidelines.

The educational program combines a rigorous college-preparatory academic curriculum (English, math, science, history daily, plus Spanish in grades 7-8) with Centers of Excellence in chess, music, visual art, and physical education, plus an extended 11-month school year (7:00 AM to 5:40 PM). Students typically enter 1-2 grade levels behind and graduate 1-2 grade levels ahead. Technology infrastructure includes a 1-1 Chromebook program and Google Apps for Education, with student information managed through FACTS/RenWeb and content filtering via Securly Home. The school also provides 8 years of post-graduation support through high school and college. Admissions is a multi-step process including testing, Step Up For Students scholarship application, summer session assessment, and interviews.

The organization's revenue model is entirely donation-based with no tuition revenue. Funding streams include individual donations, corporate sponsorships (Publix, Raymond James, Suncoast Credit Union, Truist, Florida Blue, and others), event fundraising (e.g., annual Cookin for Kids), matching gifts, and planned giving (IRA rollovers, bequests). The school offers structured sponsorship tiers ranging from $1,000 Supporting Scholarships to $80,000 Class Sponsorships. Marketing and recruitment rely on community partnerships, word-of-mouth, volunteer networks, and the Step Up For Students scholarship program as the primary channel to reach eligible families.

Name

Academy Prep Center of Lakeland

Legal name

Academy Prep Center of Lakeland, Inc.

Website

https://lakeland.academyprep.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Academy Prep Center of Lakeland is a nonprofit, tuition-free middle school (grades 5-8) in Lakeland, Florida, serving economically disadvantaged students on full need-based scholarships through a Nativity Miguel model college-prep curriculum with 8-year graduate support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lakeland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Private Donations and Scholarships: Academy Prep relies entirely on donations from individuals, businesses, and foundations to fund its program. Each student attends through full scholarships of $20,000 per year generated from private funds. Donors can sponsor individual students or entire classes through the scholarship program.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships available through special events, scholarships, student activities, capital projects, and program support. Priority areas include technology, campus improvement, supplemental programming, the 11-month summer program, enrichment activities, and class adoptions.
3. Event Fundraising: The school hosts special events throughout the year (such as the Cookin for Kids annual event) which offer sponsorship opportunities and ticket sales to raise funds for the school's mission.
4. Matching Gifts and Planned Giving: Many employers match employee gifts to the school. The school also receives IRA charitable rollovers from donors 70½ or older, bequests, and beneficiary designations from planned giving arrangements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Academy Prep Center of Lakeland is a nonprofit middle school (grades 5-8) that provides a rigorous college-preparatory academic program to economically disadvantaged students on full need-based scholarships of $20,000 per student per year. The school offers single-gender academics, an extended school day (7:00 AM-5:40 PM), an 11-month year-round curriculum, Centers of Excellence (chess, music, visual art, physical education), enrichment programming, a 1-to-1 Chromebook technology program, free meals, and eight years of graduate support through high school and college.

Product overview

Academy Prep Center of Lakeland is a nonprofit middle school (grades 5-8) offering a comprehensive educational program for students qualifying for need-based scholarships. The program combines a rigorous academic curriculum (English, math, science, history, Spanish) with Centers of Excellence (Chess, Music, Visual Art, Physical Education), an Enrichment Program with diverse after-school classes, summer sessions as part of an 11-month curriculum, and ongoing Graduate Support extending eight years after graduation. All students receive individual Chromebook devices as part of a 1-1 technology campus initiative using Google Apps for Education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Middle School Academic Program Rigorous college-preparatory curriculum for grades 5-8 covering English, math, science, history, and Spanish, with small class sizes, differentiated instruction, and remediation support. Students typically begin 1-2 grade levels behind and graduate 1-2 grade levels ahead.
• Centers of Excellence Weekly required courses in Chess, Music, Visual Art, and Physical Education that all students participate in throughout their time at Academy Prep as integral components of the educational model.
• Enrichment Program After-school program offering diverse classes including choir, band, chess team, cultural arts, cooking, yoga, gardening, basketball, ropes course, debate, drama, and more. Classes change from year to year and are not graded.
• Summer Session (Eleventh Month Program) Intensive academically demanding summer session balanced by enrichment activities, part of the 11-month year-round curriculum. All students attend this required session.
• Graduate Support Program Ongoing support and guidance provided to graduates through high school, college, and into their careers for eight years after graduation, ensuring continued academic success.
• Need-Based Scholarship Program Full tuition scholarships funded through private donations, at $20,000 per student annually, for students meeting federal free or reduced price school meals program income guidelines. Administered through Step Up for Students.
• 1-1 Technology Program Every student receives their own Chromebook device for the academic year as part of the 1-1 technology campus initiative. Each classroom is equipped with interactive whiteboards and runs on Google Apps for Education.
• Competitive Chess Program Competitive chess program with local and national competition. In 2020, the Chess Team won 3rd place in the K-5 team division and 4th in the K-8 division at the Florida State Scholastic Championship.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Nativity Mission Center / Nativity Miguel NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Academy Prep is modeled after the Nativity Mission Center (opened 1971 in NYC) and the Nativity Miguel network of schools—a proven academic model for economically disadvantaged children with 50+ years of success. This network provides the educational methodology and philosophy foundation.
• Publix SupermarketscoreOthersCommunity partner that donates in-kind gifts and services to Academy Prep. Part of the network of corporate, foundation, and community partners enriching students' lives.
• International Diamond CentersupportingOthersCommunity partner that donates in-kind gifts and services to Academy Prep.
• Florida Blue and Fit Families for LifesupportingOthersHealthcare-focused community partner providing in-kind gifts and services to Academy Prep.
• Gray | RobinsonsupportingOthersLaw firm community partner that donates in-kind gifts and services to Academy Prep.
• Suncoast Credit UnioncoreOthersFinancial institution community partner providing in-kind gifts and services to Academy Prep.
• TruistsupportingOthersFinancial institution community partner providing in-kind gifts and services to Academy Prep.
• The Sierra ClubsupportingOthersEnvironmental organization community partner that donates in-kind gifts and services to Academy Prep.
• Rays Baseball FoundationsupportingOthersSports foundation community partner providing in-kind gifts and services to Academy Prep.
• Raymond JamescoreOthersFinancial services firm and community partner providing in-kind gifts and services to Academy Prep. Andrew Stroud from Raymond James also serves on the Board of Trustees.
• Step Up For Students (SUFS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlorida's major need-based scholarship program. All Academy Prep students must obtain a SUFS scholarship to be enrolled. The scholarship is administered through this partner, and Academy Prep works closely with families to complete the scholarship application process. SUFS serves as the primary mechanism for scholarship funding.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/academy-prep-center-of-lakeland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Academy Prep Center of Lakeland