What The Leona Group does

The Leona Group is a privately held charter school management organization headquartered in Okemos, Michigan, operating 22 tuition-free public charter school campuses across Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. Founded in 1996, the organization serves approximately 7,900+ students from PreK through 12th grade and employs 1,100+ staff, including 400 certified educators. Its portfolio comprises 18 distinct school brands — including Academy for Business & Technology, Aztec Eagles Academy, Hope of Detroit Academy, Pontiac Academy for Excellence, Wildwood Environmental Academy, and Discovery Academy — concentrated primarily in underserved urban markets such as Detroit, Saginaw, Flint, Pontiac, Toledo, East Chicago, and Fort Wayne.

The organization's core product is comprehensive charter school management: academic oversight, operations, compliance, and staffing across its campus network. All schools operate under Cognia accreditation and follow standard public charter enrollment processes, including lotteries where demand exceeds capacity. The company does not develop proprietary educational technology; its technology stack is operational (Paylocity for HR/payroll, Constant Contact for the LeonaNOW newsletter, Canva and Adobe for marketing assets, Google Forms for award nominations).

The business model is per-pupil state funding — a recurring revenue stream tied directly to student enrollment counts. There is no tuition revenue, as schools are publicly funded. The company supplements its education services with adjacent programs including student recognition awards (Spirit of Leona, Leona's Rising Stars), employee awards (Making a Difference, Teacher Hall of Fame), an immigration-resources program supporting immigrant student populations through partnerships with the National Immigrant Justice Center, Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, and CRIS Ohio, and a comprehensive employee benefits package (medical through Priority Health, 401(k) with up to 6% employer match via TransAmerica).

Name

The Leona Group

Legal name

The Leona Group

Website

https://leonagroupmw.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Leona Group is a privately held charter school management organization operating 22 tuition-free PreK-12 public charter schools across Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio, serving 7,900+ students through per-pupil state education funding and a 1,100+ member staff.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charter School Management

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter School Networks (Multi-Site) (EDAJACAC)

Keywords

• Charter school management
• K-12 education services
• Public charter schools
• Charter school operator
• Education management organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Okemos

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Per-Pupil State Funding: As a charter school management organization, The Leona Group manages publicly funded charter schools. Funding is derived from per-pupil state education allocations based on student enrollment. Charter schools are tuition-free public schools, so revenue comes from government education funding rather than direct tuition payments.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Leona Group operates as a charter school management organization running 22 tuition-free public charter school campuses across Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. It provides K-12 education services to approximately 7,900+ students, employing 1,100+ staff including 400 educators, with curriculum delivery, school administration, and student support programs focused on underserved communities.

Product overview

The Leona Group is a charter school management organization operating 22 campuses across Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. The organization manages a portfolio of 18 individual charter schools serving PreK-12 grades with approximately 7,900+ students and 1,100+ staff members. Schools include Academy for Business and Technology (Elementary and Middle/High), Aztec Eagles Academy (multi-campus K-12 network), George Crockett Academy, Hope Academy, Hope of Detroit Academy, Joy Preparatory Academy, Mildred C. Wells Academy, Northridge Academy, Pontiac Academy for Excellence, Saginaw Preparatory Academy, Francis Reh Academy, East Chicago Urban Enterprise Academy, Smith Academy for Excellence, Discovery Academy, and Wildwood Environmental Academy. In addition to school management, the organization offers student recognition programs (Spirit of Leona Award, Leona's Rising Stars), employee awards (Making a Difference Award, Teacher Hall of Fame), internal communications (LeonaNOW newsletter), immigration resources, and comprehensive employee benefits packages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Academy for Business & Technology: Charter school brand offering business and technology focused education from elementary through high school
• Aztec Eagles Academy
• Hope Academy / Hope of Detroit Academy
• Discovery Academy
• Wildwood Environmental Academy
• LeonaNOW
• Spirit of Leona Award
• Leona's Rising Stars Award
• Making a Difference Award
• Teacher Hall of Fame

Products and services

• Charter School Management Services

Named customers15 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Priority HealthminorOthersMedical insurance provider offering three plan options for employees of The Leona Group. Works closely with The Leona Group as their medical insurance partner.
• Delta Dental of MichiganminorOthersDental insurance provider coordinating dental plans covering routine care to orthodontia for employees.
• Superior VisionminorOthersVision care benefits provider offering comprehensive eye care benefits with access to qualified eye care professionals in their network.
• The HartfordminorOthersProvides employer-sponsored life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment, short-term disability and long-term disability plans.
• TransAmericaminorOthers401(k) retirement savings plan provider with employer match of up to 6%. Note: Ohio and portions of Indiana employees ineligible due to state retirement requirements.
• VoyaminorOthersVoluntary benefits provider covering accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity for employees.
• Legal ShieldminorOthersLegal assistance and identity theft prevention services for employees.
• CogniacoreOthersGlobal nonprofit providing accreditation and certification for educational institutions. The Leona Group schools hold Cognia Accreditation.
• National Immigrant Justice CenterminorOthersProvides immigration legal services resources for immigrant students and families served by The Leona Group schools.
• Immigration Advocates NetworkminorOthersNational immigration legal services directory providing resources for immigrant communities in areas served by Leona schools.
• Michigan Immigrant Rights CenterminorOthersProvides Know Your Rights materials and preparedness guides in English and Spanish for immigrant families.
• CRIS Ohio (Community Refugee & Immigration Services)minorOthersImmigration services organization providing support to refugee and immigrant communities in Ohio where Leona schools operate.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Cognia: Global nonprofit providing accreditation and certification services to educational institutions, including The Leona Group schools. Ecosystem partner rather than competitor — relevant for benchmarking credibility and quality standards across charter operators.
• National Charter Schools Institute: Charter school authorizer and support organization operating across multiple states. Relevant not as a competitor but as a counterparty in the charter ecosystem — comparable entities serve as authorizers or support intermediaries that charter management organizations depend on for new campus approvals.

Direct peers

• ACCEL Schools: Cleveland, Ohio-based charter management organization operating a portfolio of K-12 charter schools across Ohio and other Midwest states. Directly comparable multi-site CMO serving urban markets in overlapping geographies.
• National Heritage Academies: Michigan-based charter school management organization operating a similar network of tuition-free public charter schools across multiple states, with comparable focus on parental choice and traditional classroom models. Closest comparable in geography, scale, and operating philosophy.
• Edkey Inc. Arizona-based charter school management organization operating a portfolio of charter schools serving K-12 students. Comparable in managing multiple charter schools under a single nonprofit/operator structure, though operating in a different regional geography.
• Mosaica Education: Charter school management organization operating a portfolio of K-12 charter schools with curriculum and operational support services. Comparable in providing centralized academic and operational management across multiple school sites.
• Charter Schools USA: One of the largest charter management organizations in the U.S., operating tuition-free public charter schools across multiple states. Closely aligned in operating model — managing schools on behalf of authorizers under a centralized platform — though at significantly larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• IDEA Public Schools: Large nonprofit charter network operating tuition-free public schools across multiple states with a college-preparatory focus. Comparable in mission (underserved communities, college readiness) and per-pupil funding model, but with much broader geographic and operational scale.
• KIPP Foundation: National nonprofit charter school network operating K-8 and K-12 campuses across dozens of states with a focus on underserved communities. Operates in the same charter management category as The Leona Group but at substantially larger national scale and with a stronger brand-recognition advantage.
• Green Dot Public Schools: National charter management organization operating public charter schools concentrated in urban communities. Operates under the same per-pupil public funding model and targets similar demographics, though with a wider geographic footprint and stronger technology integration.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TheLeonaGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/theleonagroup
• Instagraminstagram.com/theleonagroup

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries16 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 The Leona Group