Lake Forest Academy

What Lake Forest Academy does

Lake Forest Academy is a private, independent, coeducational college preparatory boarding and day school founded in 1857 in Lake Forest, Illinois. It serves 452 students in grades 9-12 across a 150-acre wooded campus located 30 miles from Chicago, with a student body drawn from 19 U.S. states and 40 countries. The school delivers a liberal-arts curriculum including 24 Advanced Placement courses, a Global Education Program aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals, and curricular travel opportunities in partnership with School Year Abroad. Supporting academic programs include the J.C. Cowart Media Commons (3D printers, recording studio, VR headsets, Adobe Creative Cloud), an on-site Health Center, College Counseling (31:1 student-to-counselor ratio, 100% matriculation rate), Academic Support, and a Summer Academy. Technology infrastructure includes a one-to-one iPad program launched in 2011, Canvas LMS, Veracross for admissions and parent portals, and library access to JSTOR, EBSCO, Gale, and ProQuest.

LFA operates on a subscription tuition model: day-student tuition is $57,150 and boarding tuition is $79,775 for the 2026-27 academic year, with an additional $2,500 international fee. The school distributes services through a mix of on-campus visits, global "On The Road" recruitment, and the Veracross application portal. Approximately 50% of students are boarders across five dormitories and 50% are day students from surrounding Chicago suburbs; international students comprise 22% of enrollment. The school awards $6.3M in annual financial aid and merit scholarships of $10,000-$15,000. No explicit annual revenue figure is disclosed, but gross tuition potential is approximately $31M. The school is governed by a Board of Trustees and led by Head of School Tom Johnson (permanent since July 2025), and operates as a nonprofit with an approximately $79.5M endowment.

Name

Lake Forest Academy

Legal name

Lake Forest Academy

Website

https://lfanet.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1857

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Lake Forest Academy is a private, independent coeducational college preparatory boarding and day school founded in 1857 in Lake Forest, Illinois, serving 452 students in grades 9-12 with a 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio and a globally diverse student body.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private K-12 Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Nonsectarian Independent Boarding Schools (EDAJABAB)

Keywords

• College preparatory school
• Boarding school education
• Private secondary education
• High school education
• Independent school services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lake Forest

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. Tuition Revenue: LFA generates revenue primarily through tuition payments from day and boarding students. Day Student tuition is $57,150 and Boarding Student tuition is $79,775 for 2026-27 academic year, plus $2,500 international fee.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Lake Forest Academy is a private, independent coeducational college preparatory boarding and day school for grades 9-12, offering a comprehensive liberal arts curriculum with 24 Advanced Placement classes, a Global Education program, athletics, fine and performing arts, college counseling, and on-campus residential life. The school serves 452 students on a 150-acre campus in Lake Forest, Illinois, with a 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio and 100% college matriculation rate.

Product overview

Lake Forest Academy is a co-educational college preparatory boarding and day school offering a unified educational program for grades 9-12. The core academic program spans liberal arts disciplines including English, mathematics, science, history, world languages, and fine & performing arts. Supporting modules include the Global Education Program with international travel opportunities, a comprehensive Athletics Program, Arts Program, College Counseling services, Academic Support Program with learning specialists, Summer Programs for credit courses, the J.C. Cowart Media Commons for technology and creative projects, Library Services with extensive digital databases, an on-campus Health Center, and Residential Life Program for boarding students. The school serves 452 students with a 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio and awards over $6.3 million in financial aid annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lake Forest Academy Education Program Co-educational college preparatory boarding and day school for grades 9-12, offering a comprehensive liberal arts curriculum across English, mathematics, science, history, world languages, arts, and global education, with 24 Advanced Placement classes and a 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio.
• Global Education Program Program designed using the Global Competence Matrix aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals, culminating in a Capstone Project and featuring curricular travel opportunities to 25+ international destinations, plus School Year Abroad membership.
• Athletics Program Comprehensive athletic program with fall, winter, and spring sports offerings, including team sports and physical education, supported by a 45,000-square-foot Athletic Center expansion completed in 2024.
• Arts Program Fine and performing arts offerings including music, theater, and visual arts, with performances held at the Cressey Center for the Arts.
• College Counseling Comprehensive college counseling program with four counselors, 31:1 student-to-counselor ratio, 100% college matriculation rate, and relationships with over 200 colleges and universities that visit campus annually.
• Academic Support Program Learning Resource Specialist services including individualized coaching, Student Accommodation Plans, standardized testing accommodations, and structured study hall for students needing additional academic support.
• Summer Programs (Summer Academy) Summer Academy offering high school credit courses and summer work assignments for various subjects including English, languages, history, math, science, and global concentration.
• J.C. Cowart Media Commons Innovation center equipped with 3D printers, sublimation printer, Cricut cutting machines, auto heat press, recording studio with Logic Pro and GarageBand, green screen, and VR headsets for student creative and technical projects.
• Library Services Library providing access to electronic and physical media including research databases (Gale, EBSCO, JSTOR), eBooks, streaming video, bibliographic tools, and digital archives, plus physical collection of print books, magazines, DVDs, and video games.
• Health Center On-campus health facility offering physical and psychological health services including examination rooms, overnight accommodations, laboratory, private counseling rooms, and group therapy spaces.
• Residential Life Program Five dormitories on campus with dorm parents, offering boarding for 50% of the student body with weekend activities and local community trips.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% college matriculation rate
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Integration15 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• School Year Abroad (SYA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLFA is a member school of School Year Abroad, an organization founded in 1964 that provides immersive study abroad programs. SYA operates campuses in France, Italy, Spain, and China. LFA students can participate during summer or during sophomore, junior, or senior year. Tameka Carter serves as LFA's SYA Coordinator.
• Carney Sandoe & AssociatescoreOthersLed the Head of School global search process for LFA. Carney Sandoe & Associates is one of the leading search consultants in the educational field.
• ClaritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLFA partners with Clarity to process financial aid applications. Clarity generates estimates of family expected contribution based on financial information provided, which the Financial Aid Committee uses to determine financial aid packages.
• NicheminorOthersNiche provides school rankings including Best Schools rankings. LFA was named No. 1 private school in Illinois for the third consecutive year in the 2026 rankings.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• North Shore Country Day School: Independent college preparatory day school in Winnetka, Illinois, serving the same affluent North Shore Chicago suburbs as LFA's day student population. Same-day local competitor for day-prep families who may choose between LFA day and a North Shore day option.

Direct peers

• Hotchkiss School: Elite coeducational boarding school in Lakeville, Connecticut, consistently ranked top 10 nationally. Direct competitor for the same boarding prep applicant pool and similarly strong global student representation.
• The Hill School: Independent college preparatory boarding and day school in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Direct peer for college-prep boarding applicants; Head of School Tom Johnson previously spent 17 years at The Hill as Director of Student Activities and Dean of Faculty.
• Choate Rosemary Hall: Elite coeducational boarding and day school in Wallingford, Connecticut, consistently ranked in the top 10 boarding schools nationally. Direct competitor for boarding students from U.S. and international markets.
• Lawrenceville School: Elite coeducational boarding and day school in New Jersey with a comparable house system and global curriculum focus. Direct competitor for top-tier boarding families, particularly from the U.S. East Coast and international markets.
• St. Mark's School: Elite coeducational boarding school in Southborough, Massachusetts. Comparable size, mission, and applicant profile, competing for top-tier boarding students and similar international family segments.
• Phillips Exeter Academy: Elite coeducational boarding and day school in New Hampshire consistently ranked among the top U.S. boarding high schools. Direct competitor for college-prep boarding applicants, particularly those seeking Harkness-style pedagogy and a national peer network.
• Deerfield Academy: Elite coeducational boarding and day school in Massachusetts, consistently top-10 nationally. Direct peer for boarding prep school applicants; the current Head of School is a Deerfield alumnus, highlighting personnel overlap in the elite boarding school talent ecosystem.
• Northfield Mount Hermon: Coeducational boarding and day school in Massachusetts with comparable mission, scale, and financial aid orientation. Direct competitor for college-prep boarding applicants across the same geographic and demographic segments.
• Phillips Academy Andover: Elite coeducational boarding and day school in Massachusetts and the most direct competitor for the same applicant pool as LFA. Competes head-to-head for top-tier boarding students globally and operates a similar financial aid model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCTDq48QRbFXLo7vVU3MwSUA
• Facebookfacebook.com/LakeForestAcademy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/lake-forest-academy
• Instagraminstagram.com/lfacademy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Lake Forest Academy