The Loyola School

What The Loyola School does

The Loyola School is a 501c3 non-profit Jesuit educational institution operating in Baltimore, Maryland, founded in 2017 by Rev. William J. Watters, S.J., as the Loyola Early Learning Center and renamed on June 29, 2021, to reflect its expanded mission. It provides scholarship-based, year-round preschool (ages 2-4) and elementary education (kindergarten through 4th grade) exclusively to Baltimore City families of limited financial means, with all students receiving full scholarships funded by philanthropic donations, donor-advised funds, and planned gifts. The curriculum integrates evidence-based content packages including Frog Street Toddlers, Heggerty Phonological Awareness, Singapore Dimensions Math, Magnetic Reading, and the Brigance developmental screening tool, layered on Jesuit pedagogy such as Cura Personalis, Magis, and the Men & Women for Others community-engagement model.

The school operates from a single campus at 801 St. Paul Street in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood, opened a new state-of-the-art elementary building in summer 2025, and has capacity to serve approximately 200 students from PreK-2 through fourth grade. The organization maintains a 1:6 to 1:14 student-to-teacher ratio, employs approximately 30-40 staff members, and is governed by an independent Board of Trustees with tax-exempt status under the USCCB group ruling. Wraparound services include meals, social work, parent workshops, and a Family Emergency Fund; clinical, medical, and musical enrichment is delivered through partnerships with Johns Hopkins Hospital, University of Maryland Medical System, Loyola University Maryland, Peabody Institute, and Towson State University.

The revenue model is donation-driven: families receive free tuition but pay a $40/month student fee and commit to 10 hours/semester of volunteer service, while operating costs are covered by philanthropy across multiple giving vehicles (online donations, stocks/securities, IRA QCDs, endowments, planned gifts, and DAFs). The school markets primarily through organic social media, email newsletters, community events such as the annual Community Block Party, and earned media coverage, with enrollment managed through the Brightwheel application portal. The Loyola School celebrated its first fourth-grade graduating class of 12 students in June 2026.

Name

The Loyola School

Legal name

The Loyola School, Inc.

Website

https://loyolaschoolbaltimore.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Loyola School is a 501c3 Jesuit, scholarship-based preschool and elementary school (PreK-2 through 4th grade) in Baltimore, Maryland, serving low-income Baltimore City families with free year-round education, wraparound services, and donor-funded full scholarships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Philanthropy and Donations: The school operates as a full-scholarship institution funded entirely through donations from generous friends and supporters. Operating costs are covered by philanthropy, allowing the school independence to create its curriculum and program. Donors can give through online donations, stocks/securities, IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions, endowments, planned gifts, and Donor Advised Funds. The school was renamed from Loyola Early Learning Center to The Loyola School on June 29, 2021, and maintains 501c3 status under USCCB group ruling (Tax ID/EIN: 81-3725495).
2. Student Family Contributions: While education is free, families contribute $40 per month as a student fee and commit to volunteering 10 hours per semester and attending monthly parent workshops. Families with preschoolers must also apply for the Maryland child care scholarship program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Loyola School offers full-scholarship, year-round education for Baltimore City children ages 2 through 4th grade, delivered through a Preschool Program (PreK-2, PreK-3, PreK-4) and an Elementary School Program (Kindergarten through 4th grade) in the Jesuit educational tradition. The school supplements these core programs with a Summer Program to prevent learning regression, and all instruction, meals, social services, and family supports are provided at no tuition cost to qualifying families.

Product overview

The Loyola School is a scholarship-based Jesuit educational institution offering a unified program of year-round education for children ages 2 through grade 4 from Baltimore City families of limited financial means. The core offering consists of a Preschool Program (PreK-2, PreK-3, PreK-4) and an Elementary School Program (Kindergarten through 4th Grade), supported by a Summer Program that prevents academic regression. All students receive full scholarships funded by donors. The school expanded to serve kindergarten through fourth grade following the 2021 name change from Loyola Early Learning Center to The Loyola School.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Preschool Program Year-round, scholarship-based preschool for children ages 2 to 4, offered at no tuition cost to qualifying Baltimore City families. Uses Frog Street Toddlers, Heggerty Phonological Awareness, and Singapore Dimensions Math with a 1:6 teacher-to-student ratio across PreK-2, PreK-3, and PreK-4 classrooms. Teachers are approved by the Maryland State Department of Education Office of Child Care.
• Elementary School Program Year-round elementary school program from Kindergarten through 4th grade for qualifying Baltimore City families, taught free of charge using a science-of-reading approach (Magnetic Reading) and Singapore Math curriculum. Class sizes range from 1:7 in Kindergarten to 1:14 in 1st through 4th grade, with special-area classes in Art, Music, Religion, and Spanish. Teachers are approved by the Maryland State Department of Education Office of Non-Public Schools.
• Summer Program Summer scholarship program that helps TLS students strengthen reading skills, explore STEM, enjoy the arts, and avoid summer learning loss. Summer scholarships are available at $2,500 per summer.

Quantifiable outcome

• First fourth grade graduating class of 12 students in June 2026, with students who started at age 2
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Johns Hopkins HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDoctors from Johns Hopkins Hospital lead workshops on child health and nutrition and answer parents' questions as part of the Men & Women for Others community engagement program.
• University of Maryland Medical SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedical professionals from University of Maryland Medical System lead workshops on child health and nutrition and answer parents' questions.
• Loyola University Maryland Clinical CenterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinicians work directly with students on common issues around speech, hearing, understanding, and using language to communicate.
• Loyola University Maryland Psychology DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides parent workshops on Positive Parenting and Speech and Language development.
• Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent musicians play their instruments for children during school programs.
• Towson State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent musicians play instruments for children during school programs.
• St. Ignatius Loyola AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReading Buddies program connects TLS students with reading mentors who attend St. Ignatius Loyola Academy.
• ShareBabyminorOthersCommunity resource organization that the school's social worker connects families with as needed.
• Jemma Financial Services/Thurston SpringerminorOthersBroker handling gifts of stocks and securities for donors. Account Name: The Loyola School, Account Number: 4765-3590, DTC #: 0141.
• US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)coreOthersTLS maintains tax-exempt status through USCCB's group ruling exemption. The school is a standalone organization governed by an independent Board of Trustees.
• Cristo Rey Jesuit High SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipated in Community Block Party event; part of the joint Ignatian Mission & Formation venture announced in 2025 serving three Jesuit schools together.
• Loyola Blakefield High SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipated in Community Block Party event celebrating the opening of new elementary school.
• LifeBridge Health and Grace Medical CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity outreach division participated in Community Block Party event.
• St. Francis Neighborhood CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner participating in Community Block Party event.
• Sisters Academy of BaltimoreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational institution partner participating in Community Block Party event.
• Our Daily Bread MinistriesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner participating in Community Block Party event.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• St. Ignatius Loyola Academy: Jesuit middle school in Baltimore that provides Reading Buddies mentors to TLS students and is part of the same joint Ignatian Mission & Formation venture. Serves a similar Baltimore City low-income population, representing a potential feeder pathway for TLS graduates.
• KIPP Baltimore: Public charter school network serving Baltimore City low-income families with extended learning time and college-prep focus. Operates with a similar mission of educational equity for underserved Baltimore families and competes for the same student population and donor mindshare.
• Cristo Rey Jesuit High School: Jesuit high school in Baltimore serving low-income students, partnered with The Loyola School in the 2025 joint Ignatian Mission & Formation venture. Both schools serve Baltimore City families through the Jesuit network with a shared commitment to educational access.
• BELL (Building Educated Leaders for Life): National nonprofit providing year-round summer and after-school programming to close the learning gap for underserved K-8 students. Directly comparable summer scholarship model ($2,500/student similar to TLS) and shared mission of preventing summer learning loss for low-income children.
• Seton Education Partners: National Catholic school management nonprofit operating classical, K-8 schools in underserved communities. Directly comparable scholarship-based, faith-rooted model serving low-income families with extended learning time.
• Success Academy Charter Schools: High-performing charter school network with rigorous curriculum comparable to TLS's adoption of Magnetic Reading and Singapore Math. While primarily NYC-based, demonstrates the scholarship-dependent, outcomes-focused urban school model TLS embodies.

Regional players

• Loyola Blakefield High School: Jesuit high school in Baltimore's greater Towson area participating in joint Community Block Party events with TLS. While it serves a more affluent student body (tuition-based), it is part of the same Baltimore Jesuit education ecosystem and shares the Cura Personalis tradition.

Broad incumbents

• Cristo Rey Network: National network of 40+ Catholic colleges and high schools serving low-income students via work-study model. Comparable Jesuit/Catholic educational mission and serves as the broader ecosystem in which Cristo Rey Jesuit Baltimore (TLS partner) operates.
• Harlem Children's Zone / Promise Academy: National model for cradle-to-career services in underserved urban communities, with Promise Academy as the charter school component. Comparable holistic wraparound service model (meals, social work, parent engagement) addressing similar demographic in Baltimore to TLS.

Others

• Our Daily Bread Employment Ministries: Baltimore-based nonprofit providing wraparound services to low-income families, partnering with TLS on community events. Adjacent nonprofit ecosystem player serving similar Baltimore demographic through complementary services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TheLoyolaSchool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/theloyolaschool
• Instagraminstagram.com/theloyolaschool

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Loyola School