Duval Charter School At Mandarin

What Duval Charter School At Mandarin does

Duval Charter School at Mandarin (DCSM) is a tuition-free public charter school located at 5209 Shad Rd., Jacksonville, Florida, serving students from Pre-K and Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) through 8th grade. The school operates as a member of the Charter Schools USA (CSUSA) network, with CSUSA providing governance, operational, HR, and compliance support, while DCSM retains academic autonomy. DCSM is designated an A-Grade School by the Florida Department of Education, a Cambridge International School offering the Cambridge Advanced Program of Studies, and is accredited by Cognia. Its educational model centers on an experiential learning cycle (observation, analysis, application, evaluation) delivered through hands-on labs including Culinary Arts, a Garden Lab, and STEM activities, supplemented by a House system (Hammerhead, Mako, Sevengill, Thresher), Choice Flexibility (C-Flex) personalization, athletics (DCSM Sharks), clubs, and community events.

The school's go-to-market is a sales-led, enrollment-driven motion built on Florida's Controlled Open Enrollment policy, which permits in-state families from any district to apply. Applications are processed through the SchoolMint online platform, with school tours and information sessions offered on an ongoing basis; oversubscribed grades are resolved by lottery. Revenue is derived primarily from Florida per-pupil state funding allocations (the school charges no tuition), augmented by fee-based ancillary programs: before/after care, a Summer Adventure Camp for K-5, and yearbook sales at $45 per copy via MySchoolBucks. The technology stack is built entirely on standard K-12 administrative platforms, including PowerSchool for grades and attendance, SchoolMint for enrollment, MySchoolBucks for payments, Focus (Duval County Public Schools) for student IDs, and LiveSchool for student behavior incentives. There is no proprietary AI or technology product; differentiation rests on curriculum credentials, experiential pedagogy, and CSUSA network affiliation rather than on a technology platform.

The competitive set is other charter and public schools in the Jacksonville metro area. DCSM is positioned as a differentiated tuition-free option through its Cambridge International designation, A-Grade rating, and experiential labs, and it competes for families via its website, Facebook page, virtual tour videos, the Shark Fin newsletter, in-person tours and events, and CSUSA-wide marketing partnerships with the Jacksonville Sharks, Jacksonville Icemen, FSCJ, and Chuck E. Cheese.

Name

Duval Charter School At Mandarin

Legal name

Duval Charter School at Mandarin

Website

https://mandarincharter.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Duval Charter School at Mandarin is a tuition-free public charter school in Jacksonville, Florida, serving Pre-K through 8th grade students within the Charter Schools USA network and offering the Cambridge Advanced Program of Studies with an experiential learning model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-8 Charter School Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Independent Charter Schools (Single-Site) (EDAJACAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Charter College-Prep & Advanced Academics Schools (EDAJACAJ)

Keywords

• Public charter school education
• K-8 education
• Experiential learning programs
• Cambridge curriculum school
• Childcare and aftercare services

Headquarters

HQ city

Jacksonville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public School Funding: Funded through state and district per-pupil funding as a public charter school. No tuition charged to students.
2. Yearbook Sales: Yearbooks sold through MySchoolBucks platform at $45 per book.
3. Summer Camp Programs: Summer Adventure camp for Kindergarten through 5th grade, running June 9 to July 25.
4. Before/After Care Programs: Before and Aftercare program available for student supervision before and after school hours.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Duval Charter School at Mandarin provides tuition-free public charter school education for students from Pre-K through 8th grade, centered on an experiential learning approach and the Cambridge Advanced Program of Studies. Beyond the core academic program, the school offers extended-day services (before/after care), a summer camp, middle school athletics (DCSM Sharks), and enrichment clubs at its 5209 Shad Rd. campus in Jacksonville, Florida.

Product overview

Duval Charter School at Mandarin is a tuition-free public charter school offering a unified educational program from Pre-K through 8th grade. The core academic offering is built around experiential learning through an engaging, student-centered approach. Key products include the Cambridge Advanced Program of Studies (international curriculum), Pre-K & VPK early childhood education, Choice Flexibility (C-Flex) personalized learning, and DCSM Sharks athletics for middle schoolers. The school also offers enrichment through clubs, before/after care programs, and summer camps. All programs are designed to develop future-ready skills through hands-on learning labs and real-world applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DCSM Sharks: The school's athletic teams and mascot, representing students in grades 6-8 in various sports including volleyball, flag football, basketball, and soccer.

Products and services

• Tuition-Free Public Charter School Education (K-8) Comprehensive tuition-free public charter school education for students from Pre-K through 8th grade, featuring an experiential learning approach, hands-on learning labs, and a Cambridge International School curriculum. Targeted at families in Jacksonville, Florida and across Duval County via Florida's Controlled Open Enrollment.
• Pre-K & VPK Program Early childhood education program including Florida Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) and preschool for children meeting Florida age requirements. Designed for kindergarten readiness and as a feeder into the K-8 program.
• Cambridge Advanced Program of Studies Cambridge International curriculum program offering internationally recognized academic qualifications and advanced studies for students at the school.
• DCSM Sharks Athletics Middle school athletic program for grades 6-8 including volleyball, flag football, basketball, and soccer.
• Before and After Care Program Extended day care services for students before and after regular school hours, providing supervision to families needing before- and after-school coverage.
• Summer Adventure Camp Summer camp program for Kindergarten through 5th grade students, running June 9 to July 25, offering hands-on learning activities during the summer break.
• Clubs and Activities After-school enrichment programs including dance club, cheer clinic, National Junior Honor Society, and other extracurricular activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of DCSM Students will be fully prepared for their future and beyond

Named customers3 records

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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Charter Schools USA (CSUSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization providing governance, operational support, and network resources. School is a member of the CSUSA family of charter schools. CSUSA manages HR, compliance, and educational programs.
• Cambridge Assessment International EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational education organization providing Cambridge curriculum and credentials. School offers Cambridge Advanced Program of Studies as a Cambridge International School.
• Jacksonville SharksminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership offering discounted tickets to Jacksonville Sharks arena football games for DCSM families through Charter Schools USA.
• Jacksonville IcemenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for school night at Jacksonville Icemen hockey games, celebrating alongside other CSUSA campuses.
• Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-host of Literary Youth Pavilion Book Festival at FSCJ Kent Campus, 3939 Roosevelt Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32205.
• Chuck E. CheeseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDCSM Spirit Day events at Chuck E. Cheese locations for family engagement activities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Stride (formerly K12 Inc): Large-scale operator of online and blended K-12 education programs; comparable as a tech-enabled K-12 education provider that intersects with DCSM's SchoolMint/PowerSchool-driven enrollment and SIS stack.
• Classical Conversations: Alternative K-12 education provider emphasizing classical/experiential pedagogy; comparable as a non-traditional K-12 model pursuing similar hands-on, parent-engaged learning approach as DCSM's experiential model.

Others

• Cambridge Assessment International Education: Curriculum partner and accreditation body whose Cambridge Advanced Program DCSM offers; relevant as the strategic ecosystem enabler that underpins DCSM's core curriculum differentiation.

Broad incumbents

• National Heritage Academies: Large charter management organization operating K-8 charter schools across multiple U.S. states; comparable as a multi-site charter school operator with similar funding, regulatory, and operational profile.
• Academica (charter management organization): One of the largest charter school management organizations in Florida, operating multiple K-12 charter schools; comparable as a multi-site Florida charter operator competing in the same regulatory and funding environment.
• Charter Schools USA (parent network): CSUSA is the parent organization that operates DCSM and a broader national portfolio of charter schools; it provides operational, HR, compliance, and curriculum infrastructure — comparable as the multi-site charter management organization backdrop for DCSM.

Direct peers

• Duval Charter School at Baymeadows: Another CSUSA-operated public charter school in Jacksonville serving K-8 with a similar Cambridge/experiential learning approach; directly comparable single-site charter school within the same network and geographic market.
• KIPP Jacksonville Schools: KIPP is a national charter school network with Jacksonville campuses serving K-8 with a college-prep mission; operates under the same public charter, per-pupil funding model and competes for the same academically-oriented families in Duval County.
• Duval Charter School at Westside: Sister CSUSA charter school in Jacksonville offering K-8 public charter education under the same governance, funding model, and Cambridge-aligned curriculum as DCSM.

Regional players

• Florida Virtual School (FLVS): Florida statewide online education provider for K-12 students; comparable as a Florida-specific K-12 education alternative that competes for the same in-state families under Florida's open enrollment policies.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MandarinCharter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/duval-charter-school-at-mandarin

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Duval Charter School At Mandarin