The Nora School

What The Nora School does

The Nora School is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, independent progressive college preparatory high school located at 955 Sligo Avenue in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, serving students in grades 9-12 from across the Washington DC-Maryland-Virginia metro area. Founded in 1964 originally as The Eberhard School (later operating as Washington Ethical High School), it has operated continuously for over 60 years and was independently accredited by the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges starting in 1991, with the most recent reaccreditation in 2026. The school is small by design, capping classes at 12 students (average 6-8) to produce a 6:1 student-to-teacher ratio and a 4:1 whole staff-to-teacher ratio across 18 total staff members. Recent graduating classes report 100% post-secondary placement with acceptances spanning more than 60 colleges and universities.

The school's academic offering centers on a discussion- and experience-based college preparatory curriculum, supported by signature experiential programs: an annual Intersession Week of deep-dive electives, a donor-funded Social Justice Travel Program taking Juniors and Seniors to Civil Rights sites in the American South and to Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, and monthly Community Service days with partners such as A Wider Circle, Shepherd's Table, Food & Friends, Martha's Table, Bread for the City, and the Library of Congress. The technology stack is commodity education-software: Google Classroom, Google Calendar, Google Meet, and the FACTS Family Portal for grades, scheduling, and the admissions/tuition portal. Supporting programs include individualized college counseling, a Parent Education Series open to the public, Inclusive Athletics, National Honor Society, Student Government Association, an Advisory program, and a mandatory Senior Portfolio defense.

The Nora School generates revenue primarily through annual tuition paid by enrolled families via a tuition portal, supplemented by an Annual Giving Campaign and named scholarship and program funds (Social Justice Travel Fund, Darrell C. Lewis Scholarship Fund, Alicia Sumner Memorial Fund, Elaine Mack Scholarship Fund, Ariana Kosok Memorial Fund, Arts Fund, General Operations Fund). Tuition amounts are not publicly disclosed; families sign enrollment contracts by the third week of March each year. Go-to-market is community- and sales-led: monthly virtual and in-person open houses, school tours, website admissions funnel via FACTS, participation in fairs such as the Black/Latino Student Fund Fair at UDC, a public Parent Education Series, and high-impact word-of-mouth referrals from current families. The school operates as a 501(c)(3) governed by an independent board, with no parent company or external investor; it has run a budget surplus for several years, which it reinvests in program and infrastructure, including a 2024 community-supported solar power project with the Montgomery County Green Bank.

Name

The Nora School

Legal name

The Nora School

Website

https://norapride.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Nora School is a 501(c)(3) progressive, independent college preparatory high school in Silver Spring, Maryland, serving grades 9-12 with intentionally small classes of 8-12 students, donor-funded Social Justice Travel, and 100% post-secondary placement across 60+ years of operation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Silver Spring

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition Revenue: The Nora School is a private independent high school that generates revenue primarily through tuition payments. Enrollment contracts are offered each school year and families pay tuition through a tuition portal.
2. Donations and Annual Giving: As a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, The Nora School relies on donations through its Annual Giving Campaign and specific funds including the Social Justice Travel Fund, Darrell C. Lewis Scholarship Fund, Alicia Sumner Memorial Fund, Elaine Mack Scholarship Fund, Ariana Kosok Memorial Fund, Arts Fund, and General Operations Fund.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Nora School provides a progressive, college preparatory high school education for grades 9-12 through intentionally small classes of 8-12 students with a 6:1 student-to-teacher ratio. Its offering combines core academics with signature experiential programs including a donor-funded Social Justice Travel Program (Civil Rights and Indigenous Studies trips), an annual Intersession week of deep-dive learning, monthly Community Service Days, individualized College Counseling, and Inclusive Athletics, all delivered in-person at its Silver Spring, MD campus.

Product overview

The Nora School is a progressive, independent college preparatory high school offering a unified educational program centered on intentionally small classes (8-12 students), experiential learning, and social consciousness. The core program encompasses college prep academics with unique experiential components including the Social Justice Travel Program (funded by donors for Juniors and Seniors), annual Intersession Week of deep-dive learning, monthly Community Service Days, and comprehensive College Counseling. Supporting programs include Inclusive Athletics, National Honor Society, Student Government Association, Parent Education Series, Lab Period social clubs, Advisory groups, and mandatory Senior Portfolio presentations. The school maintains Middle States accreditation and serves students from diverse backgrounds in Silver Spring, MD.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• College Preparatory High School Program A progressive, college preparatory high school program (Grades 9-12) with intentionally small classes of 8-12 students, a 6:1 student-to-teacher ratio, and discussion- and experience-based learning for high school students.
• Social Justice Travel Program

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• A Wider CircleminorOthersCommunity service partner organization. Students in grades 9-11 participate in monthly field service to help furnish homes, provide families with home essentials, and provide job seekers with professional clothing.
• Shepherd's TableminorOthersCommunity service partner. Students assist with meal distribution and support services, experiencing a 58% increase in need for meals in 2023.
• Food & FriendsminorOthersCommunity service partner for monthly student service days. Students help with food distribution activities.
• Martha's TableminorOthersCommunity service partner. Students participate in regular service days supporting food distribution and community programs.
• Bread for the CityminorOthersCommunity service partner that delivers 1000 bags of food to local citizens every day. Currently under renovation preventing student service visits this year.
• Library of Congress Transcription ServicesminorOthersCommunity service partner for students to participate in transcription work as part of service learning.
• Montgomery County Green BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in community-supported solar power plan. The school is working with the Green Bank and Solar Power Energy services to bring solar power to the building as a model for other non-profit organizations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Maret School: Independent, progressive K-12 school in Washington DC with a strong college-prep program and small-class structure. Overlaps with Nora on independent, progressive identity serving DC families.
• The Lab School of Washington: Independent school in Washington DC serving students with learning differences through small classes and individualized instruction. Comparable to Nora on small-class, individualized approach and DC geography.
• Georgetown Day School: Progressive, independent PK-12 school in Washington DC founded on social-justice and experiential-learning principles. Directly comparable to Nora on mission, progressive pedagogy, and DC-metro family base.
• Edmund Burke School: Small, independent progressive middle and high school in Washington DC emphasizing discussion-based learning and intellectual independence — closely aligned with Nora's small-class, progressive ethos.
• Holton-Arms School: Independent college-prep school for girls in Bethesda, MD. Comparable as a DC-area independent college-prep competitor for the same family pool, though larger and gender-specific.
• Sidwell Friends School: Preeminent progressive Quaker independent school in Washington DC serving grades PK-12. Highly comparable to The Nora School as a college-prep institution with a social-justice orientation and small-class ethos, though larger in scale.
• Sandy Spring Friends School: Quaker, independent PK-12 school in Sandy Spring, MD with a progressive, college-prep curriculum. Comparable to Nora on independent progressive identity and Maryland geography, though much larger.
• The Field School: Independent, progressive middle and high school in Washington DC emphasizing individualized learning. Comparable to Nora on small, progressive, individualized model.
• Washington International School: Independent, progressive PK-12 school in Washington DC with an international curriculum and college-prep mission. Comparable to Nora on independent progressive identity and DC-metro family base.
• Landon School: Independent college-prep school for boys in Bethesda, MD. Comparable as a DC-area independent college-prep competitor competing for the same family pool.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TheNoraSchool
• Instagraminstagram.com/noraschool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/the-nora-school

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Nora School