Old Trail School

What Old Trail School does

Old Trail School is an independent, nonprofit, coeducational day school founded in 1920 by Dr. William C. Geer and Dr. William A. Parks, operating on a 62-acre campus inside Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Bath, Ohio (GPS: Akron, OH 44333). The school enrolls approximately 450 students from toddler age through Grade 8 across a single continuous educational pathway (Early Childhood ages 2-5, Primary K-2, Intermediate 3-5, Middle 6-8), with a published 8:1 student-teacher ratio and an average class size of 16. Pedagogically it is built around an experiential, nature-based philosophy referencing John Dewey and Maria Montessori, supported by differentiated facilities including a 2,000-square-foot Merryweather Outdoor Classroom, indoor pool, three science labs, makerspace, campus farm, 5 art studios, and a 1:1 device program (Chromebooks in Intermediate, Lenovo laptops in Middle School).

Commercially, the school is a tuition-driven subscription model with annual tuition ranging from $4,820 (Toddler Program) to $27,780 (Grades 5-8 Middle School), generating the vast majority of revenue through recurring annual family contracts. Ancillary revenue streams include the Summer at Old Trail camp, OTS+ extended care (before- and after-school), an AVI Food Systems-provided lunch program, in-house bus transportation (with public-school-district-supported routes for Brecksville-Broadview Heights, Hudson, Revere, and Woodridge residents), and optional grade-specific fees such as the Grade 5 field trip ($350) and Grades 6-8 overnight trips (~$1,500). Lead-to-enrollment is handled through a direct-to-consumer private school admissions funnel: online inquiry, parent meetings, application submission, student visits/assessments, and a rolling admission cycle (February priority, March Phase 2). The school is governed by a Board of Directors (2025-26 President: Thomas Eaton III '92) and led by Head of School Sarah Johnston, Associate Head of School Joe Vogel, and CFO Rory Campbell; it is accredited by NAIS, ISACS, and OAIS, and positions itself through documented outcomes including a 93% acceptance rate to independent/private high schools and the Class of 2025 earning nearly $1M in merit-based scholarships.

Name

Old Trail School

Legal name

Old Trail School

Website

https://oldtrail.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Old Trail School is an independent, nonprofit PK/elementary day school on a 62-acre campus inside Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Bath, Ohio, serving ~450 students from toddler through Grade 8 in the Northeast Ohio region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private K-8 Education

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Nature-Based / Forest School Early Learning Programs (EDACADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Outdoor/Nature/Forest Preschools (EDACABAJ), Outdoor Education & Adventure Programs (School-Run) (EDAJAJAJ), Outdoor / Nature-Based Before/After Care Programs (EDACAHAJ)

Keywords

• Private K-8 education
• Early childhood learning
• Experiential education programs
• Independent school tuition
• Nature-based learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Bath

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. Tuition Revenue: Primary revenue stream from tuition payments for academic programs ranging from Toddler through Grade 8. Additional revenue from optional services including before/after care, lunch program, transportation, and summer camp.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Old Trail School is an independent, nonprofit day school that delivers a continuous private education from Toddler (18 months) through Grade 8. Its core offering is a tuition-based academic program built on experiential, nature-based learning and delivered on a 62-acre campus inside Cuyahoga Valley National Park, supplemented by extended care, athletics, arts, summer camp, and global citizenship programs.

Product overview

Old Trail School offers a unified educational program spanning from toddler (18 months) through Grade 8. The core academic offerings include the Toddler-Adult Program, Early Childhood Program (ages 2-5), Primary School (K-2), Intermediate School (3-5), and Middle School (6-8). Beyond academics, the school provides supplementary programs including Summer at Old Trail camp, OTS+ extended care, athletics (13 competitive sports), arts education, and global citizenship programs with international travel opportunities. All programs are delivered through an experiential learning approach embedded in the school's 62-acre campus within Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Toddler-Adult Program A parent-child program for children ages 18-32 months focusing on social-emotional connections through interactive activities, songs, stories, and play, serving the earliest entry point in Old Trail School's EC-8 continuum.
• Early Childhood Program A play-based academic program for children ages 2-5 inspired by Reggio Emilia and Montessori philosophies, including Toddler, Preschool 1, Preschool 2, and Junior Kindergarten options.
• Primary School (Kindergarten to Grade 2) A foundational program for Kindergarten through Grade 2 students emphasizing experiential learning in language arts, math, science, Spanish, art, music, and physical education.
• Intermediate School (Grades 3-5) A comprehensive program for Grades 3-5 focusing on applying academic skills through experiences, cross-curricular connections, and project-based learning.
• Middle School (Grades 6-8) A transitional adolescent program with student-focused scheduling, advisory structures, 1:1 technology, and overnight experiential learning trips including international travel.
• Summer at Old Trail A summer camp program offering various activities for students during the summer months, including options like swimming and other enrichment activities.
• OTS+ Extended Care Extended care program providing before-school (7:30-8:00 a.m.) and after-school (3:30-6:00 p.m.) supervised care and enrichment opportunities for enrolled students.
• Athletics Program Comprehensive sports program offering 13 competitive sports teams and four instructional teams, including basketball, soccer, field hockey, tennis, and more.
• The Arts Program Visual and performing arts programs including art studios, ceramics studio, weaving studio, band, string orchestra, chorus, and musical theatre.
• Global Citizenship Programs Programs including the Center for Global Understanding, OTS Abroad trips, Kindergarten Global Explorers, Project 345, and the Hear Here speaker series, embedding global citizenship and social entrepreneurship across the curriculum.

Quantifiable outcome

• 93% acceptance rate to independent/private high schools
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• AVI Food SystemsminorOthersExternal food service provider supplying lunch program with focus on fresh and local products. The majority of food is made from scratch. Contact: Matthew Jones, Resident Director/Executive Chef.
• Lands' EndminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSchool uniform and clothing provider with dedicated online store for OTS families. Preferred School Number: 900028051.
• National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)coreOthersMember of NAIS, ISACS (Independent Schools Association of the Central States), and OAIS (Ohio Association of Independent Schools). Holds full accreditation through these bodies meeting over 50 standards of best practice.
• Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS)coreOthersMember and accredited through ISACS
• Ohio Association of Independent Schools (OAIS)coreOthersMember and accredited through OAIS
• Cuyahoga Valley National ParkcoreOthersThe school is located within Cuyahoga Valley National Park, providing unique outdoor education opportunities and environmental learning experiences
• FACTS Tuition ManagementminorOthersThird-party tuition management and payment processing service for families
• Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National ParkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJohn Debo, former Board of Directors member, served as Chief Development Officer for the Conservancy after retiring from the National Park Service

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Laurel School: Independent K-12 school in Shaker Heights, OH with comparable tuition tier, academic-outcomes orientation, and overlapping Cleveland-area feeder market. Closest direct analog in age range and price point.
• The Prairie School: Independent K-12 school in Racine, WI with a strong nature/outdoor and experiential learning emphasis, comparable in size, philosophy, and independent-school positioning to Old Trail.
• Lake Ridge Academy: North Ridgeville, OH independent K-12 school serving similar Cleveland-area families at comparable tuition and academic-prep orientation.
• Birchwood School: Independent K-12 school in Lakewood, OH with similar college-prep focus and Cleveland-area market overlap with Old Trail.
• Hathaway Brown School: Shaker Heights, OH independent school (girls K-12 with coed early childhood) at comparable tuition tier with strong academic-outcomes positioning.
• Hawken School: Independent K-12 day school in Gates Mills, OH with similar tuition level, college-prep outcomes, and regional draw from Northeast Ohio families.
• Western Reserve Academy: Hudson, OH independent day and boarding school for grades 9-12 with comparable regional market overlap and college-prep outcomes focus.
• Gilmour Academy: Independent Catholic K-12 day and boarding school in Gates Mills, OH drawing similar Northeast Ohio families at comparable tuition levels.
• University School: Cleveland-area independent K-12 boys school with coed early years, comparable tuition profile and academic excellence positioning in the same regional market.

Emerging players

• The School in Rose Valley: Nationally recognized nature-based Quaker preschool through grade 6 in Pennsylvania; the closest experiential/nature-based pedagogy analog though smaller and more narrowly focused than Old Trail.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@oldtrailschool1920
• Facebookfacebook.com/OldTrailSchool1920
• Instagraminstagram.com/oldtrailschool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/old-trail-school

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Old Trail School