Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School

What Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School does

Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School (PA Cyber) is a nonprofit public cyber charter school founded in 2000 and headquartered in Midland, Pennsylvania. It delivers accredited K-12 online education to approximately 11,000 students across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through a blended classroom model that combines synchronous (live, attendance-required) and asynchronous (self-paced) instruction on an in-house learning management system accessible via student credentials. The core offering is supplemented by over 85 clubs and workshops, the IMPACT peer tutoring program, gifted and talented acceleration, College in High School credit, the PA Cyber Polytechnic Academy for STEM enrichment, and extensive in-person field trips.

The school operates nine regional offices across Pennsylvania (Allentown, Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Springfield, Pittsburgh-South Side, Warrendale, State College, and Wilkes-Barre) that anchor an unusual hybrid online-plus-physical distribution model for a cyber school. Enrollment is free to any Pennsylvania school-age resident and is supported by an in-house student help desk, academic advising, the Student Assistance Program, school counseling, and a Purple Star School designation for military-connected families. Outcomes include a 97% graduation rate for K-12 completers (2023-2024 data), a 93% graduation rate for students attending 4+ years, and over 24,000 cumulative graduates since inception.

PA Cyber is funded exclusively through per-pupil state allocations from Pennsylvania school districts; it charges no tuition. It holds a seven-year reaccreditation from the Middle States Association (renewed April 2026, second renewal since 2011), NCAA accreditation, and AdvanceED accreditation, and operates under a charter granted by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The school is governed by an independent Board of Directors (President Steve Robinson) with Brian Hayden serving as Chief Executive Officer since founding; it is not privately held and has no venture funding.

Name

Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School

Legal name

The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School

Website

https://pacyber.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School is a nonprofit public cyber charter school founded in 2000, serving approximately 11,000 K-12 students across Pennsylvania through a blended online learning platform supported by nine regional offices, with no tuition charged and funding from per-pupil state allocations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Online Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Time Virtual K–12 Schools (Statewide/Cyber Charters & District Programs) (EDAJADAA)

Keywords

• Online K-12 education
• Cyber charter schooling
• Public charter schools
• Distance learning programs
• K-12 online curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Midland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Per-Pupil Public Funding: PA Cyber is a public charter school funded by per-pupil state funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As a public school, it is open for enrollment to any school-age child residing in Pennsylvania and does not charge tuition to students or families.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School (PA Cyber) is a public online K-12 charter school delivering accredited instruction to approximately 11,000 students across Pennsylvania via an online Learning Management System. The school offers two instructional delivery modes — synchronous live online classes with required daily attendance and asynchronous self-paced virtual classrooms with optional live sessions — and supplements online learning with nine regional offices for in-person orientation, enrichment, and student support services. Education is provided at no tuition to families and is funded through per-pupil state allocations from Pennsylvania school districts.

Product overview

Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School offers a comprehensive K-12 online public school platform with two instructional delivery modes (synchronous live classroom and asynchronous self-paced learning). The core platform is supplemented by over 85 clubs and workshops, student support systems (library, counseling, SAP, tutoring), Polytechnic Academy for hands-on STEM, Gifted and Talented Programs, College in High School credit options, nine regional offices for in-person enrichment, and extensive field trip/travel programs. The school serves approximately 11,000 students with 800 full-time employees and holds accreditation from the Middle States Association.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PA Cyber Online Learning Platform
• Polytechnic Academy
• Gifted and Talented Programs
• College in High School
• Clubs and Workshops Program
• Student Assistance Program (SAP)
• Graduation Pathways

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% graduation rate for students who attend PA Cyber for their entire K-12 education (2023-2024 data)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• St. Francis University (SFU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPA Cyber was selected as one of six schools to participate in St. Francis University's radio telescope project, establishing a radio telescope observatory network for Pennsylvania secondary schools. SFU provided each participating school with a NASA radio telescope kit. PA Cyber students and staff advisors are guided by SFU faculty in assembling the telescope and conducting real space investigations. The school will retain the telescope beyond the initial project for ongoing schoolwide access. The initiative is funded by the Palumbo Charitable Trust.
• EF ToursminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPA Cyber partnered with EF Tours to organize and execute the National Parks Club trip to Utah and Arizona, including Bryce Canyon, Zion, and Grand Canyon national parks. EF Tours managed logistics for the week-long trip of eight high school students and four chaperones.
• Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSA provides voluntary peer-review accreditation to PA Cyber, examining 12 key areas including mission, governance, educational program, student services, and information resources. PA Cyber has been MSA-accredited since 2011 and recently received a seven-year reaccreditation renewal.
• National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCTE invited PA Cyber's Assistant Director of Curriculum Amy Nyeholt to join 35 thought leaders in developing a framework for responsible AI use in English Language Arts classrooms (grades 6-12) for NCTE's 25,000 members nationwide. Funded by Google.org.
• Carnegie Mellon UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university through PA Cyber Polytechnic Academy, providing STEM learning experiences, mentoring opportunities, campus tours, and career exposure for PA Cyber students.
• University of PittsburghminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university through PA Cyber Polytechnic Academy, providing STEM enrichment, mentoring, campus tours, and career awareness programs for students.
• Lehigh UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university through PA Cyber Polytechnic Academy, providing students with STEM learning experiences and mentoring opportunities.
• Robert Morris UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university through PA Cyber Polytechnic Academy. Robert Morris University hosted the western Pennsylvania graduation ceremony for PA Cyber.
• Pennsylvania State University (multiple campuses)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPSU Abington, PSU Behrend, and PSU University Park are partner universities through PA Cyber Polytechnic Academy, providing STEM enrichment experiences and mentoring.
• PPL CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue provider for PA Cyber's eastern Pennsylvania graduation ceremony, hosting approximately 5,000 visitors for the Class of 2026 commencement.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Stride, Inc. (K12 Inc.): Public company operating online K-12 schools and curriculum programs across many U.S. states. While not a PA-specific cyber charter, it is a broad incumbent in the same online K-12 category and a relevant scale benchmark.
• Connections Academy: Operates tuition-free online public schools in multiple U.S. states. A broad incumbent in the online K-12 category with comparable online instructional delivery, even where it does not directly serve Pennsylvania.

Regional players

• Green Woods Charter School: Pennsylvania-based charter school network; provides a regional benchmark for charter funding dynamics and school-level accreditation but operates in a brick-and-mortar format.
• Ohio Digital Learning Academy: Public online K-12 school operating under Ohio's e-school framework. Functionally analogous to PA Cyber in a neighboring state — similar online model and public funding mechanics, but confined to Ohio.

Direct peers

• Commonwealth Charter Academy: Pennsylvania's other large cyber charter school, also serving K-12 students statewide with an online model plus regional offices. CCA is the most direct head-to-head competitor to PA Cyber within the Commonwealth, competing for the same per-pupil funding pool and family segment.
• Reach Cyber Charter School: Pennsylvania-based cyber charter serving K-12 students with an online learning model. Operates as a direct competitor to PA Cyber within the same PA funding and regulatory framework.
• Agora Cyber Charter School: Pennsylvania-based K-12 cyber charter school offering online instruction with regional support offices. Agora directly competes with PA Cyber for the same Pennsylvania families, per-pupil funding, and accreditation positioning.
• Insight PA Cyber Charter School: Pennsylvania cyber charter school offering online K-12 instruction to PA residents. Competes with PA Cyber for the same statewide enrollment pool and operates under the same charter/funding regime.

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/pacyber
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/PACyberSchool
• Facebookfacebook.com/pacybercharterschool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/pennsylvania-cyber-charter-school
• TikToktiktok.com/@pacyber

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School