Parnassus Preparatory School

What Parnassus Preparatory School does

Parnassus Preparatory School is a tuition-free, K-12 public charter school located in Maple Grove, Minnesota, serving families across the Twin Cities metro. Founded in 2011 under authorization from Friends of Education and approved by the Minnesota Department of Education, the school delivers a classical liberal-arts curriculum structured around the Trivium stages — Grammar (K-5), Logic (6-8), and Rhetoric (9-12). It employs approximately 56 staff and operates from a 147,000-square-foot campus that was expanded through a $27 million building project completed to support tripled enrollment since opening. The school was the first classical charter school in Minnesota to adopt the Harkness Table discussion method, and its academic outcomes have been recognized by the 2024 U.S. News & World Report Best Charter Schools rankings.

The school's core product is seat-time education delivered through a defined classical curriculum, supported by standard educational software: Infinite Campus for the student information system, Naviance for college and career counseling, Procare for before/after-school childcare billing, and Wufoo for application intake. There is no proprietary technology platform; the differentiated offering is the pedagogical framework, the faculty's classical-education expertise, and the Harkness discussion method layered into upper-school coursework. Extracurricular surface area is partially extended through athletic co-op arrangements with neighboring schools.

The business model is that of a Minnesota public charter school: revenue is generated almost exclusively through state per-pupil aid, with the school receiving funding based on enrolled average daily membership (ADM). There is no tuition, and no diversified revenue streams (grants, philanthropy, auxiliary enterprises) are disclosed in the available data. Capital projects — including the $27 million expansion — are housed in a separate affiliated entity, Parnassus Building Company, suggesting real-estate holding and debt have been moved off the operating school's balance sheet. The go-to-market is essentially a lottery and waitlist process, with application demand exceeding available seats.

Name

Parnassus Preparatory School

Legal name

Parnassus Preparatory School

Website

https://parnassusprep.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Parnassus Preparatory School is a tuition-free K-12 public charter school in Maple Grove, Minnesota, authorized by Friends of Education and founded in 2011. It delivers a Trivium-based classical liberal-arts curriculum to Twin Cities families, funded primarily through Minnesota per-pupil state aid.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Charter School Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Classical Education K–12 Schools (EDAJABAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Charter Montessori/Waldorf/Classical/Expeditionary (Pedagogical Models) (EDAJACAL)

Keywords

• Classical K-12 education
• Charter school education
• Classical liberal arts
• College preparatory program
• Trivium curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Maple Grove

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Per-Pupil State Funding: As a Minnesota charter school, Parnassus receives public education funding on a per-pupil basis from the state. This is the primary source of operational funding.
2. Federal and State Grants: The school receives additional funding through federal and state education programs, including Title I funding for qualifying students and other educational grants.
3. Before/After School Program Fees: The Animus & Accendo before and after-school programs charge fees: $5 per child per day for before school, $19 per child per day for after school until 6pm, with a $25 annual registration fee per family.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Parnassus Preparatory School delivers a tuition-free K-12 classical liberal arts education organized into three schools—Grammar (K-4), Logic (5-8), and Rhetoric (9-12)—based on the Trivium methodology. The core instructional program is supplemented by before/after-school care (Animus & Accendo), an athletics program with cooperative teams, extracurricular activities, student support services, and college counseling aimed at a 100% college-application rate.

Product overview

Parnassus Preparatory School is a tuition-free K-12 public charter school in Maple Grove, Minnesota, authorized by Friends of Education. The school offers a unified classical liberal arts education grounded in the Trivium (grammar, logic, rhetoric), structured into three schools: School of Grammar (Prima-4G, K-4), School of Logic (1L-4L, grades 5-8), and School of Rhetoric (1R-4R, grades 9-12). The core educational program is supplemented by before/after-school care (Animus & Accendo), athletics, extracurricular activities, comprehensive student support services, and college counseling. The school does not offer software products; all offerings are educational programs and services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Students who study Latin consistently score higher on the verbal portion of the SAT college entrance exam than students who have not studied any foreign language or studied other modern foreign languages
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Friends of EducationcoreOthersFriends of Education is Parnassus Preparatory School's charter authorizer. The authorizer focuses on classical or Core Knowledge charter schools and sponsors multiple charter schools in Minnesota. Parnassus obtained its K-12 charter from the Minnesota Department of Education in 2010 through this authorization.
• CKC Good FoodminorOthersCKC Good Food is Parnassus's contracted catering service for school lunch. The vendor focuses on fresh, wholesome, made-from-scratch, nutritious food offering daily options including salad, vegetables, fruit, and milk.
• Northstar Bus LinesminorOthersNorthstar Bus Lines provides busing services for Parnassus Preparatory School. The company can be contacted at 763.425.2542.
• American Student TransportationminorOthersAmerican Student Transportation is an additional bus company providing transportation services for Parnassus students.
• Brooklyn Center High SchoolminorOthersParnassus has an athletic co-op with Brooklyn Center High School for sports including Football, Boys' & Girls' Soccer, Girls' Tennis, Girls' Volleyball (Fall), Dance, Wrestling (Winter), Baseball, Softball, Boys' Tennis, Boys' Volleyball (Spring).
• MaranathaminorOthersGolf team operates as a cooperative program between Parnassus and Maranatha for the spring season.
• Tommy Hilfiger (Global Schoolwear)minorOthersParnassus partners with Tommy Hilfiger's Global Schoolwear program for school uniforms. The school code is PARN01, and uniforms are available through their website.
• The Sota ShopminorOthersThe Sota Shop is an approved uniform vendor for Parnassus Preparatory School, providing school uniform options for students.
• Youth Enrichment LeagueminorOthersVendor for after-school enrichment classes including Brick Builders (LEGO-based), Coding with Scratch, Chess, and other programs for students in Prima through School of Logic levels.
• Young RembrandtsminorOthersVendor-run drawing program for Prima through First Level Logic students offered as an after-school enrichment activity.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Nova Classical Academy: Tuition-free classical charter school in St. Paul, MN offering a Trivium-based K-12 liberal arts education. Closest Minnesota-based regional peer competing for the same classical-curriculum-seeking families in the Twin Cities metro.
• St. Croix Preparatory Academy: Tuition-free K-12 classical charter school in Stillwater, MN using the classical liberal arts Trivium model. Comparable to Parnassus on pedagogy and Minnesota charter structure, with overlapping Twin Cities regional catchment.
• Classical Academy (Colorado Springs): K-12 tuition-free public charter school in Colorado Springs offering a classical liberal arts curriculum. Comparable on classical charter structure and K-12 delivery model, but serving a different geography.

Broad incumbents

• National Heritage Academies: Large charter management organization operating ~90 tuition-free K-12 charter schools nationwide. A broader incumbent operating in the same tuition-free charter school space but without Parnassus's classical Trivium specialization.
• Success Academy Charter Schools: High-performing network of tuition-free public charter schools in New York City. Broader incumbent in the tuition-free charter school space with comparable performance-driven brand positioning, though distinct curriculum focus.
• KIPP Foundation Schools: Largest network of tuition-free public charter schools in the U.S., operating K-12 college-preparatory programs. Broader incumbent comparable to Parnassus on tuition-free charter structure and college-prep mission, though without the classical Trivium focus.

Direct peers

• BASIS Charter Schools: Network of tuition-free public charter schools (K-12) emphasizing a classical liberal arts and STEM curriculum with rigorous college-prep outcomes. Directly comparable to Parnassus on tuition-free charter structure, classical curriculum emphasis, and K-12 college-prep positioning.
• Great Hearts Academies: Multi-state network of classical, tuition-free charter schools operating K-12 with a Trivium-style liberal arts curriculum. Closest comparable to Parnassus by pedagogy, mission, and tuition-free charter model.
• Hillsdale College K-12 / Barney Charter School Initiative: Hillsdale College-affiliated initiative that partners with charter schools to deliver a classical, content-rich K-12 curriculum. Highly comparable to Parnassus on classical pedagogy, charter model, and curriculum philosophy.

Others

• Friends of Education: Parnassus's charter authorizer and sponsor of multiple classical/Core Knowledge charter schools in Minnesota. Adjacent ecosystem participant that enables Parnassus's operation and houses comparable school brands under shared oversight.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/parnassusprep
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/parnassus-preparatory-school

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Parnassus Preparatory School