P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School

What P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School does

P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School is a public PreK-12 institution established in 1934 and operated as a University of Florida Lab School under the UF College of Education. The school serves approximately 1,420 students annually across elementary (PreK-5), middle (6-8), and high school (9-12) programs at a single campus in Gainesville, Florida. It is staffed by 69 faculty and is governed by lottery-based enrollment designed to produce a student body representative of Florida's demographic composition. Its defining mission is to serve as a developmental research school — a living laboratory for designing, testing, and disseminating best practices in PreK-12 education statewide and nationally.

The school operates a layered academic and extracurricular program. The high school offers 28 Advanced Placement courses and the AP Capstone Diploma Program, with 100% of seniors taking at least one AP Exam and 83% scoring 3 or higher on at least one. Specialized pathways include Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Engineering — recognized as a PLTW Distinguished School in 2024, 2025, and 2026 — and the Space Florida Academy for aerospace and high-demand STEM credentials. Extracurricular offerings include FRC Team 4118 Roaring Riptide, performing arts, athletics, and a Modern Music/Rock Band program. Technology infrastructure consists of commodity education platforms (Canvas, Clever, Skyward, Google Drive) integrated with GoFan for athletic ticketing.

P.K. Yonge is a government/state entity funded by Florida state education appropriations, University of Florida support, and federal Title I funds. There is no tuition, no commercial revenue model, and no venture or private equity ownership. The school's customer segments are PreK-12 families in North Central Florida admitted by lottery and UF College of Education faculty who use the school as a research site. Institutional outcomes substantially exceed Florida state averages across measured grades and subjects (e.g., 92% Grade 3 ELA proficiency vs. 57% statewide; 97% Grade 6 math proficiency vs. 60% statewide), and 62% of 2025 graduates received Florida Bright Futures scholarships.

Name

P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School

Legal name

P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School

Website

https://pkyonge.ufl.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1934

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School is a public PreK-12 school in Gainesville, Florida, established in 1934 and operated by the University of Florida College of Education. It serves approximately 1,420 lottery-enrolled students with 28 AP courses, PLTW Engineering, robotics, and research-driven pedagogy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Public Education

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public High Schools (EDAJAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Early Childhood Development (ECD) & Pre-Primary Education (BPADAKAB), Head Start & Public Pre-K Programs (EDACABAK)

Keywords

• Public K-12 education
• PreK-12 schooling
• College preparatory programs
• Educational research services
• Advanced Placement curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Gainesville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public School Funding: As a public developmental research school affiliated with the University of Florida College of Education, P.K. Yonge is funded through state education funding, UF support, and potentially federal Title I funding. Students pay no tuition as it is a public institution.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School is a public PreK-12 institution offering elementary (PreK-5), middle (6-8), and high school (9-12) education with lottery-based enrollment. The high school features 28 Advanced Placement courses, the AP Capstone Diploma Program, PLTW Engineering, FIRST Robotics (FRC Team 4118 Roaring Riptide), performing arts, and athletics. As a UF Lab School affiliated with the University of Florida College of Education, the school's mission is to design, test, and disseminate best practices in PreK-12 education.

Product overview

P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School is a public PreK-12 educational institution affiliated with the University of Florida's College of Education. The school operates as a unified educational platform offering Elementary (PreK-5), Middle School (6-8), and High School (9-12) programs. The high school features 28 Advanced Placement courses and the AP Capstone Diploma Program for college preparation, while the PLTW Engineering program provides career-connected STEM learning. Specialized programs include the Space Florida Academy for aerospace pathways, FRC Team 4118 Roaring Riptide robotics team, and Modern Music/Rock Band program. The school also offers athletics, performing arts, and research initiatives as part of its holistic educational approach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• P.K. Yonge Elementary School
• P.K. Yonge Middle School
• P.K. Yonge High School
• PLTW Engineering Program
• AP Capstone Diploma Program
• FRC Team 4118 Roaring Riptide
• Modern Music / Rock Band Program
• Athletics Program
• Space Florida Academy Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 91% of graduates receive Florida Bright Futures scholarships
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Integration4 records

AI capability1 record

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• University of Florida College of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerP.K. Yonge is a developmental research school affiliated with the UF College of Education. The partnership enables research-driven pedagogy, faculty professional development, and testing of innovative teaching methods. Faculty have access to UF promotion processes and tuition assistance programs.
• Project Lead The Way (PLTW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPLTW provides engineering curriculum and recognition programs. P.K. Yonge has been recognized as a PLTW Distinguished School multiple years, demonstrating deep integration of their career-connected STEM learning pathways.
• UF Lastinger Center for LearningcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to support affiliate faculty members including Math Specialist Jan Merritt and Literacy Specialist Jon Mundorf. These educators champion best practices and extend the center's mission through outreach, research, and professional learning across Florida.
• Space Florida Academy ProgrammajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with industry leaders, Florida Department of Education, Florida Department of Commerce, REACH Office, and CareerSource Florida. Focuses on aerospace job characterization and credentials in aviation, advanced manufacturing, construction, cybersecurity, logistics, and semiconductors.
• Clay Electric Co-opminorGTM or Marketing PartnerClay Electric sponsored Youth Tour program selecting Jay Morant as one of four students from North Central Florida to participate in Washington D.C. Youth Tour, representing P.K. Yonge in this leadership experience.
• Sporting Gainesville Soccer AcademyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHead Girls Varsity Soccer Coach Tori Evans serves as Girls Youth Director at Sporting Gainesville Soccer Academy, creating connections between school athletics and community soccer programs.
• FIRST Robotics CompetitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFRC Team 4118 Roaring Riptide operates under Leigh Anne Brewster's leadership. Students design competitive robots and engage in assistive technology outreach. Team has earned recognition including Woodie Flowers Award for mentorship excellence.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• College Board (AP programs): College Board is the AP program provider that awarded P.K. Yonge its Platinum Status. Relevant as the standards body and ecosystem enabler for the AP Capstone and AP course offerings that define P.K. Yonge's college-prep differentiation.
• Cognia (accreditor): Cognia is the accreditation body cited by P.K. Yonge and many peer K-12 schools; included as an enabling/administrative peer reflecting shared accreditation ecosystem rather than a direct competitor.

Direct peers

• University of Chicago Laboratory Schools: Affiliated with a major research university, Lab Schools operate as developmental research schools with the same mission to design, test, and disseminate best practices—directly comparable to P.K. Yonge's value proposition.
• UCLA Lab School: UCLA Lab School is a university-affiliated PreK-12 research school with similar research dissemination mission and progressive pedagogy—structurally aligned with P.K. Yonge's developmental research model.
• Florida State University Schools (FSUS): FSUS is Florida's other major developmental research school, operated by Florida State University. It serves a similar PreK-12 mission, is publicly funded, uses lottery enrollment, and partners with its university College of Education—making it the closest functional analog to P.K. Yonge.
• University of Florida Laboratory Schools: P.K. Yonge itself serves as the UF Lab School; for peer comparison purposes, equivalent university-affiliated lab schools nationally (e.g., University High School at UIUC, University of Chicago Laboratory Schools) operate with similar research-driven pedagogy and university partnerships.

Broad incumbents

• Stanton College Preparatory School: Stanton College Prep is a top-ranked Florida public magnet school in Jacksonville with lottery admission and exceptional college-prep outcomes—a strong regional competitor for high-achieving Florida families evaluating P.K. Yonge.
• North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics: NCSSM is a publicly funded STEM-focused residential high school with a research-driven mission and strong AP/college-prep outcomes—comparable to P.K. Yonge's STEM and AP emphasis though delivered at a state-governance scale.
• Pine View School: Pine View is a highly-ranked Florida public school for intellectually gifted students in Sarasota, serving a similar high-achieving demographic with lottery admission. Comparable in academic outcomes and Florida public-school context, though it is not a university lab school.

Regional players

• School for Advanced Studies (Florida): School for Advanced Studies is a Florida public magnet network focused on college-prep acceleration. Operates in a comparable space (rigorous Florida public education) though delivered as an alternative magnet rather than a university-affiliated lab school.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@PKYongeBlueWave
• Facebookfacebook.com/PKYongeBlueWave
• Instagraminstagram.com/pkyongebluewave
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pkyonge

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School