Rocklin Academy Family of Schools

What Rocklin Academy Family of Schools does

Rocklin Academy Family of Schools (RAFOS) is a nonprofit public charter school network authorized under California's Charter School Act of 1992, operating four tuition-free campuses serving approximately 2,608 students from Transitional Kindergarten through 12th grade in Placer and Sacramento counties. The network was founded in 2001 with its first elementary school and expanded with Western Sierra Collegiate Academy (grades 7-12) in 2009 and Rocklin Academy Gateway (TK-8) in 2014; American River Collegiate Academy (TK-5) operates in Orangevale under Sacramento County Office of Education authorization. Each campus carries a distinct authorizer (Rocklin Unified, Newcastle Elementary, Sacramento COE), and charters renew on multi-year cycles, with Rocklin Academy Gateway receiving a unanimous seven-year renewal in 2025.

Instructional differentiation rests on the Core Knowledge curriculum at the elementary level and an AP-focused high school program with dual-enrollment community college coursework, supported by a 1:1 technology program (iPads for TK-1, take-home Chromebooks for grades 1-12), Mandarin language instruction, low student-teacher ratios (24:1 for K-3, 30:1 for grades 4+), and a Parent-School Partnership volunteer model. Operations are supported by an integrated ed-tech stack: PowerSchool for student information and enrollment, NWEA MAP for adaptive assessment, Illuminate for data, GoGuardian and iBoss for content filtering, ParentSquare for family communication with real-time translation, and G Suite for Education for productivity.

RAFOS generates revenue entirely through per-pupil state apportionment (LCFF) and ancillary public funding streams, with no tuition charged. Student acquisition follows a community-led motion built on an annual public lottery (January-March applications, March lottery), campus tours, parent information nights, and word-of-mouth across an established 25-year brand. Marketing channels are concentrated in organic social (Facebook, Instagram), ParentSquare messaging, the rafospublicschools.org website, and EdJoin for hiring. There is no venture capital, private equity ownership, or disclosed parent company; governance rests with an independent Board of Directors and central office leadership including Superintendent Robin Stout and CFO Ace Ensign.

Name

Rocklin Academy Family of Schools

Legal name

Rocklin Academy Family of Schools

Website

https://rafospublicschools.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Rocklin Academy Family of Schools is a nonprofit public charter network operating four tuition-free TK-12 campuses in Placer and Sacramento counties, California, serving approximately 2,608 students with a Core Knowledge/AP-focused college-prep curriculum and lottery-based enrollment funded by per-pupil state apportionment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Charter School Education

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter College-Prep & Advanced Academics Schools (EDAJACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Independent Charter Schools (Single-Site) (EDAJACAB)

Keywords

• Public charter schools
• K-12 education
• College preparatory programs
• Charter school network
• Tuition-free education

Headquarters

HQ city

Rocklin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Per-Pupil State Funding: As a public charter school network authorized under the Charter School Act of 1992, RAFOS receives per-pupil state funding based on average daily attendance. Schools are tuition-free and open to all students.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Rocklin Academy Family of Schools operates four tuition-free public charter schools serving approximately 2,608 students from Transitional Kindergarten through 12th grade in the Rocklin and Orangevale areas of California. The schools deliver a Core Knowledge elementary curriculum, an AP-focused college preparatory program with dual-enrollment community college courses, Mandarin language instruction, and arts, music, and athletics programs. Student enrollment is allocated via an annual public lottery held each spring.

Product overview

Rocklin Academy Family of Schools (RAFOS) is a charter school network operating four public, tuition-free schools in the Rocklin/Placer County area of California: Rocklin Academy (K-6), Rocklin Academy Gateway (TK-8), American River Collegiate Academy (TK-5), and Western Sierra Collegiate Academy (7-12). The organization provides a distinct educational program built around Core Knowledge curriculum at the elementary level and a rigorous AP-focused high school program with dual enrollment. Supporting educational services are delivered through integrated technology platforms including PowerSchool for student information management, ParentSquare for family communication, and a 1:1 technology program providing iPads to early learners and Chromebooks to students in grades 1-12. Additional programs include STAR Galaxy before/after school care and specialized support services through the El Dorado County Charter SELPA.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rocklin Academy (K-6) Elementary charter school serving approximately 558 students on a shared campus with Ruhkala Elementary in Rocklin, California. Uses the Core Knowledge curriculum with student/teacher ratios of 24:1 for grades K-3 and 30:1 for grades 4-6. Authorized by Rocklin Unified School District.
• Rocklin Academy Gateway (TK-8) Stand-alone charter campus in Rocklin serving approximately 1,100 students from Transitional Kindergarten through 8th grade with student/teacher ratios of 24:1 for TK-3 and 30:1 for grades 4-8. Authorized by Newcastle Elementary School District.
• American River Collegiate Academy (TK-5)

Quantifiable outcome

• Western Sierra Collegiate Academy ranked #3 in U.S. News Best High Schools 2022
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration14 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• El Dorado County Charter SELPAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRAFOS is a member of the El Dorado County Charter SELPA (Special Education Local Plan Area). Membership provides direct access to an assigned Program Specialist who serves as informational resource, IEP facilitator, and neutral mediator for teachers, administration, parents, and students regarding special education matters.
• Rocklin Unified School District (Authorizer)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRocklin Unified School District serves as the authorizer for Rocklin Academy, requiring charter renewal every 5 years.
• Newcastle Elementary School District (Authorizer)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNewcastle Elementary School District authorizes Rocklin Academy Gateway, requiring charter renewal every 5 years.
• Sacramento County Office of Education (Authorizer)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSacramento County Office of Education authorizes American River Collegiate Academy, requiring charter renewal every 5 years.
• PowerSchoolcoreTechnology or IntegrationPowerSchool provides the Student Information System (SIS) used for grades, attendance tracking, and parent portal access. All active students have at least one parent/guardian with a PowerSchool Parent Portal account.
• NWEAcoreTechnology or IntegrationNWEA provides MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) assessments for grades K-11. Research-based adaptive assessments measure academic growth throughout the school year and from year to year in Language Arts and Mathematics.
• ParentSquarecoreTechnology or IntegrationParentSquare is the primary communication platform used for school updates, announcements, and emergency notifications via email, text, and app notifications. Provides real-time language translation.
• STAR Galaxy After School ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTAR Galaxy is an on-campus after school program offering academic support, enrichment classes, sports, recreation, science, and performing arts. Available August through June from end of school day until 6:00 PM at multiple campuses.
• Google (G Suite for Education)coreTechnology or IntegrationGoogle G Suite for Education provides free productivity tools for creating, sharing, and collaborating on documents. Students access files from any device and can collaborate on projects simultaneously under a single RAFOS domain.
• GoGuardiancoreTechnology or IntegrationGoGuardian integrates with G Suite for Education to monitor student email and documents for unsafe or inappropriate content. Also provides the Go Guardian Parent App for parental monitoring of student online activity.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Direct peers

• Aspire Public Schools: California-based nonprofit charter school network operating multiple TK-12 campuses with a college-prep focus. Aspire shares RAFOS's multi-campus charter model, Core Knowledge/college-readiness curriculum philosophy, and reliance on California per-pupil funding.
• Rocketship Public Schools: California-originated charter network combining elementary school models with personalized learning technology. Rocketship shares RAFOS's charter structure, technology-forward 1:1 model, and tuition-free public education positioning.
• iLEAD Schools: Southern California charter school network serving TK-12 with project-based and individualized learning. iLEAD parallels RAFOS's TK-12 charter network structure, family partnership emphasis, and California per-pupil funding model.
• Summit Public Schools: California charter school network known for college-prep focus, small school size, and project-based learning. Summit parallels RAFOS's charter school model, college-prep mission, and AP/dual-enrollment approach at the high school level.
• KIPP SoCal Public Schools: Southern California arm of the KIPP charter network operating college-prep schools. KIPP SoCal is comparable in scale, college-prep mission, and charter network structure to RAFOS's flagship Western Sierra Collegiate Academy.
• Alliance College-Ready Public Schools: Large California charter network operating college-preparatory public schools across multiple campuses. Alliance shares RAFOS's AP/college-prep emphasis, multi-authorizer reality, and reliance on parent engagement and community trust.
• Classical Academies (Classical Charter Schools): Southern California charter network offering classical, content-rich K-12 education. Classical Academies share RAFOS's distinctive curricular philosophy (similar to Core Knowledge's content-rich approach) and multi-campus charter structure.
• KIPP Northern California: Northern California charter school network operating multiple schools serving predominantly underserved communities with a college-preparatory mission. KIPP NorCal mirrors RAFOS's charter network structure, lottery-based enrollment, and TK-12 pipeline approach.

Emerging players

• Equitas Academy: California charter school network with a college-preparatory mission at smaller scale than RAFOS. Equitas shares RAFOS's lottery enrollment, AP-focused college prep, and family partnership ethos, though at a more limited multi-campus footprint.

Broad incumbents

• National Heritage Academies: Large national charter management organization operating K-8 schools across many states. NHA shares RAFOS's charter network structure and Core Knowledge-style curriculum emphasis, but operates at broader geographic scale and as a broader portfolio player.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RocklinAcademyFOS
• Instagraminstagram.com/rocklinacademy/?fbclid=IwAR1dBon9hvKveC-5nbabJRralKSaQxX0XMlL-bnxIqR9kn_83zIGysof5JE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rocklin-academy-family-of-schools

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Rocklin Academy Family of Schools