Right Step

What Right Step does

Right Step, Inc. is a privately held Choice Military School founded in 2007 and headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, serving at-risk male students in grades 5-12. The school combines military-style structure and discipline with individualized academics, using a proprietary Tier System of Learning, the 4 A's Philosophy (Attitude, Academics, Attendance, Achievement), and Individual Learning Plans (ILPs) tailored to each cadet. Curriculum is built on Engage New York for Reading/Language Arts, STAR-assessment-driven individualized math, and a daily physical training program with drill, ceremony, and a 30-point weekly monitoring system. Three delivery modes are offered: Face-to-Face (8:30-2:30, 90% attendance requirement), Hybrid, and Fully Virtual.

The company is funded through Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) per-pupil Choice program payments for enrolled cadets, supplemented by federal reimbursement from USDA Child Nutrition Programs (Community Eligibility Provision for free breakfast and lunch, plus a Summer Meals Program). Tuition is not charged to families; instead, parents apply through the DPI Choice Parent portal and complete in-person enrollment with proof of income and residency. Go-to-market is community-led, relying on referrals, parent and alumni testimonials, and a Facebook presence rather than paid digital marketing. Ancillary partnerships include the Wisconsin DPI, USDA nutrition programs, and the Milwaukee Health Department (for COVID-19 Health and Safety Plan approval). The school holds Cognia (formerly Advanced Ed) accreditation as of May 2021.

Name

Right Step

Legal name

Right Step, Inc.

Website

https://rightstepschool.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Right Step, Inc. is a Milwaukee-based Choice Military School founded in 2007 that delivers a military-style, tier-based academic and physical training program for at-risk male youth in grades 5-12, funded through Wisconsin DPI per-pupil payments and USDA nutrition programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Alternative / Military-Style Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Alternative Schools (Behavioral/Disciplinary & Nontraditional Settings) (EDAJAEAC)

Keywords

• Military school education
• At-risk youth programs
• K-12 alternative education
• Character education services
• Tuition-free schooling

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Public School Funding (Choice Military School): As a Choice Military School in Milwaukee, Right Step receives public funding through the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction for enrolled students. Students must maintain 90% attendance or better.
2. USDA Child Nutrition Programs: Participates in the Community Eligibility Provision providing free breakfast and lunch to all enrolled students, with federal reimbursement through USDA Child Nutrition Programs.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Right Step is a privately operated Choice Military School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, providing tuition-free, military-structured education for at-risk boys in grades 5 through 12. The program combines structured discipline, leadership development, and individualized academic instruction with USDA-provided breakfast and lunch, delivered on a single physical campus.

Product overview

Right Step, Inc. is a Choice Military School founded in 2007 serving at-risk youth in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The company operates a unified program combining military-style discipline with rigorous academics for students in Grades 5-12. The core product consists of the Choice Military School Program supported by Academic Instruction using a tier-based differentiated learning approach, and Physical Training including drill and ceremony. Three Educational Delivery Options (Face-to-face, Hybrid, and Fully Virtual) accommodate different student needs. Ancillary services include a USDA-funded Free Breakfast and Lunch Program and Summer Meals Program. The program is grounded in the 4 A's philosophy (Attitude, Academics, Attendance, Achievement) and utilizes Individual Learning Plans (ILPs) for each cadet.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Military-Style Education Program (Grades 5-12)

Quantifiable outcome

• Students maintain 90% attendance or better for face-to-face academic option
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 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

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAs a Choice Military School, Right Step operates under Wisconsin DPI oversight and enrollment is processed through the DPI's Choice Parent portal. DPI determines school eligibility and funding allocation for the Choice program.
• USDA Child Nutrition ProgramscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipates in the Community Eligibility Provision providing free breakfast and lunch to all students. Receives federal reimbursement through USDA Child Nutrition Programs administered at state level.
• Milwaukee Health DepartmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerApproved Health and Safety Plan from Milwaukee Health Department as of August 2020 in response to COVID-19 pandemic. School follows guidelines provided for safe operation during pandemic.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Boys Town: National youth-services organization providing behavioral, educational, and residential programs for at-risk youth. Comparable to Right Step in its mission-driven, discipline-oriented approach to redirecting at-risk youth, though Boys Town operates at a much larger national scale and includes residential care.
• Sequel Youth and Family Services: Provides residential, educational, and behavioral health programs for at-risk and court-involved youth. Overlaps with Right Step's at-risk youth intervention and structured-program model, with a broader geographic and service footprint.
• Camelot Education: Operates alternative education and behavioral programs for at-risk and court-involved youth, including transition and dropout-recovery schools. Closely comparable to Right Step's Tier-based, individualized instruction model for at-risk adolescents.
• Youth Villages: National nonprofit providing intensive in-home and residential intervention services for troubled youth and families. Comparable model of structured, evidence-based intervention for at-risk youth, with broader geographic reach than Right Step.
• National Youth Advocate Program (NYAP): Provides community-based behavioral health, educational, and wraparound services for at-risk and court-involved youth. Shares Right Step's youth-intervention and alternative-services model, with overlapping customer segments (families, struggling youth, juvenile justice).

Regional players

• Roca, Inc. Massachusetts-based nonprofit providing intensive behavioral intervention and workforce development for high-risk young men. Comparable to Right Step in its targeted male-youth, discipline-and-accountability model, though operated as a nonprofit workforce program rather than a school.

Broad incumbents

• EdisonLearning: National education management organization operating alternative and dropout-recovery schools, including the former Ombudsman Educational Services. Direct overlap with Right Step's alternative K-12 segment at significantly larger scale.
• KIPP Foundation: National charter school network serving predominantly low-income and at-risk students with rigorous, structured academic programs. Comparable to Right Step's disciplined, college-preparatory alternative education mission, though operating at vastly larger scale.
• Stride (formerly K12 Inc.): Large publicly traded provider of online and blended K-12 learning programs, including alternative and at-risk student offerings. Comparable to Right Step's Fully Virtual and Hybrid options, with a much broader curriculum catalog and national footprint.
• National Heritage Academies: Operates a large network of charter schools including alternative and at-risk-focused campuses. Shares Right Step's charter/Choice school funding model and serves overlapping student populations at materially greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/rightstepinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/right-step

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Right Step