ROOTS & WINGS COMMUNITY CHARTER SCHOOL

What ROOTS & WINGS COMMUNITY CHARTER SCHOOL does

Roots & Wings Community Charter School (RWCS) is a public K-8 charter school located in Questa, New Mexico, in the state's northern rural region. Founded in 2000 and entering its 25th year of operation in 2024, the school is authorized by the New Mexico Public Education Commission (NMPEC) and serves a diverse K-8 student body through an expeditionary-inspired, project-based educational model. The school is governed by a five-member Governance Council and led by Director Alice Allen, with a small leadership team including Director/Title IX Coordinator Jon Orris and Office Manager Bences Hernandez.

The school's core offering is a single integrated K-8 academic program supplemented by several experiential pillars: a semi-annual Outdoor and Ski Program with camping trips and free ski lessons through a Taos Ski Valley partnership; a Food Forest and Gardens program focused on permaculture, food sovereignty, and sustainable gardening; and an award-winning Student Film Program that has won first-place awards at Film Prize Junior New Mexico for three consecutive years. The school is undergoing a physical expansion in 2024-2025, installing two portable buildings to add a 6-8 grade classroom, art room, SpEd and Reading Intervention offices, music/all-purpose space, and administrative offices.

RWCS is funded primarily through state and federal per-pupil charter school allocations, supplemented by donations, fundraising events (including an annual Harvest Festival), and competitive grants such as the $3,000 Whole Kids Foundation garden grant. As a public charter, there is no tuition; nominal trip fees of $60-$100 per student are charged for class excursions with financial aid available. All revenue, enrollment, and operational scale data are not publicly disclosed, and the school operates as an independent public entity with no parent company or venture ownership.

Name

ROOTS & WINGS COMMUNITY CHARTER SCHOOL

Legal name

Roots & Wings Community School

Website

https://rootsandwingscommunityschool.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Roots & Wings Community Charter School is a public K-8 charter school in Questa, New Mexico, founded in 2000 and authorized by the New Mexico Public Education Commission. It delivers expeditionary-inspired, project-based education with outdoor, gardening, and student film programs to northern New Mexico families.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-8 Charter School Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• K-8 education
• Charter school
• Expeditionary learning
• Outdoor education
• Project-based learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Questa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Public Charter School Funding: As a public charter school authorized by the New Mexico Public Education Commission, RWCS receives state and federal funding based on student enrollment. Additional funding is obtained through Free and Reduced Lunch forms.
2. Donations and Fundraising: The school accepts donations for classroom supplies, camping trips, and educational resources. Annual Harvest Festival fundraiser supports the outdoor program.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Roots & Wings Community Charter School is a public K-8 charter school in Questa, Northern New Mexico, delivering tuition-free academic instruction aligned with New Mexico state standards. The school supplements its core curriculum with three signature experiential programs: an Outdoor and Ski Program featuring semi-annual camping trips and free ski lessons via Taos Ski Valley; a Food Forest and Gardens program focused on food sovereignty and permaculture; and an award-winning Student Film Program recognized at Film Prize Junior, New Mexico.

Product overview

Roots & Wings Community School is a public K-8 charter school in Questa, New Mexico offering a single integrated educational program. The school provides core academic instruction for grades K-8, supplemented by experiential programs including the Outdoor and Ski Program (camping trips and ski lessons), Food Forest and Gardens (permaculture and food sovereignty education), and an award-winning Student Film Program. The school operates as a unified educational service without separate product tiers or modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• K-8 Academic Program Expeditionary-inspired K-8 public charter school academic program providing instruction aligned with New Mexico state standards, emphasizing project-based learning and whole-child development for diverse K-8 students in Northern New Mexico. Tuition-free and open to all students regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability.
• Outdoor and Ski Program Experiential outdoor program featuring semi-annual class camping trips that engage K-8 students' critical thinking, promote collaboration, and connect students to nature. Includes a partnership with Taos Ski Valley offering free ski lessons to students during winter as part of the school's outdoor and ski programs.
• Food Forest and Gardens Hands-on learning program where K-8 students gain experience with food sovereignty, sustainable and ecological gardening practices, and permaculture through the school's on-site food forest and gardens.
• Student Film Program Award-winning K-8 student film program in which students collaborate with teachers and peers to write, direct, and produce films. Recognized with first-place awards at Film Prize Junior, New Mexico for three consecutive years.

Quantifiable outcome

• Won first-place awards at Film Prize Junior, New Mexico three years running

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Taos Ski ValleycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to offer free ski lessons to students during winter as part of the school's outdoor and ski programs. Connects students to the local mountain community.
• New Mexico Public Education Commission (NMPEC)coreOthersRWCS is a public charter school authorized by NMPEC, which provides oversight and authorization for the school's educational programs.
• RTD Blue BuscoreOthersRural public transportation system providing free bus service for students in northern New Mexico. School provides chaperones for both morning and afternoon routes.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• Public Academy for Performing Arts: State-chartered public charter school in Albuquerque, NM serving grades 6-12 with an arts-infused curriculum. Comparable as a New Mexico charter school differentiated by a non-traditional pedagogical focus.
• Desert Academy: Independent college-preparatory school in Santa Fe, New Mexico serving grades 6-12. Comparable as a small alternative-model school in New Mexico competing for families seeking non-traditional K-12 education.
• Taos International School: Independent K-8 school in Taos, New Mexico serving the same Northern New Mexico market as Roots & Wings. Comparable because of geographic overlap, similar grade range, and alternative-education positioning.
• Altura Preparatory School: Independent charter school serving grades K-12 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Comparable as a single-site New Mexico charter school competing for the same regional pool of families seeking alternatives to traditional public schools.
• Mission Achievement and Success (MAS) Charter School: Public charter school network in Albuquerque, NM serving K-12 students. Comparable as a New Mexico-licensed public charter school operating under similar state-authorization and per-pupil funding structures.

Broad incumbents

• KIPP Foundation: One of the largest national public charter school networks in the U.S. Comparable as a broader charter-school incumbent that operates under similar public funding and authorization frameworks, though at substantially greater scale.

Direct peers

• EL Education: National network that supports and accredits schools using the expeditionary learning model — the same pedagogical framework Roots & Wings explicitly identifies as its inspiration. Operates as a peer because it sets the model standards that comparable single-site expeditionary charter schools follow.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/rootsandwingscommunity
• Instagraminstagram.com/rootsandwingscommunityschool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/roots-&-wings-community-charter-school

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 ROOTS & WINGS COMMUNITY CHARTER SCHOOL