Salem Lutheran Church and School

What Salem Lutheran Church and School does

Salem Lutheran Church and School is a combined religious nonprofit organization operating a WELS (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod)-affiliated church and a private Christian school on a single campus at 14940 62nd Street N in Stillwater, Minnesota. The school delivers preschool through 8th grade education to families in the Stillwater and Washington County area, enrolling roughly 200-400 students across age 3 through grade 8, supplemented by before/after care, hot lunch, transportation via District 834, and a broad extracurricular program (volleyball, cross country, disc golf, basketball, bowling, track, speech team, band, choir, handbells, art, chess, photography).

The church operates multi-service weekly worship (Saturday 5:00 pm, Sunday 8:00 and 10:30 am with summer 9:00 am schedule), online livestream worship, children's ministry (Sunday JAM), youth group for grades 7-12, growth groups, Bible studies, and mission outreach. The organization is supported by 168 staff and faculty members, including long-tenured teachers (tenures of 10, 25, and 40 years) led by Principal Ryan Klatt and pastoral staff, governed by a School Board.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid model: recurring tuition and registration fees (preschool $175 registration, K-8 $275 registration as of March 2025), subscription-based before/after care ($30 per before-care session), transactional hot lunch and milk charges, recurring tithes and offerings through the Church Center platform, and fundraising programs (Raise Right/Scrip, Box Tops, merchandise sales, class fundraisers). The technology stack is administrative rather than product-oriented: Gradelink for enrollment and student records, Blackbaud for tuition and financial aid (Salem ID 15459), ClassDojo for parent communication, Google Workspace for operations, and Church Center for online giving. No products, AI capabilities, or external capital are referenced; the organization is privately funded through congregation contributions and tuition.

Name

Salem Lutheran Church and School

Legal name

Salem Lutheran Church & School

Website

https://salemlutheran.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Salem Lutheran Church and School is a WELS-affiliated nonprofit in Stillwater, Minnesota operating a preschool-through-8th-grade Christian school alongside multi-service worship, children's ministry, and youth programs for local families and congregation members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Education and Christian K-8 Schooling

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Religious Organizations (8131), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based (Religious) K–12 Schools (EDAJABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA), Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD), Faith-Based Preschools (EDACABAF), Campus Spiritual & Religious Life (EDALAHAI)

Keywords

• Christian private school
• Preschool through 8th grade
• Lutheran worship services
• Before and after care
• Religious education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Stillwater

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Registration Fees: The school charges tuition for students from 3-year-old preschool through 8th grade. Registration fees are $175 for preschool and $275 for K-8 (as of March 2025), with early enrollment discounts available. Financial aid is available through Blackbaud.
2. Before and After School Care: Before and after care services are offered for K-8 students. Charges are managed through Gradelink/Blackbaud billing system. Before care runs 7:00 am-8:30 am at $30 per session.
3. Hot Lunch Program: The school provides hot lunch daily. While breakfast and lunch are noted as free in some years, extra milk purchases are charged at $0.50 each. Parent lunches are $5.00.
4. Church Tithes and Offerings: The church receives donations and offerings through online giving (Church Center platform), with multiple giving options including one-time and recurring donations. Mobile giving through the church website.
5. Fundraising Programs: Multiple fundraising mechanisms including Raise Right (Shop With Scrip) gift card program, Box Tops for Education, Salem Wear merchandise sales, 8th grade class fundraisers (Butter Braids, Culver's nights), and annual Christmas Giving Tree.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Salem Lutheran Church & School is a WELS-affiliated religious non-profit that operates a Christian preschool through 8th grade school and a worshiping congregation on a single Stillwater, Minnesota campus. It sells tuition-based faith-based education, before/after school care, sports and fine arts programs, and youth/children's ministry, while the church arm provides weekly worship services, Bible study, and community outreach supported by member donations.

Product overview

Salem Lutheran Church & School is a combined church and private Christian school offering a unified portfolio of religious and educational services. The organization operates Salem Lutheran School (a preschool through 8th grade private academy), in-person and online worship services, children's ministry (Sunday JAM), youth group programs, before/after school care, chapel services, sports programs, fine arts education, speech team, after-school clubs, and community events like Christmas for Kids. The school uses Gradelink for enrollment management and Blackbaud for tuition processing, while the church uses Church Center for giving and ClassDojo for school communications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Salem Lutheran School (Preschool through 8th Grade)

Quantifiable outcome

• First Place disc golf A-team league championship
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WELS Apache MissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe school supports the WELS Apache Mission located on the Fort Apache Reservation and San Carlos Apache Reservation in eastern Arizona. First semester chapel offerings of $1,300.77 were directed to this mission field for spreading God's Word. Second semester offerings support a new mission church in Huntersville, NC.
• St. Croix Lutheran Academy (SCLA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation high school partner for Salem. SCLA visits Salem annually to recruit students and invite families to homecoming events. Salem 8th graders participate in Jump Up Day to experience high school. Salem band students join SCLA Christmas concerts. Students participate in SCLA-hosted events including speech festivals and musical auditions.
• Camp CroixminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation summer camp located in Danbury, WI. The school promotes winter campout opportunities to families. Part of the WELS camp network that Salem families can participate in.
• GradelinkcoreTechnology or IntegrationStudent information system used for enrollment (re-enrollment), student records, lunch account management, and parent portal access. Families use Gradelink for enrollment contracts and continuous enrollment processes.
• BlackbaudcoreTechnology or IntegrationTuition management and financial aid platform. Salem transitioned to Blackbaud for both financial aid applications and tuition payments. Salem ID for financial aid is 15459.
• ClassDojocoreTechnology or IntegrationPrimary school communication app used for weather cancellations, school announcements, and general parent communication. Teachers and Principal Klatt send messages through the platform.
• Valley OutreachminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal Stillwater non-profit providing food, clothing, and support. Salem conducts annual food drives to fill Valley Outreach bins, engaging students in community service.
• Ronald McDonald HouseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharitable partnership through pop tab collection program. Students collect pop tabs to support the Ronald McDonald House, with cash received going directly to support the charity.
• Children's Hospital St. PaulminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual Christmas gift drive collects new toys for families spending holidays at Children's Hospital. The school fills a bin with donations delivered by Principal Klatt before Christmas.
• Christian Life Ministries (Little Canada)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMonthly diaper drive supports this local ministry. Salem collects diapers (especially sizes 3-6) and unscented wipes for donation.
• Valley Access (Channel 18)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal TV broadcast partner airing Salem's full weekend worship service. Contact information available for broadcast times through vactv.org.
• District 834 TransportationminorOthersSchool bus transportation service for Salem students. Parents register through the district transportation office. Bus service may be temporarily suspended on certain days.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• First Lutheran School / First Light Learning Center: WELS-affiliated K-8 school in La Crosse, WI. Directly comparable as a WELS Lutheran school; the Dorns received a call to this institution, evidencing it as a comparable peer for talent and program structure.
• Risen Savior Academy: WELS-affiliated K-8 school in Lakewood Ranch, FL. Directly comparable as a WELS Lutheran school with similar academic and faith-based model; one of Salem's teachers was recruited by this institution, indicating direct labor-market competition.
• St. Croix Lutheran Academy: WELS-affiliated high school in West St. Paul, MN that serves as Salem's primary high school feeder. Directly comparable as a WELS Lutheran school with similar denomination, admissions pipeline, and partnership overlap (SCLA visits Salem, hosts speech festivals and joint events).
• NorthCross: WELS-affiliated K-12 school in Lakeville, MN. Directly comparable as a WELS Lutheran school; Principal Klatt received an external call to NorthCross, indicating it competes for Salem's leadership and serves a similar Twin Cities Lutheran family base.
• Trinity Lutheran School: Lutheran K-8 school in the Stillwater/MN area. Closest geographic peer; competes for the same Lutheran and values-based families in Washington County with a similar faith-based academic model.
• Martin Luther High School: WELS high school in North Fond du Lac, WI. Comparable WELS institution competing for the same denomination-bound families; Salem's 8th-grade graduates are a recruitment pool for schools like Martin Luther alongside SCLA.

Emerging players

• Camp Croix: WELS summer camp in Danbury, WI. Direct peer in the WELS ecosystem—Salem actively promotes its programming to families. Comparable as a WELS youth ministry extension that competes for the same family engagement dollars.

Regional players

• Arizona Lutheran Academy: WELS high school in Phoenix, AZ. Comparable WELS institution serving a different geography; relevant peer for understanding the broader WELS K-12 ecosystem and Salem's connection to WELS mission work (Apache Mission) in the same region.
• Good Shepherd Lutheran School: Lutheran K-8 school in the Twin Cities metro area. Comparable private Lutheran elementary school serving similar values-based families; competes for the same referral pool from WELS or LCMS congregations in the broader metro area.

Broad incumbents

• Concordia Academy: Lutheran high school in Roseville, MN (LCMS). Broader Lutheran competitor in the Twin Cities metro with a wider curriculum portfolio and grade span; less denominationally aligned (LCMS vs. WELS) but competes for the same Lutheran high school-bound families.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/salemlutheran
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/salemlutheran

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Salem Lutheran Church and School