SAR Academy

Private K-12 Jewish Day Schoolsaracademy.org

SAR Academy is a private Jewish day school in Riverdale, Bronx serving nearly 1,000 students from Early Learning Center through Grade 12 across two campuses, offering integrated Torah and secular education with Hebrew immersion, Zionist programming, and recurring annual tuition-plus-obligation enrollment.

Company typePrivate
Founded1969
HeadquartersRiverdale, United States
Headcount101–250
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What SAR Academy does

SAR Academy (legal name: Salanter Akiba Riverdale Academy) is a private Jewish day school founded in 1969 in the Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx, New York, operating as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational institution (EIN 13-2646185). The school serves nearly 1,000 to over 1,000 students across an Early Learning Center (ages 2-6), Lower School (K-5), Middle School (6-8), and an affiliated SAR High School (9-12) housed at a separate campus. Its educational model integrates secular academic instruction in history, literature, math, and science with Torah study and Hebrew language immersion, delivered through Israeli shlichim (emissaries) and framed around love for Medinat Yisrael. The institution emphasizes Zionist identity formation, chesed (kindness) programming, and direct community connections with Israeli partners including Kfar Aza and Kibbutz Alumim.

Revenue is generated through a recurring annual subscription model combining tuition ($19,410-$32,150 per student depending on grade), mandatory Annual Fund pledges ($3,750-$6,500 per family), a multi-year Building Fund obligation ($4,000 per family at $1,000/year), and an annual $750 Security Obligation. A complementary donation ecosystem supplements tuition, including the Guardian Circle for major donors, Grand Society for grandparents, BeeCause for high school parents, and dedicated Israel-support initiatives that have raised over $400,000 for Kfar Aza rebuilding. Need-based Tuition Accessibility Grants ($5,000 for nursery, $3,500 for academy) broaden the addressable market into mid-income households.

Operations run across two physical campuses in Riverdale — the Jesselson Campus at 655 West 254th Street housing the Academy divisions and the SAR High School campus at 503 West 259th Street — supported by Veracross (parent portal/SIS) and ParentLocker (scholarship applications). Go-to-market is sales-led through community parlor meetings, open houses, school tours, and family referrals, with marketing executed via a dedicated YouTube channel (SAR Live programming), Instagram accounts for Academy and High School, a comprehensive website, and recurring earned media coverage. The school is governed by its own board with no parent company, external investors, or acquisition activity.

SAR Academy firmographics

Firmographics

Name: SAR Academy
Legal name: Salanter Akiba Riverdale Academy
Website: https://saracademy.org
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1969
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 101–250 employees
Short description: SAR Academy is a private Jewish day school in Riverdale, Bronx serving nearly 1,000 students from Early Learning Center through Grade 12 across two campuses, offering integrated Torah and secular education with Hebrew immersion, Zionist programming, and recurring annual tuition-plus-obligation enrollment.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

SAR Academy industry classification

Industry

Product category: Private K-12 Jewish Day School
NAICS: Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)
SIC: Services-Educational Services (8200)
akta.pro primary industry: Faith-Based (Religious) K–12 Schools (EDAJABAC)
akta.pro secondary industry: Faith-Based Early Learning Academies (EDACADAH)

Keywords

Jewish day school
K-12 education
Hebrew immersion
Torah education
Private school tuition

Where SAR Academy is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Riverdale
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

SAR Academy business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

Tuition: Annual tuition for students ranging from $19,410-$32,150 depending on grade level, plus mandatory annual fund pledges and building fund contributions.
Annual Fund Pledges: Mandatory annual fund contributions ranging from $3,750 to $6,500 per family depending on grade level.
Building Fund: $4,000 per family contribution (payable $1,000/year) for both SAR Academy and SAR High School.
Security Obligation: $750 per family annual security obligation.
Donations and Sponsorships: Various giving programs including Guardian Circle (major donors), Grand Society (grandparents), BeeCause (high school parents), Day of Learning sponsorship, and general donations.
Israel Support Initiatives: Donations for Israel support initiatives including Project 24 hosting, Kfar Aza rebuilding, and various IDF support programs.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Subscription	Annual	Nursery 2-year-old class
Subscription	Annual	Nursery 3-year-old and 4-year-old
Subscription	Annual	Kindergarten through Grade 5
Subscription	Annual	Grades 6-8
Subscription	Annual	High School Grades 9-12
Subscription	Annual	Tuition Accessibility Grant (TAG) - Nursery
Subscription	Annual	Family Tuition Accessibility Grant - Academy

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

SAR Academy product offering

Product offering

Core offering

SAR Academy is a private Jewish day school providing integrated religious and secular education from Early Learning Center (ages 2-6) through High School (grades 9-12). The school delivers Torah-based learning combined with secular academics (history, literature, math, science) viewed through the lens of Medinat Yisrael, supported by Hebrew immersion via Israeli shlichim, STEM programming, chesed initiatives, and Israel-connection programming. Tuition is supplemented by mandatory annual fund pledges, building fund contributions, security obligations, and donations.

Product overview

SAR Academy is a Jewish day school offering educational programs for children from Early Learning Center (ages 2-6) through High School. The institution provides religious education through the lens of Torah and love for Medinat Yisrael, with programs spanning Early Learning Center, Lower School, Middle School, and High School. SAR Academy does not offer technology products or software services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

Early Learning Center (ELC): Early Learning Center program for children ages 2-6, providing a loving, joyous Jewish environment with experiential learning.
Academy

Products and services

Early Learning Center (ELC) Program Early childhood Jewish education for children ages 2-6 in a loving, joyous Jewish environment with experiential learning and passionate, nurturing teachers. Hebrew language immersion is integrated at this stage.
Lower School (K-5) Program Lower school (Kindergarten through Grade 5) teaching history, literature, math, and science through the lens of Torah and love for Medinat Yisrael, with Hebrew language development, STEM curriculum, and Family STEM Day events.
Middle School (6-8) Program Middle school challenging every learner to move beyond comfortable limits in academic, religious, social, and co-curricular areas, with continued Hebrew language development, chesed initiatives, and Israel-engagement programming.
High School (9-12) Program High school striving to challenge every learner to move beyond comfortable limits in academic, religious, social, and co-curricular areas, with emphasis on college preparation, religious development, leadership, and Israel connection. Operates from a separate campus.

Quantifiable outcome

Over $400,000 raised for Kfar Aza community rebuilding
+4 more outcomes

Companies that use SAR Academy

Customer profile

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

SAR Academy technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

SAR Academy partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

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

Riverdale Jewish Community PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Riverdale Jewish Community Partnership for Yom HaZikaron commemoration and other community events. The collaboration brings together local rabbinic and lay leaders for memorial and celebration events.
Love-SupportcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Love-Support organization to support Kfar Aza community rebuilding. Raised over $400,000 for Kfar Aza through this collaboration to provide monthly support for displaced families.
Project 24majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject 24 facilitated hosting of 14 families from Kibbutz Alumim's emergency response team for a week of respite and connection in Riverdale and Scarsdale.
Kfar AzacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeep ongoing connection with Kfar Aza kibbutz community, including midwinter visit by 30 SAR students/teachers/parents, hosting Amit and Tomer Ades family in New York, and hummus fundraising initiative selling 300 containers to support employees.
Kibbutz AlumimmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing connection with Kibbutz Alumim families including hosting 14 families for a week through Project 24. The kibbutz was devastated during October 7 attacks.
Lookstein CenterminorOthersInterview with Lookstein Center regarding Israeli shlichim and their impact on Jewish education at SAR, including recruiting and mentoring Israeli teachers.
Magen David AdomminorOthersSupported Magen David Adom with donations for CAT tourniquets ($2,384) and support for volunteer medics in Gush Etzion.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

SAR Academy competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Regional players

Ida Crown Jewish Academy: Chicago-area Modern Orthodox high school with rigorous dual curriculum and Zionist identity — comparable peer at similar tuition tier serving a non-NYC Modern Orthodox market, useful for cross-market benchmarking.
Maimonides School: Boston-area Modern Orthodox day school (ELC–12) with Hebrew-language immersion and integrated Torah/secular curriculum — comparable peer outside the immediate NYC market, useful for benchmarking model and tuition economics.
Westchester Hebrew High School (WHHS / Ma'ayanot-adjacent cluster): Westchester-based Modern Orthodox high school serving a similar NYC metro demographic — comparable on mission and tuition tier but geographically distinct from SAR's Riverdale core catchment.

Direct peers

Yeshivah of Flatbush: Brooklyn-based Modern Orthodox yeshiva serving ELC through 12th grade with Hebrew-language immersion and integrated Judaic/secular curriculum — directly comparable on size, mission, and target Modern Orthodox families.
Ramaz School: Manhattan-based Modern Orthodox Jewish day school serving nursery through 12th grade with Torah/secular integration and Zionist identity — the closest direct peer to SAR in philosophy, tuition tier, and NYC Modern Orthodox positioning.
Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School: New Jersey Modern Orthodox high school with integrated Judaic and college-preparatory curriculum — directly comparable suburban Modern Orthodox peer competing for similar tri-state area families.
Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway (HAFTR): Long-established Modern Orthodox day school on Long Island serving ELC through 12th grade with comparable tuition model and Zionist orientation — directly comparable community day school competing for similar NYC-area Modern Orthodox families.
Central Yeshiva High School for Girls: Brooklyn-based Modern Orthodox girls' high school with rigorous dual Judaic/secular curriculum — directly comparable to SAR High School on mission, structure, and target demographic of Modern Orthodox high school families.
Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy (MTA / YUHSB): Yeshiva University's boys' high school in Manhattan offering an integrated Torah and college-preparatory program — directly comparable in Modern Orthodox high school positioning, tuition tier, and Israel-focused programming.
Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy: Connecticut Modern Orthodox day school serving ELC through 12th grade with Hebrew immersion and integrated curriculum — directly comparable in program structure and Modern Orthodox positioning within the broader NYC tri-state market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

SAR Academy compliance and trust

Trust signal

Compliance1 record

SAR Academy financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

SAR Academy leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

SAR Academy funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

SAR Academy M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SAR Academy

What does SAR Academy do?

Is SAR Academy a public or private company?

SAR Academy is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.

When was SAR Academy founded?

SAR Academy was founded in 1969. It employs 101 to 250 people.

Where is SAR Academy based?

SAR Academy is headquartered in Riverdale, United States, in the North America region.

How does SAR Academy make money?

Six revenue lines are on record. Tuition is the primary driver. The others are annual Fund Pledges, building Fund, security Obligation, donations and Sponsorships and israel Support Initiatives.

Who are SAR Academy's main competitors?

Regional players on record are Ida Crown Jewish Academy, Maimonides School and Westchester Hebrew High School (WHHS / Ma'ayanot-adjacent cluster). Direct peers are Yeshivah of Flatbush, Ramaz School, Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School, Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway (HAFTR), Central Yeshiva High School for Girls, Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy (MTA / YUHSB) and Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy.

Does SAR Academy have an API?

No public API is recorded for SAR Academy.

What industry is SAR Academy in?

SAR Academy's product category is Private K-12 Jewish Day School. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJABAC, Faith-Based (Religious) K–12 Schools, with a secondary code of EDACADAH, Faith-Based Early Learning Academies. Its NAICS code is 6111 and its SIC code is 8200.