SchoolNova at Stony Brook

What SchoolNova at Stony Brook does

SchoolNova at Stony Brook is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit supplemental education organization founded in September 2004, operating under a Revocable Permit from Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York. It serves families with children ages 3 to 18 (pre-K through 12th grade) across Long Island and the broader Northeast, delivering a hybrid of in-person Sunday classes on the SBU campus (Humanities and SBS buildings) and online classes via Zoom on weekdays. The curriculum comprises 13 subject areas, including Mathematics across 11 levels, Physics across 5 levels, Chemistry, Biology, Earth and Physical Science, Computer Science, Russian (10 levels), French (6 levels), Spanish, Advanced English, and Visual Arts, with enrichment programming for ages 3-5. Instructors hold Ph.D. or M.Sc. degrees with university-level teaching experience, and the program integrates academic-competition preparation (AMC, Math Kangaroo, PhysicsBowl, F=ma, Le Grand Concours, Scholastic Awards) and community-outreach events such as the annual Math and Science Festival and CaféNova mentorship series.

The business model is a consumer-paid tuition program layered on a nonprofit donor base. Revenue comes from per-class tuition ($27 for 45-minute, $31.50 for 60-minute, $50 for 90-minute classes; 28-30 sessions per academic year), a $50 per-new-student application fee, an annual family program fee ($35 single-child, $50 multi-child), per-student material fees, and progressive late fees on unpaid balances, augmented by tax-deductible donations channeled via PayPal Giving Fund, Fidelity Charitable, Benevity, the Simons Foundation, and direct checks. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through a Drupal-based online registration platform with first-come-first-served enrollment, returning-family priority registration, sibling and multi-class discounts, and financial-assistance scholarships. The company technology stack is conventional SaaS (Zoom, Google Classroom, Google Forms, Drupal/PHP/MySQL, PayPal, Zelle) with no API or mobile app exposure, and governance rests with a Board of Directors under Director Marina Polonskaia, Ph.D.

Name

SchoolNova at Stony Brook

Legal name

SchoolNova at Stony Brook

Website

https://schoolnova.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SchoolNova at Stony Brook is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit offering supplemental enrichment education in math, sciences, languages, computer science, and the arts for children ages 3-18, delivered in person at Stony Brook University on Sundays and online via Zoom.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Supplemental Education (K-12 Enrichment)

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Accelerated Learning & Grade Advancement Programs (EDAJAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Academic Enrichment Camps (General Studies) (EDAMALAB)

Keywords

• Supplemental education programs
• K-12 enrichment classes
• STEM enrichment courses
• Academic olympiad preparation
• Foreign language instruction

Headquarters

HQ city

Stony Brook

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition - Class Fees: SchoolNova charges tuition per class based on duration: $27 per 45-minute class, $31.50 per 60-minute class, and $50 per 90-minute class. Tuition can be paid in one annual payment or in three quarterly installments (Pay-by-Quarter Plan). The school runs 28-30 weeks per academic year.
2. Application Fee: A non-refundable $50 application fee is charged per student at the time of new student registration. Returning students who reactivate during Priority Registration are exempt from this fee.
3. Program Fee: A non-refundable program fee per family collected once per year: $35 for families with one child and $50 for families with two or more children. Covers administrative costs, on-site assistance, and informational services.
4. Material Fee: A non-refundable per-student fee covering printed homework, classwork assignments, books, educational materials, and art supplies. Amount varies by class. Some teachers may collect additional material fees.
5. Late Fees: Late fees progressively accumulate on outstanding balances: $30 after 7 days, additional $60 between 1-3 weeks ($90 total), additional $90 beyond 3 weeks ($180 total).
6. Donations: SchoolNova accepts tax-deductible donations through PayPal Giving Fund (no fee), Fidelity Charitable, Benevity, and checks. Donors can give to the General Fund or specific programs (Students, Outreach, TA Program, Teachers).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SchoolNova at Stony Brook is a nonprofit supplemental education program offering weekend and online classes for children ages 3–18, covering mathematics, sciences, computer science, foreign languages, visual arts, and early-childhood enrichment. Tuition is charged per class based on duration (45, 60, or 90 minutes) with the academic year running 28–30 weeks of in-person and online instruction. Programming is delivered by instructors with advanced degrees, with supplementary clubs, academic competitions, a Junior TA Program, and the CaféNova mentorship series.

Product overview

SchoolNova at Stony Brook is a comprehensive K-12 enrichment education program operating as a single integrated offering with multiple subject-specific modules. The program provides face-to-face instruction on Sundays at Stony Brook University campus alongside online learning options. Core offerings include: Mathematics (11 levels, pre-K to 12th grade), Sciences (Physics with 5 levels, Chemistry, Biology, Earth Science, General Science), Languages (Russian in 10 levels, French in 6 levels, Spanish, and Advanced English), Visual Arts, and Computer Science. The program extends beyond traditional academics through supplementary components: Math and Physics Clubs (elementary through advanced), participation in Olympiads and Academic Competitions (AMC, Math Kangaroo, PhysicsBowl, Le Grand Concours, Scholastic Awards), the Junior TA Program for student employment, CaféNova mentorship discussions, and the annual Math and Science Festival. Additional services include a Math Placement Testing system for student assessment and a Homework Archive. Financial assistance through scholarships is available for eligible families.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Math Program Multi-level mathematics curriculum with 11 levels covering foundational arithmetic through advanced mathematics for students from pre-K through 12th grade, with placement routed through a math placement assessment.
• Physics Program Physics curriculum with five levels (levels 0–4) covering introductory physics through advanced concepts, including preparation for physics competitions such as PhysicsBowl and F=ma.
• Science Program Science curriculum covering Earth Science, Physical Science, and general science classes for elementary and middle school students.
• Chemistry Program Chemistry classes for grades 7–10 taught by instructors with advanced science degrees.
• Biology Program Biology curriculum for middle and high school students covering life sciences and biological concepts.
• Computer Science Program Computer science education for grades 6–10, including CS 101 and CS 150 courses introducing programming and computational thinking.
• Russian Language Classes Heritage Russian language instruction with ten levels from beginner to advanced, plus Russian as Foreign Language for non-native speakers, with theater and creative writing components.
• French Language Classes French language instruction with six levels from FLES (elementary) through advanced, preparing students for the Le Grand Concours national competition.
• Spanish Language Classes Spanish language instruction with multiple levels from beginner through intermediate/advanced for grades 1–7.
• Advanced English Classes Advanced English language arts instruction for grades 5–10, including creative writing, preparing students for Scholastic Art and Writing Awards competitions.
• Visual Arts Program Visual art classes for ages 6–16, organized by grade levels (Art 1, 2, 3), featuring student exhibitions and art shows throughout the year.
• Enrichment Classes Early-childhood enrichment programs for children ages 3–5, available in both Russian-speaking and English-speaking versions, focused on early math and developmental activities.
• Math and Physics Clubs After-school enrichment clubs including Math Clubs for grades 1–12 (elementary, middle school, and advanced problem-solving levels) and a Physics Club for high school students, featuring competition preparation and access to SBU faculty, postdocs, and graduate students.
• Olympiads and Academic Competitions Coordinated participation in math, physics, computer science, French, and English competitions including AMC 8, AMC 10/12, Math Kangaroo, MathCon, Math League, PhysicsBowl, F=ma, CMIMC Programming, Le Grand Concours, and Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.
• CaféNova Monthly informal discussion series that connects high school students with faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows from Brookhaven National Lab, Stony Brook University, and the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics for STEM career guidance.
• Math and Science Festival Annual community festival held at Stony Brook University featuring math games, science demonstrations, and interactive activities for students of all ages, families, and the broader community.
• Junior TA Program Paid teaching-assistant employment program for high-school graduates and Stony Brook University undergraduates, providing teaching experience in SchoolNova classes and serving as a talent pipeline for the school.

Quantifiable outcome

• Students advance to the next level by meeting criteria of 80% attendance, 80% homework completion, and teacher approval
• +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

Integration5 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Simons Center for Geometry and Physics (SCGP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCGP is a key partner for hosting SchoolNova's Math Kangaroo competition and Math and Science Festival events. The Simons Center is located adjacent to the Math Building on SBU campus.
• Department of Physics and Astronomy (Stony Brook University)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Department of Physics and Astronomy partners with SchoolNova for the Math and Science Festival and hosts the Advanced Physics Club on campus. Faculty, postdocs, and graduate students participate in club activities and competition preparation.
• Department of Mathematics (Stony Brook University)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Department of Mathematics partners with SchoolNova to host AMC 10/12B competitions and provides faculty and students for the Advanced Math Problem Solving Club. SchoolNova is co-located at the SBU Math Department.
• SigmaCampminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSigmaCamp is listed as a partner for the Math and Science Festival, contributing to the collaborative event organized by SchoolNova.
• Advanced Academic Programs of RoslynminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner for the Math and Science Festival.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Think Academy: Think Academy is a math enrichment provider serving K-8 students with a multi-level curriculum, competition preparation, and weekend/after-school classes. Its growth model (from immigrant-community origins to US expansion) parallels SchoolNova's heritage community approach while operating at greater scale.
• Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY): CTY provides accelerated and enrichment courses for academically gifted K-12 students, including summer and online programs. It serves a similar student profile (high-achieving learners seeking acceleration beyond standard school) with comparable subject breadth in math, science, and language arts.
• Russian School of Mathematics: Russian School of Mathematics is a K-12 supplemental math and STEM enrichment program originally founded for the Russian-speaking community. Like SchoolNova, it uses a multi-level curriculum (RSM has K-12 levels), emphasizes olympiad preparation, and offers weekend/after-school enrichment. It is now a multi-location national chain, providing a scaled analogue to SchoolNova's model.
• Art of Problem Solving (AoPS): AoPS provides advanced math textbooks, online courses, and competition preparation targeting AMC/AIME/USAMO and similar contests. It directly overlaps SchoolNova's core offering of competition-focused math enrichment for advanced K-12 students, with a stronger online and self-study focus.
• Duke Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP): Duke TIP identifies and serves academically gifted K-12 students through enrichment programs, online courses, and academic competitions. Like SchoolNova, it focuses on accelerating advanced learners and connecting them with university-level academic content.
• EXPLO (Exploration Programs): EXPLO runs enrichment summer programs for K-12 students on university campuses, with strong STEM and competition-prep offerings. Its model of university-partnered enrichment programs mirrors SchoolNova's SBU co-location strategy.
• SigmaCamp: SigmaCamp is a summer enrichment camp for mathematically and scientifically gifted middle school students. It is listed as a partner of SchoolNova for the annual Math and Science Festival and shares SchoolNova's mission of advanced STEM enrichment for high-achieving youth.

Broad incumbents

• Mathnasium: Mathnasium is a large franchise-based supplemental math education program serving K-12. It operates broadly across the supplemental math market with a much lower skill ceiling than SchoolNova, but competes for the same family dollar on math tutoring.
• Kumon: Kumon is a global worksheet-based supplemental math and reading program with thousands of centers. While it overlaps with SchoolNova's supplemental positioning, it targets foundational skill development rather than advanced enrichment, making it a broader incumbent rather than a direct competitor.

Others

• Khan Academy: Khan Academy is a free online education platform covering math, science, and computer science from K-12 through early college. While not a paid competitor, it sets the baseline expectation for online STEM instruction that any supplemental program (including SchoolNova's online offering) must justify against.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/schoolnova
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/schoolnova
• Instagraminstagram.com/schoolnova_

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about SchoolNova at Stony Brook