San Diego Academy

What San Diego Academy does

San Diego Academy is a private TK-12 Seventh-day Adventist Christian school headquartered at 2800 East 4th Street in National City, California, serving families from across San Diego County. Founded in 1899 by Adventist pastor W. M. Healey with 17 students, the school has operated continuously for 125+ years and relocated to its current National City campus in August 2005. The institution enrolls students across four sequential programs (TK/Kindergarten, Elementary K-6, Junior High 7-8, and High School 9-12) at an 18:1 student-teacher ratio, with reported outcomes of a 99% graduation rate, 98% college attendance, and 75% AP pass rate. The school holds WASC, UC System A-G, and Adventist Accrediting Association accreditations.

The core product is a college-preparatory Christian education integrating academics, spiritual development, music, athletics, and service learning. Supporting programs include before/after care for K-6 students, a TK-12 music program, CIF athletics, a 25-hour-per-year service learning requirement, and the differentiated Partnering For Eternity (PFE) mentor scholarship program operated with SFFC Foundation. The technology stack is non-proprietary and limited to standard third-party platforms: RenWeb/FACTS for admissions and parent portal, AdventistSchool Pay for tuition billing, Donately for fundraising, and VarsityMade for merchandise.

The revenue model is a multi-stream private school operation. Primary revenue is tuition, with two tiers: SDA member subsidized rates ($7,011-$10,611/year) and regular rates ($8,865-$12,870/year), with multi-student family discounts. Secondary streams include one-time registration fees ($255-$435), usage-based before/after care ($5-$8/hour), daily lunch ($7), and donations/capital fundraising (a recent $500K campaign for facility improvements). Distribution is direct-to-consumer via online application, campus tours, and a church referral network; the school also serves a small international student segment through a StudentRoomStay housing partnership.

Name

San Diego Academy

Legal name

San Diego Academy

Website

https://sdacademy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1899

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

San Diego Academy is a private TK-12 Seventh-day Adventist Christian school in National City, California, serving San Diego County families since 1899 with WASC-accredited college-prep education, athletics, music, and before/after care programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private K-12 Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Nonsectarian Independent Day Schools (EDAJABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based Early Learning Academies (EDACADAH)

Keywords

• Private Christian education
• K-12 school services
• Seventh-day Adventist school
• College preparatory education
• Before after school care

Headquarters

HQ city

National City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition Revenue: Primary revenue stream from tuition payments. SDA church member families receive subsidized rates while non-member families pay regular rates. Tuition varies by grade level (TK/K-6, 7-8, 9-11, 12) with discounts for multiple students from same family. Payment available monthly or yearly.
2. Registration Fees: One-time registration fees collected at enrollment, ranging from $255 to $435 depending on grade level.
3. Before/After Care Services: Optional before and after school care services for K-6 students, charged at $5/hour per student for before care and $8/hour per student for after care.
4. Donations and Fundraising: Capital fundraising campaigns including recent $500,000 goal for facility improvements (roof repair, HVAC system installation).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

San Diego Academy is a private TK-12 Seventh-day Adventist Christian school that delivers college-preparatory education across four grade levels (TK/Kindergarten, Elementary K-6, Junior High 7-8, and High School 9-12), supplemented by before/after school care, athletics, music, and service learning programs. The school charges tuition on a monthly or annual basis, with subsidized rates for Seventh-day Adventist church members and a unique intergenerational mentorship program that provides tuition credit to students. All programs are delivered on a single campus in National City, California, with families enrolling directly through an online portal.

Product overview

San Diego Academy is a private TK-12 Christian Seventh-day Adventist school offering a comprehensive educational program with multiple integrated components. The core offering consists of four sequential school programs: TK/Kindergarten, Elementary (K-6), Junior High (7-8), and High School (9-12), each building upon the previous level. Supporting the academic curriculum are optional add-on programs including Before/After School Care for K-6 students, a Music Program offering classes from TK through Chorale, an Athletics Program with CIF participation for grades 7-12, and the Service Learning Program requiring community service hours. The school also offers the unique Partnering For Eternity (PFE) Mentor Scholarship Program, which pairs students with adult mentors to provide both mentorship and tuition assistance. All programs are integrated with administrative systems including FACTS Family Portal for parent communications and AdventistSchool Pay for tuition management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TK/Kindergarten Program Early childhood education program for Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten students, providing a safe, loving, and happy environment for young learners to explore and grow in a Christian setting.
• Elementary School Program (Grades K-6) Elementary education covering grades K through 6, teaching core subjects including Reading, Writing, Spelling, Handwriting, and Music with small class sizes of typically under 20 students.
• Junior High School Program (Grades 7-8) Middle school program building on core knowledge with subjects including Language Arts, History, Bible, Physical Education, Jr. High Band, and Jr. High Choir, with leadership opportunities.
• High School Program (Grades 9-12) College preparatory high school program with rigorous academics including Modern Languages, Math and Science, History, English, Religion, Government/Economics, Band, Choir, Chorale, Service Learning, Health and PE, Computers, and Yearbook. WASC and UC A-G accredited.
• Before/After School Care Childcare services for students in Kindergarten through 6th grade. Before School: 6:00 AM to 8:00 AM; After School: 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM. Students can work on homework, create art, play sports, or socialize.
• Athletics Program Organized sports program for grades 7-12. Junior High offers flag football, soccer, basketball, and volleyball. High school participates in CIF with basketball, flag football, volleyball, soccer, and softball.
• Music Program Comprehensive music education from TK-12 including bucket drums, ukuleles, band instruments, handbells, concert band, choir, chorale, and praise teams. Private music lessons also available.
• Service Learning Program Community service program requiring 25 hours of service per year of high school attendance. Activities include volunteering at churches and food banks, tutoring, and beach cleanups.
• Partnering For Eternity (PFE) Mentor Scholarship Program Mentorship program pairing students with 55+ age mentors in weekly meetings for mutually beneficial relationships. Students receive tuition credits ($30/hr K-8, $800/semester 9-12).

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% graduation rate (well above U.S. national average)
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• StudentRoomStaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to provide housing services for international students attending San Diego Academy. StudentRoomStay assists international students with finding appropriate housing accommodations during their studies.
• SFFC Foundation (Partnering For Eternity)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPFE (Partnering For Eternity) mentor program connects students with 55+ adult mentors in mutually beneficial weekly meetings. Students receive tuition credit ($30/hr K-8, $800/semester 9-12) while forming meaningful intergenerational relationships. The program is currently full with 28 K-8 participants and 8 on waiting list.
• Paradise Valley ChurchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated adjacent to the school, Paradise Valley Church has historical connection to San Diego Academy. Pastors join school for spiritual support and counseling services as needed.
• VarsityMade CominorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial merchandise partner providing official San Diego Academy Cavaliers merchandise including t-shirts, letterman jackets, and other apparel through online storefront.
• RenWeb (Facets)coreTechnology or IntegrationSchool management system used for online applications, student enrollment, and parent portal access (FACTS Family Portal) for grades TK-12.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Francis Parker School: Established private K-12 college-preparatory school in San Diego offering a nonsectarian progressive education model. Comparable as a San Diego private K-12 competitor competing for the same tuition-paying families with a broader curriculum.
• La Jolla Country Day School: Independent K-12 private school in La Jolla with a college-prep curriculum. Comparable as a top-tier San Diego private K-12 competitor with broader programmatic breadth and stronger brand equity.
• Pacific Ridge School: Private K-12 college-preparatory school in Carlsbad serving North San Diego County families. Comparable as a San Diego-area private K-12 competitor with a similar college-prep focus but a nonsectarian positioning.
• The Bishop's School: Premier private K-12 college-preparatory school in La Jolla, San Diego County. Not faith-based but operates in the same San Diego private K-12 market with stronger brand recognition and endowment, representing the upper-tier competitor.

Direct peers

• La Sierra Academy: Seventh-day Adventist K-12 school in Riverside, CA, directly comparable as a fellow SDA academy serving California families with the same faith-based curriculum, WASC accreditation pathway, and college-prep focus.
• Monterey Bay Academy: Seventh-day Adventist K-12 boarding school in Watsonville, CA, directly comparable as a California SDA academy with a similar faith-based college-prep curriculum and student outcomes focus.
• Christian Heritage School: Private Christian K-12 school in El Cajon serving San Diego County families, comparable as a regional faith-based private school competing for the same tuition-paying Christian families in the same catchment area.
• Rio Lindo Adventist Academy: Seventh-day Adventist K-12 boarding school in Healdsburg, CA, with a comparable SDA college-preparatory model including academics, music, and service learning programs for students across the western U.S.
• Loma Linda Academy: Seventh-day Adventist K-12 school in Loma Linda, CA, offering a closely parallel mix of SDA Christian education, college-prep academics, music/athletics programs, and accredited curriculum serving Inland Empire families.
• San Diego Jewish Academy: Private faith-based K-12 school in San Diego offering Jewish values-integrated college-preparatory education. Comparable as another faith-based private K-12 school serving San Diego families with a similar religious-academic integrated model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SanDiegoAcademy
• Instagraminstagram.com/sda.athletics
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/san-diego-academy

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles25 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 San Diego Academy