Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran School

Name

Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran School

Legal name

Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran School & Child Care

Website

https://shlutheran.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private K-8 Christian Education and Licensed Child Care

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Child Care Services (6244)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Preschool Programs within Private K–12 Schools (EDACABAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Preschool Programs within Childcare Centers (EDACABAL), School-Age Wraparound Care (Ages 3–5) (EDACAHAA)

Keywords

• Private Christian education
• Early childhood care
• K-8 academics
• Summer day camp
• Faith-based schooling

Headquarters

HQ city

San Antonio

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. School Tuition (PreK-8): Primary revenue stream from tuition payments for students in PreKindergarten through 8th grade. Tuition is billed according to published rate schedules with various payment options including annual, semi-annual, and monthly billing through FACTS. Discounts available for siblings, Lutheran High School siblings, military/first responders, and alumni.
2. Child Care Fees: Revenue from licensed child care services for children ages 6 weeks through Preschool 3. Options range from part-time (2-4 days per week) to full-time care with hours from 6:30am-6:30pm. Breakfast and hot lunch available at additional cost.
3. Application and Registration Fees: Non-refundable $55 application fee per student for new applications. Registration fees vary per grade level. New Student and Enrollment Fees are non-refundable unless admission is denied by the school.
4. Athletic Program Fees: Students participating in sports are assessed a fee for each sport. Amount varies per sport. Participants must provide documented proof of physical examination within one year of sports season start.
5. Ram Pals Volunteer Fee: Families with school-age children (PreK through 8th) are asked to commit 10 involvement hours annually. Alternative options include: 10 hours of service in lieu of $250 fee, 5 hours plus $125 fee, or full $250 payment in lieu of hours.
6. Tuition Assistance: Scholarship money fluctuates annually based on congregational member donations. Tuition assistance limited to up to 1/3 of child's tuition amount. Uses FACTS Grant & Aid for third-party financial need analysis. Maximum award is 30% of tuition.
7. Before/After Care and Summer Camp: Summer Ram Camp operates May 26 - August 7, open to all families for students 6 weeks through 7th grade, 6:30am-6:30pm. Additional before and after school care options available.
8. Lunch Program: Prepaid lunch accounts through EZSchoolApps. Regular lunch $6.00 for Kinder-8th, reduced lunch $5.00 for Toddlers-PreK. A-la-carte breakfast items range $0.50-$1.00. Catering services for classroom parties available.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran School & Child Care provides Christ-centered private school education for grades PreK through 8 and state-licensed child care for ages 6 weeks through Preschool 3 at its single San Antonio campus. Offerings include individualized academic instruction exceeding Texas Education Agency standards, fine arts, athletics, robotics, summer camp, before/after care, and on-site food service through the Ram Cafe.

Product overview

Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran School operates as a unified educational institution comprising multiple integrated programs: the core private school (PreK-8) providing nationally accredited academic instruction; a state-licensed Child Care program (Infants-Preschool 3); Summer Ram Camp seasonal program; and After School Programs including athletics, robotics (Rambotics), drama, and other enrichment clubs. The school utilizes Gradelink for enrollment management, Google Classroom for learning delivery, and FACTS for financial aid processing. Programs are connected through shared faith-based philosophy, unified accreditation (National Lutheran School Accreditation), and coordinated enrichment activities including Ram Cafe food service and technology integration across all grade levels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Summer Ram Camp: Summer program for students 6 weeks through 7th grade running May 26 - August 7, offering themed activities, splash days, field trips, robotics, and more.
• Ram Cafe
• Ram Pals Volunteer Program

Products and services

• Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran School (PreK-8) Christ-centered private school serving children from PreK through 8th grade with nationally accredited academic curriculum, enrichment programs, fine arts, athletics, and character education in a faith-based learning community.
• Child Care Program (Infants to Preschool 3) State-licensed child care program providing structured Christian and academic foundation for children ages six weeks to Preschool 3, including daily curriculum, weekly chapel services, and full-time/part-time care options.
• Summer Ram Camp Summer day camp program running May through August for students 6 weeks through 7th grade, featuring themed weekly activities, splash days, field trips, robotics, and extended hours from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm.
• Athletics Program Competitive athletic program for Kinder through 8th grade participating in ISAL, SACAL, and TCSAAL leagues, offering cross country, basketball, flag football, soccer, track and field, volleyball, golf, and other sports.
• Ram Cafe Food Service On-site food service program offering scratch-cooked breakfast and lunch, with a 6-week rotating menu featuring American, Latin American, Italian, and Asian cuisines. Also serves as a training kitchen for the Culinary Institute of America.
• After School Enrichment Clubs Variety of after-school clubs and programs including Drama, Robotics (Rambotics), Lego Club, Chess Club, language programs, music, athletics, dance, and other student-initiated clubs for various age groups.
• Rambotics Robotics Program Robotics education program using KIBO robots for grades K-2 and SPIKE Prime for grades 3-8, teaching algorithmic thinking and coding skills, with participation in ERIC competitions and hosting the annual SHARC competition.
• Ram Pals Volunteer Program Parent volunteer service program requiring 10 involvement hours per family per school year, with a $250 fee buy-out option or a 5-hour plus $125 hybrid option.

Quantifiable outcome

• Students in top 10% nationally on annual achievement tests
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Culinary Institute of AmericaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ram Cafe serves as a training kitchen for the Culinary Institute of America, hosting and mentoring culinary students during their 15-week internships. This partnership provides real-world culinary training experience while enhancing the school's food service program.
• Global School Wear (Tommy Hilfiger)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with Tommy Hilfiger and Global School Wear for official school uniform needs. Provides affordable and flexible uniform options for SHLS families through the Global School Wear website.
• GradelinkcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline enrollment and student information system used for applications, document submission, tuition billing agreements, and parent portal access for volunteer hour tracking.
• FACTS Financial AidcoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party financial aid application and management system used for tuition assistance analysis. Families apply through FACTS for need-based tuition assistance, with applications reviewed in March and May.
• EZSchoolAppscoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline lunch payment and ordering system where all lunch orders are prepaid. Parents order and pay through EZSchoolApps website for student meal accounts.
• Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliation with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, which operates one of the largest Protestant school systems in the United States. LCMS provides accreditation through National Lutheran School Accreditation.
• Independent School Athletic League (ISAL)coreOthersParticipates in competitive athletics for Kinder-8th grades through ISAL, one of three athletic leagues used for sports competition including cross country, basketball, flag football, soccer, track and field, and volleyball.
• SA Christian Athletic League (SACAL)coreOthersParticipates in competitive athletics for Kinder-8th grades through SACAL for sports including cross country, basketball, flag football, soccer, track and field, and volleyball.
• Texas Charter School Academic and Athletic League (TCSAAL)coreOthersParticipates in competitive athletics for Kinder-8th grades through TCSAAL for sports including cross country, basketball, flag football, soccer, track and field, and volleyball.
• Private Schools Interscholastic Association (PSIA)minorOthersParticipation in PSIA provides opportunity for students in grades 1-8 to take part in comprehensive academic contests. SHLS students regularly place at district and state level competitions.
• Edgewood ISD / Brentwood STEAM School of InnovationminorOthersSHLS robotics coach is one of the founders of ERIC (Edgewood Robotics Invitational Competition). Competition held at Brentwood STEAM School of Innovation, 1626 W Thompson PL, San Antonio, TX 78226.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• St. Luke's Episcopal School: Faith-based private school in San Antonio offering PreK-8 education with similar tuition model, athletics, and enrichment programs; another denominational private school peer serving the same metro families.
• Concordia Lutheran School: San Antonio-based LCMS-affiliated Lutheran school serving PreK-8 with similar faith-based educational model, athletics, and admissions-driven enrollment. The closest direct peer given shared LCMS accreditation system and overlapping San Antonio market.
• Zion Lutheran School: LCMS-affiliated Lutheran school in San Antonio offering PreK-8 Christian education with comparable curriculum, athletics, and tuition-based revenue model — direct denominational and geographic peer.
• Holy Spirit Catholic School: Faith-based private PreK-8 school in San Antonio operating with a similar parish-affiliated model, full-day child care for younger children, athletics, and tuition-based enrollment — overlapping San Antonio market with faith-based differentiation.

Broad incumbents

• San Antonio Academy: Long-established private boys' school (PreK-8) in San Antonio with strong athletics and academic reputation; competes for similar upper-income San Antonio families seeking private K-8 education with character development.
• TMI - The Episcopal School of Texas: Larger San Antonio private school (K-12) with broader academic and athletic programs; competes for the same tuition-paying families seeking private faith-based education with extracurricular depth, but operates at a larger scale and broader faith tradition.
• Keystone School: Established secular private PreK-12 school in San Antonio; competes directly for academically-motivated families in the same metro, but offers secular curriculum versus SHLS's faith-based model.
• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: National child care and early education operator with full-day infant and preschool care; relevant as the large-scale commercial analog to SHLS's licensed infant-Preschool 3 child care program, although operating without the faith-based curriculum.

Emerging players

• Providence Christian School: Smaller faith-based private school in the San Antonio region with PreK-8 programming; competes for the same faith-oriented family segment but at a smaller scale and earlier maturity stage.

Others

• Lutheran High School of San Antonio: Feeder high school for SHLS graduates and source of the LHS Sibling Discount at SHLS; represents the next-stage destination for SHLS alumni and provides cross-promotional alignment within the LCMS system.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/shepherdlutheran
• Facebookfacebook.com/Shepherd-of-the-Hills-Lutheran-School-Child-Care-153185490985134
• Instagraminstagram.com/shepherdlutheran
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shepherd-of-the-hills-lutheran-school

Compliance5 records

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 Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran School