Sarasota School of Arts & Sciences

What Sarasota School of Arts & Sciences does

Sarasota School of Arts & Sciences (SSA+S) is a tuition-free, public charter middle school located at 717 Central Avenue in the historic Rosemary district of downtown Sarasota, Florida. Founded in 1997 and operated by the nonprofit entity Sarasota School of Arts & Sciences, Inc., it serves students in grades 6-8 with a maximum capacity of 750 and a 20:1 average class size ratio, supported by 44 employees. SSA+S is the longest continuously operated charter school in Sarasota County and is authorized under Florida Statute 1002.33. The school is currently rated A by the Florida Department of Education, earning 71% of points possible.

The school's product surface is organized around four named academies — Cambridge AICE Academy (internationally recognized college preparatory curriculum), Visual Arts Academy (digital and motion design portfolio development), STEM Academy (CTE STEM and Cambridge AICE STEM Engineering), and Performing Arts Academy (dance, music, technical and musical theatre) — layered on top of a Florida Sunshine State Standards core curriculum and supplemented by daily learning labs for students struggling in math or reading, an athletics program, and a broad extracurricular catalog. The school's underlying technology stack is entirely commodity SaaS: Office 365 for school-to-home communication and online assignments, WordPress for the public website, ClassLink/MySCS and Parent Focus portals, Aktivate for athletic registration, BillerPayments and My School Bucks for fee processing, Zoom for board meetings, Canva for planning materials, and McGraw-Hill for summer math. There is no proprietary platform or in-house technology product.

The business model is public-sector and non-commercial. SSA+S is funded exclusively by the State of Florida through per-pupil allocations under the Florida Education Finance Program, with revenue tied directly to enrollment and attendance rather than tuition. Families incur out-of-pocket costs only for uniforms (mandated purchase from Children's World Uniform Supply) and optional fees for athletic packets and club registration. The go-to-market is a structured annual enrollment process — applications open August 1 and close December 1, with admission via lottery when applications exceed the 750-student capacity and with preferences for siblings, employees' children, and board members' children. The school's customer is functionally the State of Florida as funder, with Sarasota-area families as the served end-user.

Name

Sarasota School of Arts & Sciences

Legal name

Sarasota School of Arts & Sciences, Inc.

Website

https://ssas.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sarasota School of Arts & Sciences is a tuition-free, public charter middle school in downtown Sarasota, Florida, serving approximately 750 students in grades 6-8 through four specialized academies (Cambridge AICE, Visual Arts, STEM, and Performing Arts) and funded by State of Florida per-pupil allocations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Charter School Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter Career & Technical Education (CTE) Schools (EDAJACAK)

Keywords

• Charter middle school
• College preparatory education
• Arts and sciences curriculum
• STEM academy programs
• Public school education

Headquarters

HQ city

Sarasota

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. State Per-Pupil Funding: As a tuition-free public charter school, SSA+S is funded by the State of Florida through the Florida Education Finance Program. The school receives per-pupil funding based on enrollment and attendance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sarasota School of Arts & Sciences is a tuition-free, multicultural public charter middle school serving students in grades 6 through 8 with a maximum enrollment of 750 students. The school delivers a Florida Sunshine State Standards–based core curriculum alongside four specialized academies — Cambridge AICE college preparatory, Visual Arts, STEM, and Performing Arts — plus academic support, athletics, and extracurricular clubs.

Product overview

Sarasota School of Arts & Sciences is a tuition-free, multicultural, public charter middle school serving grades 6-8 with approximately 750 students. The school operates as a single unified institution offering a comprehensive academic program built around four specialized academies (Cambridge AICE, Visual Arts, STEM, and Performing Arts) alongside core curriculum, academic support services, athletics, and extracurricular clubs. The school uses community partnerships and experiential learning combined with traditional and innovative teaching methods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cambridge AICE Academy: An internationally recognized college preparatory curriculum that emphasizes greater development of academic skill offerings and prepares students for advanced college preparatory programs at the high school level.
• Visual Arts Academy
• STEM Academy
• Performing Arts Academy

Products and services

• Core Academic Curriculum Florida Sunshine State Standards–based core middle school curriculum for grades 6 through 8, delivered tuition-free as a public charter school to enrolled students.
• Cambridge AICE Academy Internationally recognized college preparatory curriculum that emphasizes development of academic skill offerings and prepares students for advanced college preparatory programs at the high school level.
• Visual Arts Academy Digital and visual arts preparatory program featuring portfolio development using innovative applications, contemporary tools, and software; qualifies students for college preparatory programs in visual arts, digital and motion design, and technical arts.
• STEM Academy CTE STEM Academy and Cambridge AICE STEM Engineering Academy that prepares students for STEM-related high school programs through partnerships with outside industries, presentations, and field trips.
• Performing Arts Academy Performing arts preparatory program offering advanced dance, music, technical, and musical theatre classes designed to immerse students in different styles of performances, production execution, stagecraft, and dramatization.
• Academic Support Program Daily learning labs in a small group environment for students struggling in mathematics or reading, providing targeted academic intervention.
• Athletics Program Competitive athletic programs including Volleyball, Golf, Cross Country, Basketball, Flag Football, Pickleball, Soccer, and Tennis offered across the school year.
• Clubs and Extracurricular Activities Wide variety of student clubs and extracurricular activities including Esports, Photography Club, Dance Team, Jazz Band, and before/after school care programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Maintains A rating from Florida Department of Education

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Selby Public LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated in proximity to the school's Rosemary district location, providing students access to library resources and educational materials for research and learning.
• Mote Marine Aquarium and Research LaboratorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural partner providing STEM-related presentations and field trip opportunities for students interested in marine science and research.
• Youth Prevention Services (YPS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMental health partner that accepts referrals from SSA+S and provides counseling services on campus during school hours for students needing mental health management support.
• Asolo TheatreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPerforming arts partner providing students exposure to theatrical productions and potential educational opportunities in the Rosemary district proximity.
• Van Wezel Performing Arts CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural arts partner in proximity to school location offering students exposure to performing arts events and educational programs.
• Florida Studio TheatreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional theatre partner providing performing arts education opportunities for students in downtown Sarasota.
• Sarasota Opera HouseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural partner offering opera and musical education exposure for students through proximity to the Rosemary district school location.
• Selby Botanical GardensminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBotanical garden partner providing educational field trip opportunities related to science and environmental education.
• John and Mable Ringling Museum of ArtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArt museum partner providing Visual Arts Academy students exposure to fine arts and museum education opportunities.
• WWSB Channel 40 (ABC Affiliate)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal media partner providing students potential exposure to broadcasting and media arts career paths.
• Outside Industry Partners (STEM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTEM industry partners provide real-world presentations and field trip opportunities, exposing students to STEM-related career paths and applications.
• Outside Professionals (Visual Arts)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking professionals collaborate with Visual Arts Academy students on portfolio development using contemporary tools, software, and multiple forms of media.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program): One of the largest U.S. charter networks operating public charter schools across multiple states. Comparable as a public charter operator competing for the same family demographic, though at substantially larger scale.
• Academica: Florida-based charter school management organization operating a large portfolio of charter schools statewide. Comparable as a peer charter operator navigating the same Florida funding, regulatory, and accountability framework.
• Charter Schools USA: One of the largest charter management organizations in the U.S., operating numerous Florida charter schools including in the Sarasota region. Directly comparable as a charter operator competing in the same geography and policy environment.

Direct peers

• St. Johns Classical Academy: Florida public charter school emphasizing classical education and rigorous academics. Comparable as a Florida charter with a similar college-preparatory identity and A-rating aspirations.
• BASIS Charter Schools: National charter school network known for rigorous college-preparatory academics and consistently high state ratings. Closely comparable to SSA+S as a high-performing charter with curriculum differentiation and selective academy-style tracks.
• Success Academy Charter Schools: High-performing urban charter school network with strong academic outcomes and selective enrollment. Comparable as a top-tier charter school brand targeting families seeking differentiated public school options.
• Duval Charter School at Mandarin: Florida public charter school serving middle school grades with a college-preparatory focus. Comparable as a same-state, same-grade-band charter competitor sharing the Florida accountability framework.
• Pineapple Cove Classical Academy: Florida public charter school with classical/college-preparatory focus serving similar grade bands. Comparable as a Florida charter competitor targeting mission-driven families seeking alternatives to district schools.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SSASPTSS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sarasota-school-of-arts-&-sciences

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Sarasota School of Arts & Sciences