St. David’s School

What St. David’s School does

St. David's School is an independent private Christian school located at 3400 White Oak Road in Raleigh, North Carolina, serving approximately 675 students from Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade. Founded in 1972 as Hale High School by Father George Hale and rebranded to St. David's in 2003, the school operates as a nonprofit governed by a Board of Trustees under Head of School Kenneth C. Cheeseman. The institution maintains dual accreditation through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS), with additional membership in NAIS, NAES, ERB, and Cognia accreditation. The school delivers a college-preparatory curriculum featuring 24 Advanced Placement courses in the Upper School, the proprietary "Portrait of a St. David's Graduate" framework, and a 1:8 faculty-to-student ratio with average class sizes of 12-15 students; 75% of Upper School faculty and 58% of school-wide faculty hold advanced degrees.

The school's product portfolio spans core academic divisions (Lower School, Middle School, Upper School), co-curricular programs including 40+ athletic teams competing in NCISAA and an award-winning fine arts program (6 choirs, 5 bands, 3 annual theater productions, 3 art studios), and enrichment offerings such as the Innovation Warriors STEAM program, Summer Camps, After-School Care (in partnership with YMCA), College Counseling, and a Global Engagement program with 17 educational travel opportunities. The underlying technology stack is built on Apple devices, Microsoft 365 infrastructure (Office licenses and 30 GB cloud storage per student), interactive displays (70-inch touch screens), and the Veracross portal system for admissions, parent, and student access. Christian faith formation is integrated across the curriculum through weekly Chapel services, daily devotionals, a virtue curriculum, and Honor Code programming.

St. David's operates a direct-to-consumer go-to-market, recruiting families through campus tours, information sessions, virtual tours, online inquiry forms, social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), and a semi-annual magazine. Revenue is generated primarily through recurring annual tuition (ranging from $13,900 for Pre-K half day to $30,500 for Grades 7-12), supplemented by application fees ($100), a New Family Fee ($2,000, waived for select grades), tuition insurance (1.75% via A.W.G. Dewar), auxiliary programs (SAGE Dining included in tuition, Summer Camps, After-School Care), and charitable contributions through the St. David's Fund annual giving program. The school committed $2.5 million in need-based tuition assistance for the 2025-26 academic year, serving 30% of students with an average award over $12,000, and accepts the North Carolina Opportunity Scholarship state voucher program. Tuition Refund insurance, financial aid assessment via Clarity, and uniform distribution via Lands' End round out the operational partnership ecosystem.

Name

St. David’s School

Legal name

St. David's School

Website

https://stdavidsraleigh.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

St. David's School is an independent private Christian school in Raleigh, NC, serving 675+ students from Pre-K through 12th grade with college-preparatory academics, 24 AP courses, 40+ athletic teams, and faith-based character formation under a 1:8 faculty-to-student ratio.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Raleigh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Primary revenue stream from tuition charges for students in pre-K through 12th grade. Comprehensive tuition covers tuition, food service, and technology services. Additional fees include New Family Fee ($2,000), application fee ($100), and Tuition Refund Plan (1.75% of total tuition).
2. Tuition Assistance and Scholarships: Need-based tuition assistance committed at $2.5 million for 2025-26 school year. 30% of students receive assistance with average award over $12,000. School accepts North Carolina Opportunity Scholarship (state voucher program).
3. Annual Giving (The St. David's Fund): Annual giving program where alumni and families contribute to support the school. Class gifts encouraged (e.g., Class of 2019 giving $20.19).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

St. David's School is an independent Christian school providing a unified pre-K through 12th grade college preparatory program. The core offering combines rigorous academics with intentional Episcopal/Christian faith formation, supported by co-curricular programs in fine arts, athletics, and STEAM. The school enrolls 675+ students on a single campus in Raleigh, NC, with a 1:8 faculty-to-student ratio and average class sizes of 12-15 students.

Product overview

St. David's School is an independent Christian school offering a unified pre-K through 12th grade college preparatory educational program. The school provides a comprehensive portfolio of educational products including Lower School (Pre-K through 4th grade), Middle School (5th-8th grade), and Upper School (9th-12th grade) programs. These are supported by co-curricular offerings including Athletics (40+ teams), Fine Arts (3 art studios, 6 choirs, 5 bands, 3 theater productions), and STEAM Innovation Warriors program. The school integrates technology throughout with 1:1 device programs, interactive displays, and Innovation Lab facilities. Faith formation is woven through all programs via Chapel services, virtue curriculum, and Christian life programming. Support services include College Counseling, Academic Support Program, Library, Summer Camps, After-School Care, and Global Engagement travel opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pre-Kindergarten Program Early childhood education program for 4-year-olds focusing on spiritual development through daily devotions and prayer, intellectual growth through language-rich environments and problem-solving, and social/emotional growth through play-based learning stations. Available in half-day ($13,900/year) and full-day ($14,900/year) formats.
• Kindergarten Program Developmental kindergarten program providing a strong foundation with phonics-based language arts using Orton-Gillingham methodology, Singapore approach mathematics, and thematic science/social studies units. Students begin learning Spanish in kindergarten. Tuition is $19,300 per year.
• Lower School (Grades 1-4) Elementary education program emphasizing literacy, mathematics, science, and social studies with enrichment classes in arts and sciences. Features Singapore math approach, Orton-Gillingham phonics instruction, and International Day cultural studies. Tuition: Grade 1 $24,800, Grade 2 $26,500, Grades 3-5 $27,600 per year.
• Middle School (Grades 5-8) Middle school curriculum offering mathematics (with Algebra I completion opportunity), life/earth/physical sciences, fine arts (choir, band, theater, visual arts), Latin introduction, computer science courses including Computer Science Discoveries and Lego Robotics, and advisory program. Grade 6 tuition is $29,000 per year.
• Upper School (Grades 9-12) College preparatory program with standard and advanced course options (Honors and AP). Offers 24 AP courses, post-AP courses, independent study opportunities, internships, and Innovation and Design courses. Tuition for Grades 7-12 is $30,500 per year.
• College Counseling Comprehensive college preparation program with 90% of the Class of 2024 receiving merit scholarship or honors program offers totaling more than $4.9 million. Includes college acceptances tracking and recruiting visit coordination.
• Fine Arts Program Award-winning fine arts program including 3 art studios, 6 choirs, 5 bands, and 3 theater productions annually. Visual arts and performing arts opportunities are available across all grade levels.
• Athletics Program Athletic program with more than 40 teams across fall, winter, and spring sports including football, soccer, cross country, tennis, golf, volleyball, basketball, swimming, lacrosse, baseball, track and field, and cheerleading. Competes in NCISAA.
• Summer Camps Variety of summer camps for all ages including Disney/Pixar themed enrichment for pre-K, LEGO and Mad Science for elementary, athletic camps for basketball, soccer, tennis, and cheerleading, led by faculty and trained staff.
• After-School Care After-school care program for pre-kindergarten through 6th grade running 3:10 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., including snack time, homework help, and indoor/outdoor activities in partnership with YMCA.

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

Integration10 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SAGE Dining ServicescoreOthersSAGE Dining Services provides custom-designed, healthy menus for St. David's School, including offerings for students with allergies. Lunch service is included in tuition. More than 800 made-from-scratch meals served daily.
• VeracrosscoreTechnology or IntegrationVeracross provides the school's admissions portal, parent portal, and student portal systems for academic and account management. Families use Veracross for online inquiries, applications, and ongoing portal access.
• Clarity Financial AidcoreOthersSt. David's partners with Clarity to determine families' level of financial need for tuition assistance. The platform considers assets, income, expenses, and debts. Application fee is $65.
• North Carolina Opportunity Scholarship (NCOS)coreOthersState voucher program administered by NCSEAA offering scholarships ($3,000-$7,000) to assist families with private school tuition based on household income. All families applying for tuition assistance must also apply for NCOS.
• A.W.G. Dewar, Inc.minorOthersProvides Tuition Refund Plan for families electing monthly payment plans. Mandatory annual fee is 1.75% of total tuition for those paying monthly.
• YMCAminorOthersPartnership with YMCA for After-School Care program providing quality child care beyond the school day for students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade, running from 3:10 PM to 6:00 PM.
• Lands' EndminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLands' End is the designated school uniform provider for Lower School uniforms (grades PK-6). Families purchase uniforms through the Lands' End Schools website.
• ISEE/ERBminorOthersSt. David's School is an authorized testing site and uses ISEE (Independent School Entrance Exam) for admissions assessment (School Code: 344637). Also accepts SSAT as an alternative.
• Refugee Hope PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership for Lower School service learning. Students engage in meaningful, Christ-centered service through ongoing partnership with Refugee Hope Partners, collecting essential supplies and sharing encouraging letters.
• WakeMed Children's HospitalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership for Lower School service learning. Students donate books to pediatric patients and engage in service projects benefiting the hospital.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves15 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• North Raleigh Christian Academy: Private Christian K-12 school in north Raleigh, NC. Overlaps directly on denominational/faith-based positioning and serves the same north-Raleigh family demographic.
• Durham Academy: Private independent PK-12 school in Durham, NC, within the same Research Triangle market. Comparable college-prep mission, advanced-degree faculty, and 1:8-class-size product.
• Cary Christian School: Private Christian PK-12 school in Cary, NC. Competes for faith-based families in the same Research Triangle metro and offers a comparable rigorous college-prep curriculum.
• Wake Christian Academy: Private Christian K-12 school in Raleigh, NC. Competes directly on faith-based identity and college-prep curriculum within the same Wake County market.
• Ravenscroft School: Private independent co-ed PK-12 school in Raleigh, NC. The closest direct competitor in the same Raleigh catchment, with comparable college-prep mission, similar tuition tier, and overlapping applicant pool.
• Cary Academy: Private independent school in Cary, NC (adjacent to Raleigh). Competes for the same Research Triangle families with a rigorous college-prep curriculum and similar tuition positioning.
• Trinity Academy of Raleigh: Private Christian K-12 school in Raleigh, NC. Direct competitor for faith-based families seeking biblical-worldview education in the same catchment.

Broad incumbents

• Woodward Academy: Larger independent PK-12 school in suburban Atlanta. Serves as a benchmark for scale, college outcomes, and co-curricular breadth at the upper end of the independent-school market.

Others

• National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS): St. David's is a member of NAIS. The association sets accreditation and operational benchmarks and is a peer organization rather than a competitor, but it shapes the competitive standards the school must meet.

Regional players

• The Epiphany School of Global Studies: Episcopal-affiliated school in the Carolinas. While geographically separate, it shares the Episcopal/Christian educational tradition and competes for similar mission-aligned families in the broader region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCKD-G94-1zaaFnag45aKX_A
• Facebookfacebook.com/stdavidsschool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/stdavidsraleigh
• Instagraminstagram.com/stdavidsschool

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 St. David’s School