STEM Preparatory Academy
STEM Preparatory Academy is a Nashville-based nonprofit public charter school system, founded in 2010, operating two tuition-free campuses serving grades 5-12 with an inquiry-based STEM curriculum, three declared academic pathways, and dual enrollment partnerships with four universities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersNashville, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What STEM Preparatory Academy does
STEM Preparatory Academy is a nonprofit public charter school system based in Nashville, Tennessee, founded in 2010 and operating two tuition-free campuses: STEM Prep Middle School (grades 5-8) at 1162 Foster Avenue and STEM Prep High School (grades 9-12) at 1252 Foster Avenue. Enrollment is administered via a lottery-based admissions process through the PowerSchool platform, with applications accepted for grades 5-12. The organization employs approximately 101 people and is governed by an independent Board of Directors.
The school delivers an inquiry-based STEM curriculum anchored in Common Core Standards, supplemented by Capstone Projects, over 45 extracurricular clubs, and Personalized Learning Plans (PLPs) for each high school student. The high school offers three declared academic pathways — Health Services (Medical), Computer Science, and Advanced Academics — and dual enrollment courses with Cumberland University, NC State University, Volunteer State Community College, and Trevecca Nazarene University. The school's technology stack is operationally focused, with PowerSchool handling enrollment and ParentSquare managing multi-language family communications.
STEM Prep's business model is government-funded per-pupil allocations from Tennessee, with no tuition charged to families. Its go-to-market is community-led and direct-to-consumer, relying on word-of-mouth referrals, neighborhood engagement, social media presence (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram), and an online application portal. The school explicitly targets underrepresented Nashville students, recent immigrant and refugee students through a partnership with Nashville Newcomer Academy, and students seeking a rigorous college-preparatory STEM education, with documented outcomes including a founding class earning over $3 million in scholarships and 100% of undocumented students securing funding and college access.
STEM Preparatory Academy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- STEM Preparatory Academy
- Legal name
- STEM Preparatory Academy
- Website
- https://stemprepacademy.org
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- STEM Preparatory Academy is a Nashville-based nonprofit public charter school system, founded in 2010, operating two tuition-free campuses serving grades 5-12 with an inquiry-based STEM curriculum, three declared academic pathways, and dual enrollment partnerships with four universities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
STEM Preparatory Academy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Charter School Education
- NAICS
- Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Services (61), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Charter STEM/STEAM-Focused Schools (EDAJACAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Charter Alternative & At-Risk Schools (Continuation, Credit Recovery, Juvenile) (EDAJACAE), STEM Research & Inquiry Programs (Research Mentorship, Science Fair Prep) (EDAMABAC), Health Science & Medical STEM Programs (Pre-Med, Public Health) (EDAMABAJ), Public High Schools (EDAJAAAD)
Keywords
Where STEM Preparatory Academy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nashville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
STEM Preparatory Academy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Public School Funding: STEM Prep Academy operates as a free, public charter school. As a public school, it receives government funding through per-pupil allocations from the state of Tennessee and potentially federal Title I funding for supporting underrepresented and high-need students. The school does not charge tuition.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Free public education for all enrolled students |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
STEM Preparatory Academy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
STEM Preparatory Academy operates a tuition-free public charter school system in Nashville, Tennessee, serving students in grades 5-12 through two campuses: STEM Prep Middle School (grades 5-8) and STEM Prep High School (grades 9-12). The school delivers a rigorous, inquiry-based STEM education with Personalized Learning Plans, three academic pathways (Health Services, Computer Science, Advanced Academics), dual enrollment college credits, Capstone Projects, and over 45 extracurricular clubs. Its mission focuses on bolstering underrepresented students graduating from competitive postsecondary programs.
Product overview
STEM Preparatory Academy operates as a unified K-12 public charter school system comprising two distinct schools: STEM Prep Middle School (grades 5-8) and STEM Prep High School (grades 9-12). The middle school emphasizes inquiry-based learning, Capstone Projects, and a holistic educational model, while the high school focuses on college and career readiness through Personalized Learning Plans (PLPs) and three academic pathways (Health Services/Medical, Computer Science, and Advanced Academics). Both schools share a common ecosystem of over 45 extracurricular clubs, with the high school offering dual enrollment courses in partnership with four universities. The unified enrollment system uses PowerSchool to process applications for grades 5-12 across both campuses.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- STEM Prep Middle School
- STEM Prep High School
Quantifiable outcome
- Founding class earned over $3 million in scholarships
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use STEM Preparatory Academy
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
STEM Preparatory Academy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature4 records
STEM Preparatory Academy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Cumberland UniversitycoreDual enrollment partnership allowing STEM Prep High students to earn college credits through courses offered in partnership with Cumberland University as part of the college and career readiness program.
- NC State UniversitycoreDual enrollment partnership providing STEM Prep High students with opportunities to earn college credits through NC State as part of the robust catalog of dual enrollment courses for every program of study.
- Vol State (Volunteer State Community College)coreDual enrollment partnership offering STEM Prep High students college credit opportunities through Vol State community college courses to enhance college and career readiness.
- Trevecca Nazarene UniversitycoreDual enrollment partnership with Trevecca Nazarene University providing STEM Prep High students access to college-level coursework and credits as part of the dual enrollment program.
- Nashville Newcomer AcademycorePartnership serving recent immigrant and refugee students. Nashville Newcomer Academy students at STEM Prep achieved exceptional results: 15x expected growth in Reading and 11x expected growth in Math on NWEA MAP assessment.
- PowerSchoolcoreTechnology partnership providing the enrollment portal and application processing system used by STEM Prep Academy for student admissions and application management.
- Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS)minorSchool district relationship. STEM Prep is a separate charter school option from the district; students must submit separate applications to STEM Prep. The school follows Tennessee state education standards and benchmarks teacher salaries against MNPS.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
STEM Preparatory Academy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Valor Collegiate Academies: Nashville charter network serving grades K-12 with a college-prep mission and values-based curriculum. Targets similar demographics and competes in the same charter enrollment landscape.
- LEAD Academy (Nashville): Nashville-based public charter school focused on college readiness for first-generation and underrepresented students. Competes directly with STEM Prep for the same families and talent in the Nashville charter market.
- RePublic Schools: A charter management organization with a strong Nashville presence operating multiple college-prep schools. Directly comparable in mission, structure, and target demographic to STEM Prep.
- Nashville Classical Charter Schools: Public charter schools in Nashville serving grades K-8 with a rigorous classical curriculum. Competes for similar families in the same geographic enrollment area.
- Intrepid College Prep: Nashville-based public charter network focused on college preparation for underrepresented students. Operates multiple schools in the metro, directly competing for enrollment and talent.
- KIPP Nashville: A college-preparatory public charter network operating in Nashville with a similar mission of serving underrepresented students through rigorous K-12 education. Operates multiple schools in the same metro, competing for the same lottery-driven enrollment pool.
- Cornerstone Prep: Nashville charter network operating elementary and middle school campuses serving similar underrepresented student populations. Direct competitor in the local charter ecosystem.
Emerging players
- Explore Academy (national STEM charter): A charter network with a STEM/inquiry-based college-prep focus. Comparable in instructional model (project-based, STEM emphasis) though not operating in Nashville.
Broad incumbents
- KIPP (national network): The national KIPP charter network that operates KIPP Nashville. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the same college-prep charter school category with shared mission and operating model.
Others
- Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS): The authorizing school district for STEM Prep. Comparable as the broader public-school ecosystem whose funding, per-pupil allocations, and policy decisions directly determine STEM Prep's operating environment.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
STEM Preparatory Academy social profiles
Digital presenceSTEM Preparatory Academy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
STEM Preparatory Academy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
STEM Preparatory Academy subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
STEM Preparatory Academy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
STEM Preparatory Academy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about STEM Preparatory Academy
What does STEM Preparatory Academy do?
STEM Preparatory Academy operates a tuition-free public charter school system in Nashville, Tennessee, serving students in grades 5-12 through two campuses: STEM Prep Middle School (grades 5-8) and STEM Prep High School (grades 9-12). The school delivers a rigorous, inquiry-based STEM education with Personalized Learning Plans, three academic pathways (Health Services, Computer Science, Advanced Academics), dual enrollment college credits, Capstone Projects, and over 45 extracurricular clubs. Its mission focuses on bolstering underrepresented students graduating from competitive postsecondary programs.
Is STEM Preparatory Academy a public or private company?
STEM Preparatory Academy is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was STEM Preparatory Academy founded?
STEM Preparatory Academy was founded in -1. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is STEM Preparatory Academy based?
STEM Preparatory Academy is headquartered in Nashville, United States, in the North America region.
How does STEM Preparatory Academy make money?
One revenue line is on record: public School Funding.
Who are STEM Preparatory Academy's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Valor Collegiate Academies, LEAD Academy (Nashville), RePublic Schools, Nashville Classical Charter Schools, Intrepid College Prep, KIPP Nashville and Cornerstone Prep. Explore Academy (national STEM charter) is listed as an emerging player. KIPP (national network) is listed as a broad incumbent. Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) is listed as an others.
Does STEM Preparatory Academy have an API?
No public API is recorded for STEM Preparatory Academy.
What industry is STEM Preparatory Academy in?
STEM Preparatory Academy's product category is Charter School Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJACAG, Charter STEM/STEAM-Focused Schools, with a secondary code of EDAJACAE, Charter Alternative & At-Risk Schools (Continuation, Credit Recovery, Juvenile). Its NAICS code is 6111 and its SIC code is 8200.