St. Thomas More Academy
St. Thomas More Academy is a private Catholic classical college-preparatory school in Raleigh, NC serving 277 students in grades 6-12, delivering a Socratic-method liberal arts curriculum with 100% college placement since 2004 and Diocesan endorsement.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersRaleigh, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What St. Thomas More Academy does
St. Thomas More Academy (STMA) is a private, independent Catholic classical college-preparatory school serving 277 students in grades 6-12 across two campuses in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 2002 by Bob Luddy with the permission of Bishop F. Joseph Gossman, the school delivers a classical liberal arts curriculum taught primarily through the Socratic Method, with deep coursework in humanities, mathematics, sciences, the arts, technology, and outdoor skills. It is officially recognized by the Diocese of Raleigh as an authentic teacher of the Catholic faith and operates under a Salesian formation model encompassing human, spiritual, intellectual, and leadership dimensions. Outcomes include 100% college placement since 2004, an average SAT score of 1,219 for the class of 2025 (1,282 / 89th percentile for class of 2021), and 81% of recent graduates earning a 3.5+ GPA in their first college semester.
The school's revenue is generated almost entirely through recurring annual tuition of $8,000 per student (2026-2027 academic year), supplemented by non-refundable application fees ($130), enrollment deposits ($300), and incidental charges for athletics, field trips, lab fees, and extracurricular activities. Payment is processed through FACTS, which supports full, semi-annual, 10-month, and 20-biweekly schedules. The go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer: families apply through the RenWeb portal, complete ISEE testing, and engage in personalized campus tours and student shadow days. Financial aid flows through the North Carolina Opportunity Scholarship Program, with awards of approximately $3,000-$7,000 per recipient. The technology stack is conventional educational SaaS (FACTS SIS, Google Classroom, RenWeb, Parchment, R-School Teams) with no proprietary AI or ML components.
The school is governed by an independent board chaired by founder Bob Luddy, with Deacon Brad Watkins serving as Headmaster (15 years in role, 30+ years in education). It maintains a sister-school relationship with Schola Thomas Morus in Austria (founded 2013) and is a member of the Duc in Altum Schools Collaborative. Maximum enrollment is capped at 90 middle school and 240 upper school students, placing current utilization at approximately 84% of theoretical capacity.
St. Thomas More Academy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- St. Thomas More Academy
- Legal name
- St. Thomas More Academy
- Website
- https://stmacademy.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- St. Thomas More Academy is a private Catholic classical college-preparatory school in Raleigh, NC serving 277 students in grades 6-12, delivering a Socratic-method liberal arts curriculum with 100% college placement since 2004 and Diocesan endorsement.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
St. Thomas More Academy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- K-12 Private Education
- NAICS
- Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Classical Education K–12 Schools (EDAJABAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Faith-Based (Religious) K–12 Schools (EDAJABAC)
Keywords
Where St. Thomas More Academy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Raleigh
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
St. Thomas More Academy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Tuition Revenue: Annual tuition payments from enrolled families for grades 6-12 education. Tuition is $8,000 per year for both Middle School and Upper School for the 2026-2027 academic year. Payment plans include one full payment, two equal payments, ten monthly payments, or 20 bi-weekly payments through FACTS.
- Application and Enrollment Fees: Non-refundable application fee of $130 plus FACTS processing fee. Enrollment deposit of $300 for new enrollees (tuition-deductible). Payment plan enrollment fees of $25-$55 depending on plan type.
- Incidental Billing: Occasional charges for athletics, additional books, field trips, lab fees, theatre productions, celebrations, food trucks, dress-down days, and formal dances as part of curricular and extracurricular activities.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Middle School (Grades 6-8) and Upper School (Grades 9-12) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Application Fee |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Enrollment Deposit |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
St. Thomas More Academy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
St. Thomas More Academy is an independent Catholic classical college-preparatory school serving grades 6-12 in Raleigh, NC. The school delivers a content-rich liberal arts curriculum using the Socratic Method and Great Books approach, combined with whole-person formation (human, spiritual, intellectual, leadership) rooted in the Salesian tradition of Saint John Bosco. It offers Middle School (grades 6-8) and Upper School (grades 9-12) programs, supplemented by athletics, a House system, service and outreach, and college placement support.
Product overview
St. Thomas More Academy is an independent Catholic classical college-preparatory school offering a unified educational program for grades 6-12. The institution consists of a Middle School program (grades 6-8) and an Upper School program (grades 9-12), supplemented by athletics, extracurricular clubs, service programs, and college placement services. The school uses a classical liberal arts curriculum with the Socratic Method and emphasizes formation of the whole person through Catholic, Classical, and College Preparatory education.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Middle School Program (Grades 6-8) Middle school program where students track together for all classes (with mathematics as the only exception), building community within each grade. Students develop critical thinking, creative writing, clear articulation, close reading, active listening, and reflective questioning skills within a classical Catholic liberal arts framework.
- Upper School Program (Grades 9-12) College preparatory upper school program teaching students to think critically and creatively, write clearly, and speak articulately. Cultivates habits of close reading, active listening, and reflective questioning to form lifelong learners through a classical liberal arts curriculum with honors sections available for core classes.
- STMA Athletics Athletics program that is a member of the Raleigh Area Athletics Conference (RAAC) and NC Independent Schools Athletic Association. Offers fall sports (volleyball, soccer, cross country), winter sports (basketball, swimming), and spring sports (soccer, baseball).
- House System Community system for grades 9-12 where students are sorted into four Houses (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), each divided into three Households. Households meet twice monthly with faculty mentors and compete in monthly House competitions.
- Service and Outreach Program Required service program where students participate in annual service trips. Freshmen serve at Note in the Pocket, sophomores at Catholic Parish Outreach food bank, juniors at Cadence Senior Living Center, and seniors at First Fruits Farm.
- College Placement Services Dedicated college placement support achieving 100% college placement since 2004, with admissions to over 270 schools across all selectivity levels. Average SAT score of 1219 for the 2025 graduating class; class of 2021 averaged 1282 (89th percentile).
- Graduation Awards Program Annual recognition program during commencement including Chancellor Athletic Award, Excellence in Trivium Award (highest academic prize), Caritas Award, and Francis P. Burbidge Sr. Leadership Award.
- Extracurricular Clubs Student clubs including Adoration Society, Altar Server Society, CrossFit, Dance Club, Debate, Fencing, FFA, Honduras Mission Group, Junior Classical League, Liturgical Choir, Math Club, Newspaper, Pro-Life Witness, Robotics, Student Council, Theater, Women's Club, Writer's Club, and Yearbook.
- Chancellor's CrossFit After-school strength and conditioning program led by CrossFit Level 1 and Level 2 Trainers. Focuses on constantly varied functional movements at high intensity, with emphasis on athlete safety through mechanics and consistency.
Quantifiable outcome
- Average SAT score of 1219 for 2025 graduating class
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use St. Thomas More Academy
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
St. Thomas More Academy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
Feature2 records
St. Thomas More Academy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered notable and minor.
- Schola Thomas Morus (Austria)notableSTMA serves as the model and inspiration for Schola Thomas Morus, the first Catholic Classical Curriculum school in Austria, founded by Dr. Christiaan Alting von Geusau of ITI Catholic University. STMA founder Bob Luddy's vision and STMA's strong outcomes inspired the creation of this sister school, which opened in 2013 and has since grown to include multiple buildings on campus with graduates studying at prestigious European universities.
- Duc in Altum Schools CollaborativeminorProfessional membership organization for Catholic independent schools; provides network and resources for member schools
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights4 records
St. Thomas More Academy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Chesterton Academy: Network of classical Catholic high schools using a Socratic, great-books-based curriculum with whole-person formation. Operates multiple campuses across the U.S. and is the closest scale analog to STMA's classical Catholic model.
- Trinity Classical Academy: Classical Christian K-12 school offering a great-books, Socratic-method curriculum with formation emphasis. Operates as an independent classical school with a mission closely aligned to STMA's.
- The Cambridge School: Classical, Christian K-12 school using a great-books curriculum and Socratic teaching method. Comparable pedagogy, formation emphasis, and student-body scale to STMA.
- The Heights School: Catholic, classical, and Jesuit-inspired K-8 school in Potomac, MD, emphasizing classical liberal arts, Socratic pedagogy, and formation of the whole person. Highly comparable curriculum and mission to STMA.
- Highlands Latin School: Classical Christian K-12 school in Louisville, KY, using a content-rich, classical curriculum with Socratic Method instruction. Highly comparable academic model to STMA, with similar emphasis on formation and small class sizes.
- Veritas Classical Schools: Network of classical Christian schools emphasizing the Trivium and great-books curriculum with formation-centered pedagogy. Direct peer in the classical Christian K-12 segment.
- The Lyceum Classical Academy: Classical, Christ-centered school offering a content-rich classical curriculum using the Socratic Method. Comparable in mission and pedagogy to STMA, with similar small-class, formation-focused model.
- Schola Thomas Morus: The Austrian sister school of STMA, founded in 2013 using STMA's classical Catholic model. Operates multiple buildings and places graduates at prestigious European universities; the most direct operational peer to STMA globally.
Regional players
- Cardinal Gibbons High School: Diocesan Catholic college-prep high school in Raleigh, NC, serving a similar regional market to STMA. While diocesan-rather than classical, it is the most direct local competitor for Catholic families in the Triangle.
Broad incumbents
- Mount Saint Mary's High School (Los Angeles): Catholic, college-prep high school with a long-standing classical liberal arts tradition. Comparable in mission and formation outcomes, though broader in scope and larger in scale than STMA.
Market position
Strengths2 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
St. Thomas More Academy social profiles
Digital presenceSt. Thomas More Academy compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
St. Thomas More Academy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
St. Thomas More Academy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
St. Thomas More Academy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
St. Thomas More 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 St. Thomas More Academy
What does St. Thomas More Academy do?
St. Thomas More Academy is an independent Catholic classical college-preparatory school serving grades 6-12 in Raleigh, NC. The school delivers a content-rich liberal arts curriculum using the Socratic Method and Great Books approach, combined with whole-person formation (human, spiritual, intellectual, leadership) rooted in the Salesian tradition of Saint John Bosco. It offers Middle School (grades 6-8) and Upper School (grades 9-12) programs, supplemented by athletics, a House system, service and outreach, and college placement support.
Is St. Thomas More Academy a public or private company?
St. Thomas More Academy is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was St. Thomas More Academy founded?
St. Thomas More Academy was founded in 2002. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is St. Thomas More Academy based?
St. Thomas More Academy is headquartered in Raleigh, United States, in the North America region.
How does St. Thomas More Academy make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Tuition Revenue is the primary driver. The others are application and Enrollment Fees and incidental Billing.
Who are St. Thomas More Academy's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Chesterton Academy, Trinity Classical Academy, The Cambridge School, The Heights School, Highlands Latin School, Veritas Classical Schools, The Lyceum Classical Academy and Schola Thomas Morus. Cardinal Gibbons High School is listed as a regional player. Mount Saint Mary's High School (Los Angeles) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does St. Thomas More Academy have an API?
No public API is recorded for St. Thomas More Academy.
What industry is St. Thomas More Academy in?
St. Thomas More Academy's product category is K-12 Private Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJABAF, Classical Education K–12 Schools, with a secondary code of EDAJABAC, Faith-Based (Religious) K–12 Schools. Its NAICS code is 6111 and its SIC code is 8200.