Squaw Valley Academy

What Squaw Valley Academy does

Squaw Valley Academy, now operating as Lake Tahoe Preparatory School, is a private co-educational boarding and day school serving approximately 45 students in grades 9 through 12. Founded in 1978 and located in Olympic Valley, California, the school operates with roughly 6–7 faculty (7:1 student-to-faculty ratio, average class size of 7) and reports a 100% college acceptance rate. It is led by Head of School William Grant, with Jenn McMurry serving as Admissions Director, and maintains an 11-employee operating footprint per firmographic data.

The school's core offering is a college-preparatory curriculum paired with experiential mountain programming, anchored by a multi-decade partnership with the Palisades Tahoe ski resort that gives students integrated ski and snowboard access. Supporting programs include summer school, interim sessions, outdoor adventure, fine arts, college counseling, a counseling center, English Language Development (ELD), and an Academic Learning Center. The institution claims notable alumni including Olympic ski racer Edith Thys, BagJump founder Martin Rasinger, and Voss Water ASA executive Christopher Harlem.

The business model is tuition-driven with three published price points: $68,000 for domestic boarding, $73,000 for international boarding, and $43,000 for day students. The school invests heavily in financial aid, awarding approximately $3M–$3.5M in scholarships per graduating class, which implies a meaningful gross-to-net tuition discount. Supporting technology infrastructure includes Gradelink (student information system), the Clarity financial aid platform, a 1:1 MacBook Air program, and a virtual 3D campus tour for remote admissions funnel development.

Name

Squaw Valley Academy

Legal name

Lake Tahoe Preparatory School

Website

https://sva.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Squaw Valley Academy (Lake Tahoe Preparatory School) is a private boarding and day school serving approximately 45 students in grades 9–12 in Olympic Valley, California, combining college-preparatory academics with mountain-based experiential programming via its Palisades Tahoe partnership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Boarding School

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Virtual & Blended Learning Programs (District-Run) (EDAJAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

District-Run Virtual Academies & Online Programs (EDAJADAB), K–12 Core Curriculum Small-Group Tutoring Centers (Math/ELA/Science/Social Studies) (EDANAHAA)

Keywords

• College preparatory school
• Boarding school education
• Private high school
• Secondary education
• ESL programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Olympic Valley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Domestic Boarding Tuition: Full-time boarding program including educational services, learning support, ESL, room & board, meals, textbooks, lab fees, music/art fees, general athletics, local transportation, laundry, and campus WiFi
2. International Boarding Tuition: Boarding program for international students at higher rate reflecting additional support services
3. Day School Tuition: Academic program for students attending school days only without boarding
4. Summer School Programs: Intensive two-hour classes during summer sessions with outdoor activities. Students can earn full-year credits by attending all sessions.
5. Interim Session Programs: Short-term academic sessions between regular semesters, particularly useful for student-athletes to catch up or get ahead

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Squaw Valley Academy is a coeducational college-preparatory boarding and day school serving students in grades 9 through 12 in Olympic Valley, California. The school provides personalized academic instruction with a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio, a University of California-approved curriculum, on-campus lodging and meals for boarders, and integrated ski/snowboard and outdoor adventure programming through its partnership with Palisades Tahoe. Supporting offerings include Summer School, an Academic Learning Center, English Language Development, College Counseling, and a Counseling Center.

Product overview

Lake Tahoe Preparatory School is a unified college-preparatory boarding and day school offering a comprehensive educational program. The core offering is the main academic program (grades 9-12) providing college-preparatory education with a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio. This core program is enhanced by supporting programs including the Academic Learning Center for learning support, Summer School for credit recovery and advancement, English Language Development for international students, College Counseling for university admission, and Counseling Center for mental health support. The institution also provides athletic programs including ski programs and outdoor adventure, as well as a Fine Arts program. The school utilizes a laptop computer program (MacBook Air) for academic use as part of its technology integration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• College-Preparatory Boarding and Day School Program Coeducational college-preparatory boarding and day school serving students in grades 9 through 12, providing a personalized academic experience, small class sizes (avg 7 students), 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio, University of California-approved curriculum, room and board for boarders, athletic programs, and access to year-round outdoor sports and activities at Palisades Tahoe.
• Summer School Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% college acceptance rate for all graduates
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Palisades Tahoe (formerly Squaw Valley Resort)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Palisades Tahoe ski resort enables student access to world-class skiing and snowboarding facilities. Students receive ski passes and can train with Palisades Tahoe ski teams. The Big Mountain Ski Program allows competitive athletes to train full-time while pursuing college-preparatory education.
• Palisades Tahoe Ski TeamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompetitive ski racing program in partnership with Palisades Tahoe Ski Team. Student-athletes train and compete with the team while maintaining academic progress through flexible scheduling and travel tutoring support.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Burke Mountain Academy: Vermont-based college-preparatory boarding school purpose-built around competitive ski racing and snowboarding. Burke is the closest analog to Lake Tahoe Prep's Palisades Tahoe-anchored model, with similar scale, tuition tier, and athlete-academic integration.
• The Forman School: Connecticut college-prep boarding school dedicated to students with ADHD, dyslexia, and other learning differences. Closely comparable to Lake Tahoe Prep's specialized LD support and small, individualized boarding model.
• Dunn School: California college-prep boarding school emphasizing small classes, outdoor and equestrian programs, and individualized college counseling. Comparable to Lake Tahoe Prep in scale, premium pricing, and outdoor-integrated curriculum.
• Stevenson School: California college-prep boarding school with small enrollment, individualized instruction, and Pacific-region boarding-school economics. Comparable to Lake Tahoe Prep in geography, premium pricing, and small-scale model.
• Eagle Hill School: Massachusetts college-prep boarding school specializing in students with language-based learning differences, ADHD, and executive-functioning challenges. Directly comparable to Lake Tahoe Prep's Academic Learning Center offering for the LD segment.
• Stratton Mountain School: Vermont college-prep boarding school with elite ski and snowboard programs integrated with academics. Directly comparable to Lake Tahoe Prep in combining individualized college-prep instruction with elite winter-sport athletics for a small student body.
• Southwestern Academy: California college-prep boarding school with small student body, personalized instruction, and college-prep focus. Comparable in market, tuition tier, and individualized model.
• The Gow School: New York college-prep boarding school for students with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences. Directly comparable to Lake Tahoe Prep's learning-difference specialty and 7:1-style individualized instruction.
• Carrabassett Valley Academy: Maine-based ski and snowboard academy pairing college-prep academics with elite freestyle, alpine, and Nordic training. Closely comparable to Lake Tahoe Prep in mission, athlete integration, and small-scale boarding-school model.
• Holderness School: New Hampshire college-prep boarding school with a notable ski program and small student body. Comparable in scale, college-prep focus, and integration of winter athletics with rigorous academics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/laketahoeprep
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCZB2-xw7xHfgFyM4Up8akIg
• Facebookfacebook.com/LakeTahoePrep
• Instagraminstagram.com/laketahoeprep
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/squaw-valley-academy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Squaw Valley Academy