Mt Airy City Schools

What Mt Airy City Schools does

Mt Airy City Schools (MACS) is a public K-12 school district operated under the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, serving students and families in Mount Airy, North Carolina across four schools: BH Tharrington Primary School (K-2), J.J. Jones Intermediate School (3-5), Mount Airy Middle School (6-8), and Mount Airy High School (9-12). The district's core educational programs are distinguished by the Leader in Me framework (Lighthouse Recertified in 2024), a weekly STEAM curriculum, a lottery-based Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program providing 90% Spanish instruction in early grades, the AVID college-readiness program, and an early-foreign-language "Language Leaders" program. The district also operates pre-kindergarten through NC PreK and Cubs PreK, summer enrichment (SEE), a Walking School Bus along the Granite City Greenway, and a Blessing Box community-service initiative.

The underlying technology stack is built on a standard set of K-12 edtech platforms: Canvas serves as the primary learning management system and parent communication channel; Clever provides single-sign-on; Infinite Campus functions as the parent portal for student information; PowerSchool is the state-level SIS (which experienced a late-2024 cybersecurity incident under investigation); Destiny (Follett) manages the library; Branching Minds supports MTSS intervention tracking; Ellevation serves multilingual learners; and Here Comes the Bus, Linq Connect, Strawbridge, PaperCut, SafeSchools Training, and NCEdCloud round out the operational tooling. No proprietary AI/ML technology is disclosed.

Mt Airy City Schools is funded through state allocations, federal Title and grant programs, and local property taxes, consistent with its status as a government entity. Direct-payment revenue is limited to ancillary items (yearbooks at $21.00, substitute-teacher daily rates of $112.25 non-certified and $145.00 certified), and tuition-based fees. Marketing and parent outreach run through a district website on Edlio, an official MACSchools Facebook page, an Instagram account, and a Spotlight on MACS YouTube channel. The district is led by Superintendent Dr. Phillip Brown and includes a recent leadership recognition of Chelsy Payne as 2024-2025 Principal of the Year for BHT.

Name

Mt Airy City Schools

Legal name

Mount Airy City Schools

Website

https://tharringtonschool.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mt Airy City Schools is a publicly funded K-12 school district in Mount Airy, North Carolina operating four schools (K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12) with Lighthouse-certified Leader in Me programming, STEAM, and a Dual Language Immersion program, serving students and families in the Mount Airy attendance zone.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Public Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAJAAAE

Public K–12 Combined Schools

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/Public K–12 Schools & Districts

SECONDARYEDACABAK

Head Start & Public Pre-K Programs

Education/Early Childhood Education/Preschools & Pre-K Programs

Keywords

• Public K-12 education
• Elementary education
• Dual language immersion
• STEAM curriculum
• Pre-kindergarten programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Mount Airy

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Education Funding: Government-funded public education through state and local tax revenues, federal Title programs, and grants
2. Substitute Teacher Services: Daily substitute teachers hired as needed - Non-certified $112.25 per day, Certified $145 per day

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Mount Airy City Schools is a public K-12 school district in Mount Airy, North Carolina that delivers free primary, intermediate, middle, and high school education across four schools. The district provides academic programs such as Dual Language Immersion (DLI), weekly STEAM, the Leader in Me leadership framework, AVID college-readiness, and pre-kindergarten (NC PreK and Cubs PreK), along with supporting services including school nutrition, transportation, and remote learning capabilities.

Product overview

Mt Airy City Schools operates as a unified school district offering a comprehensive PK-12 educational portfolio across four schools: Tharrington Primary (K-2), Jones Intermediate (3-5), Mount Airy Middle School, and Mount Airy High School. The district's core educational programs are distinguished by its nationally recognized Leader in Me leadership framework, weekly STEAM curriculum, and lottery-based Dual Language Immersion program. Supporting services include school nutrition (CEP district), transportation with real-time bus tracking, pre-kindergarten programs (NC PreK and Cubs PreK), summer enrichment, remote learning infrastructure, and community health services. The district utilizes Canvas as its primary learning management system, Infinite Campus for student information, and provides personalized learning with 2-3 adults per class for small group instruction in math and reading. Special programs include the Walking School Bus, Blessing Box community service initiative, and Surry Med Mobile health services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Leader in Me: Nationally recognized leadership development program for students based on Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
• STEAM
• Dual Language Immersion (DLI)
• Language Leaders
• AVID

Products and services

• Dual Language Immersion (DLI) / Language Leaders Lottery-based bilingual education program offering Spanish Dual Language Immersion Classes combined with Spanish for All. Students develop bilingual proficiency through 90% Spanish instruction in early grades at Tharrington Primary.
• STEAM Program Weekly Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics curriculum integrated throughout the school to provide interdisciplinary learning experiences for K-2 students at Tharrington Primary.
• Leader in Me Program Nationally recognized leadership development program enabling students to discover their greatness and develop leadership skills through the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People framework.
• NC PreK and Cubs PreK Pre-kindergarten programs for eligible children. NC PreK has residency requirements; Cubs PreK is open to all students. Both provide free breakfast and lunch and follow the district academic calendar.
• Summer Enrichment Experiences (SEE) Summer camp experiences offering paid enrichment activities for students during out-of-school time.
• Blue Bear Bus Mobile after-school program for ages 5-12 providing services to students during out-of-school time.
• School Nutrition Program Cafeteria services providing hot breakfast and lunch meals. District is a CEP (Community Eligibility Provision) district; SUN Bucks benefits available for eligible families; summer feeding program operates at the school.
• Surry Med Mobile Mobile health clinic providing convenient on-campus care to students and staff, decreasing time spent out of the classroom. Free to students regardless of insurance status; Medicaid and most insurances accepted.
• Substitute Teacher Training Program 2026-2027 Training and onboarding program for daily substitute teachers for the 2026-2027 school year with defined pay rates ($112.25/day non-certified; $145/day certified) and updated school safety procedures.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reading proficiency increased from 65% in 2022 to 82% by end of 2024 at BHT
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration15 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• The Salvation ArmyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 October 2025Christmas assistance program providing support to families in need. Families visit Salvation Army Church for applications and assistance during October.
• Buncombe County SchoolsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 October 2024Mount Airy City Schools partnered with five schools in Buncombe County Schools impacted by Hurricane Helene. Fundraising goal of $30,000 exceeded to support students in affected schools.
• Surry Medical MinistriescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 October 2024Surry Med Mobile provides convenient healthcare services on school campus to decrease time students spend out of classroom. Free to students regardless of insurance status. Medicaid and most insurances accepted.
• Wake Forest University-CERTLcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 August 2015MAPSS Grant partners: Wake Forest University-CERTL, The University of Texas-Dallas, and Piedmont Triad Education Consortium (PTEC) providing professional development in problem-based and project-based learning for K-8 mathematics teachers. Three-year grant program.
• University of Texas-DallascoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 August 2015MAPSS Grant partners providing professional development in problem-based and project-based learning for K-8 mathematics teachers
• Piedmont Triad Education Consortium (PTEC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 August 2015MAPSS Grant partner providing professional development and leadership development training for K-8 mathematics teachers

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Buncombe County Schools: A larger NC public school district referenced in the data as a recent partnership peer for Hurricane Helene relief. Comparable as a public K-12 operator in the same state with similar accountability standards and program priorities.
• Asheville City Schools: Another small North Carolina public city school district operating a K-12 portfolio across multiple schools with a similar mix of innovative programs and city-based demographics. Comparable in scale and governance structure to Mount Airy City Schools.
• Surry County Schools: The neighboring county district serving the broader Surry County area around Mount Airy. Operates a similar K-12 public school model with overlapping student demographics and competes for the same regional workforce and recognition.
• Elkin City Schools: A small NC city school district serving a similar-sized community in the northwestern Piedmont region. Directly comparable in district size, rural-adjacent demographics, and reliance on state funding.
• Watauga County Schools: A small western NC mountain district of comparable enrollment size operating under the same state funding and accountability framework. Similar K-12 program structure with district-level innovation initiatives.
• Franklin City Schools (NC): A small NC city school district with similar enrollment scale and city-rural demographic mix. Comparable governance as a public city school district operating multiple schools under state oversight.
• Alleghany County Schools: Neighboring rural NC district of comparable small scale, facing similar demographic and funding pressures. Operates the same K-12 public school model under NC Department of Public Instruction oversight.
• Stokes County Schools: Adjacent NC Piedmont county district of similar small scale serving rural-suburban communities. Directly comparable in size, funding structure, and program offerings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/MACSchoolsNC
• Facebookfacebook.com/MACSchools
• Instagraminstagram.com/macschools
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mt-airy-city-schools

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Mt Airy City Schools