The Expedition School

What The Expedition School does

The Expedition School (TES) is a free, public charter school authorized by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, serving students in grades K-8 from its campus at 437 Dimmocks Mill Rd in the restored Eno River Mill in Hillsborough, NC. Founded in 2014 and operated as an independent nonprofit under a Board of Directors, TES delivers instruction through a project-based learning model integrated with STEM, supplemented by a schoolwide Responsive Classroom social-emotional framework, standards-based grading, teacher looping, and a modified year-round calendar with Wednesday clubs. Programs include Exceptional Children services (special education, speech, OT, counseling, MTSS) and a weighted lottery admissions system approved by the NC State Office of Charter Schools to favor economically disadvantaged applicants.

The school's product surface extends beyond academics to include on-campus mental-health therapy through Renaissance Wellness Services, on-site afterschool care via Orange County Sportsplex's KidsPlex program, food service via My Hot Lunchbox, and extracurricular activities including band, sports, and safety patrol. The marketing and admissions stack relies on an Edlio-powered website, Facebook, Instagram, virtual tours on Google Meet, in-person tours and open houses, a February lottery cycle (applications October through February), and earned media coverage in outlets including U.S. News and World Report, WRAL, News & Observer, and WUNC. As of 2025, the lower school is operating partly in temporary space following extensive flood damage.

TES is funded primarily by per-pupil public allocations that follow students from their home districts, with secondary revenue from tax-deductible private donations, employer matching gifts, stock gifts, the annual Jump-a-Thon fundraiser, retail-affiliate programs (Harris Teeter VIC, Box Tops, Food Lion MVP, Weaver Street Market Scrip, Mabel's Labels), and branded merchandise sales through tes-apparel.com. The school has consistently earned a Grade A on NC School Report Cards (performance scores 87-89) since 2017, the NC Exceeded Academic Growth Award for 2023-24, Kindness Certified School distinction, and a U.S. News ranking of #2 among NC charter middle schools. With 32 employees and 500+ annual applications for 20-30 available seats, the school is supply-constrained and maintains a waitlist in the hundreds.

Name

The Expedition School

Legal name

The Expedition School

Website

https://theexpeditionschool.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Expedition School is a free, public K-8 charter school in Hillsborough, NC, offering project-based learning with integrated STEM, Responsive Classroom social-emotional practices, and a weighted lottery, funded primarily by NC per-pupil allocations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-8 Charter School Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Outdoor Education & Adventure Programs (School-Run) (EDAJAJAJ)

Keywords

• K-8 charter school education
• Project based learning
• STEM curriculum programs
• Social emotional learning
• Exceptional children services

Headquarters

HQ city

Hillsborough

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, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Per-Pupil Public Funding: As a public charter school, TES receives per-pupil funding from local, state, and federal tax dollars that follows students from their home districts. This is the primary funding source.
2. Private Donations and Grants: The school accepts general and designated donations, matching gifts from employers, stock gifts, and participates in community fundraising events like the Jump-a-Thon. All donations are tax-deductible.
3. Retail Programs: School earns funds through programs like Harris Teeter VIC card linking, Box Tops for Education app, Food Lion MVP card linking, Weaver Street Market Scrip cards, and Mabel's Labels partnerships.
4. Merchandise Sales: School merchandise store (tes-apparel.com) sells branded apparel and items.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Expedition School is a free public charter school delivering K-8 education through project-based learning with integrated STEM instruction and schoolwide Responsive Classroom social-emotional practices. It offers standards-based grading, Wednesday extracurricular clubs, Exceptional Children special education services, and admission via a weighted lottery that prioritizes economically disadvantaged applicants. Operations are funded primarily by per-pupil public allocations supplemented by donations, grants, and community fundraising.

Product overview

The Expedition School (TES) is a free, public charter school offering a unified K-8 educational program built on project-based learning with integrated STEM instruction. The school implements Responsive Classroom principles schoolwide and offers a modified year-round schedule. Core programs include Project Based Learning, STEM instruction, Social Emotional Learning, Standards Based Grading, Wednesday Clubs for extracurricular exploration, and Exceptional Children Services for special education support. Admissions are managed through a weighted lottery system that prioritizes economically disadvantaged applicants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• K-8 Project-Based Learning Curriculum
• Exceptional Children (EC) Services
• Wednesday Clubs Extracurricular Program
• Kindness Certified School Culture Program
• School-Based Therapy Services
• After School / Intercession Program (KidsPlex)
• School Lunch Program (My Hot Lunchbox)

Quantifiable outcome

• Met or exceeded academic growth every year since 2017
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Renaissance Wellness ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool-based therapy organization contracted to provide on-campus mental health services. Services paid by child's insurance (BCBS and Medicaid). Provides 45 min-1 hour weekly therapy sessions at school.
• Orange County SportsplexcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOperates KidsPlex afterschool program on-site at The Expedition School, providing extended care services for enrolled students.
• My Hot LunchboxminorOthersLocal restaurant meal delivery service partner providing healthy lunches for students who do not pack from home.
• Community/Business PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOpen invitation for small businesses, corporations, science labs, non-profits, arts organizations, and professionals to partner through guest speaking, field trips, job shadowing, mentoring, corporate sponsorships, and volunteer days.
• TESCA (The Expedition School Community Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent-run community association supporting the school through volunteer coordination, fundraising, and community building. Not affiliated with the school but works cooperatively to enhance educational and social experiences.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Magellan Charter School: NC public charter school in Raleigh serving grades K-8 with a comparable small-charter operating model and similar educational mission in the same NC charter ecosystem.
• Woods Charter School: NC public charter school in Chapel Hill (same Orange County region as TES) serving grades K-12 with a comparable small-school, project-based educational approach and similar family demographic.
• Hawbridge School: NC public charter school in Saxapahaw serving grades 4-12 with a similar small-school, project-based pedagogy and outdoor education elements. Closely comparable operating model within the same state charter framework.
• Exploris Charter School: K-8 public charter school in Raleigh, NC with a comparable expeditionary learning focus and project-based pedagogy. Operates in the same NC charter market with a closely aligned mission and student demographic.

Broad incumbents

• KIPP Schools: National charter school network with a similar focus on underserved students and college-preparatory outcomes; offers a broader-scale replication playbook that could inform TES growth and expansion strategy.
• BASIS Charter Schools: National STEM-focused charter school network with comparable STEM-integration emphasis but operates at much larger scale across multiple states; relevant as a scaled peer for STEM and academic-outcomes benchmarking.
• National Heritage Academies: Charter school management organization operating 90+ schools nationwide; relevant as a scaled charter management peer for operational benchmarking and potential management services comparison.

Others

• Carolina Friends School: Private progressive K-12 school in Chapel Hill with similar project-based, SEL-focused pedagogy; not a direct competitor due to its tuition model, but pedagogically aligned and serving an overlapping family demographic in the same region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/theexpeditionschool
• Instagraminstagram.com/tes_hillsborough
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-expedition-school

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 The Expedition School