Twin Lakes STEM Academy

What Twin Lakes STEM Academy does

Twin Lakes STEM Academy is a K-8 public charter school located on a 13-acre campus in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. Founded in 2014 as Tesfa International School and rebranded in 2022, the school is authorized by Volunteers of America Minnesota under a charter contract covering FY27-FY29 and operates as a publicly funded nonprofit. The institution serves students in Brooklyn Center and the adjacent Brooklyn Park area with class sizes targeted at 18-24 students, offering a STEM-focused curriculum built on third-party packaged programs: Project Lead The Way for STEM, iReady Math for mathematics, Amplify CKLA for literacy, and Fly 5 for social-emotional learning. Middle-school grades rotate through Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, PE/Health, and Art, and the school also operates an Academic Daycare program for ages 3-5 to support kindergarten readiness.

The business model is that of a tuition-free public charter school: revenue is generated primarily through Minnesota per-pupil state funding formula allocations routed through the VOA-Minnesota authorizer, with no tuition charged to families. The school supplements this with an Academic Daycare program (for which pricing is not publicly disclosed) and benefits from auxiliary services such as Northstar Bus Company transportation for eligible students. Distribution occurs through open enrollment, with families applying via the school's website or by contacting the main office; outreach relies on the school's website, a Facebook presence, and community events such as the Spring Family Cookout. Governance is provided by a parent/teacher/community Board of Directors, currently operating with two vacancies.

Operationally, Twin Lakes STEM Academy has expanded from a K-5 school to a full K-8 institution over the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 academic years, supported by Minnesota Department of Education and VOA approvals. Academic performance is a stated differentiator, with student growth ranked in the top 5% of Minnesota schools in reading and mathematics per the North Star Report. In 2025 the school received SUN Focus Brooklyn Center/Brooklyn Park Reader's Choice Awards for Best Public School, Best Teacher (Rhys Jones), and Best Principal (Jason Stockwell). Leadership is centered on Principal/Executive Director Jason Stockwell, supported by a Special Education Coordinator (Jennifer Reeck), a Homeless Liaison (Moussa Cisse), and a board including teacher, parent, and community representatives.

Name

Twin Lakes STEM Academy

Legal name

Twin Lakes STEM Academy

Website

https://twinlakesacademy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Twin Lakes STEM Academy is a publicly funded K-8 charter school in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, serving local families with STEM-focused curriculum, small class sizes of 18-24, and an academic daycare program for ages 3-5.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Education / Public Charter School

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter STEM/STEAM-Focused Schools (EDAJACAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

STEM/STEAM-Focused Private K–12 Schools (EDAJABAM)

Keywords

• Public charter school
• K-8 STEM education
• Elementary education
• Middle school education
• Charter school

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn Center

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, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Twin Lakes STEM Academy is a tuition-free public K-8 charter school in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, delivering a STEM-focused education with small class sizes of 18-24 students. Its core offering combines Project Lead The Way for STEM/science, Amplify CKLA for English Language Arts (Science of Reading-based), iReady Math for mathematics, and Fly 5 for social-emotional learning, supplemented by an Academic Daycare program for ages 3-5 to support kindergarten readiness. The school completed its K-8 expansion by adding 7th grade in 2024-2025 and 8th grade in 2025-2026.

Product overview

Twin Lakes STEM Academy operates as a K-8 STEM-based charter school in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. The school offers a unified educational program combining rigorous STEM-focused curriculum with traditional academic subjects. Core offerings include Project Lead The Way for STEM/Science instruction, Amplify CKLA for English Language Arts (Science of Reading-based), iReady Math for mathematics instruction, and Fly 5 for social-emotional learning. The school also provides Academic Daycare for ages 3-5 focused on kindergarten readiness. Students in grades 5-8 receive rotating content area classes including Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Physical Education/Health, and Art.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• K-8 STEM Education Program Tuition-free K-8 STEM-focused public charter school program for students in the Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park, Minnesota area, combining Project Lead The Way (STEM/science), Amplify CKLA (Science of Reading-based ELA), iReady Math, and Fly 5 social-emotional learning, with rotating middle school content-area classes and class sizes of 18-24 students.
• Academic Daycare Program (Ages 3-5)

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Volunteers of America MinnesotacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteers of America Minnesota is the charter school authorizer for Twin Lakes STEM Academy. The VOA-Minnesota Charter School Authorizing Program provides high-quality choices in public education through a portfolio of high-performing charter schools. Contact: Stephanie Olsen, Senior Manager. The charter contract covers FY27-FY29.
• Northstar TransportationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNorthstar Bus Company provides school bus transportation services for Twin Lakes STEM Academy students living two miles or more from school, in compliance with Minnesota Statute 124E.15.
• Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMDE, in partnership with Volunteers of America, approved Twin Lakes STEM Academy to expand from K-5 to include 7th grade (2024-2025) and 8th grade (2025-2026), allowing the school to become a full K-8 STEM academy.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Plymouth Educational Center: Minnesota-based charter school offering K-8 programs with a mission-driven, college-preparatory focus. Comparable as a small Minnesota charter serving a similar K-8 student population and competing for the same local families.
• Hiawatha Academies: Minnesota-based public charter school network serving K-12 with a college-prep and globally minded focus. Closest geographic and mission analog to Twin Lakes STEM Academy as a Minnesota charter serving a similar Twin Cities demographic.
• Great Oaks Charter School: Charter school network emphasizing rigorous academics, STEM exposure, and enrichment for K-12 students. Comparable as a tuition-free charter focused on STEM and college readiness, though operating in different metro markets.
• Eagle Ridge Academy: Minnesota public charter school in the Twin Cities metro offering a rigorous college-preparatory K-12 education. Comparable as a similarly sized Minnesota charter competing for the same local K-8 family pool.
• Harvest Preparatory School: Minnesota charter school serving K-12 with a globally minded and project-based approach. Comparable as a Minnesota charter network operating under a similar tuition-free, mission-driven model.
• St. Croix Preparatory Academy: Minnesota public charter school serving grades K-12 in the Twin Cities region with a rigorous college-preparatory focus. Comparable as a Minnesota charter with similar grade-span coverage and tuition-free model.
• Aspen Academy: Minnesota public charter school offering a rigorous K-8 program with STEM and leadership emphasis. Comparable as a tuition-free Minnesota charter serving grades K-8 with project-based and STEM-oriented curriculum.

Broad incumbents

• KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program): National network of tuition-free public charter schools with a college-prep and STEM/STEAM-aligned curriculum serving K-12 students. Comparable as a charter operator but at significantly greater scale and geographic reach than Twin Lakes STEM Academy.
• National Heritage Academies: Charter management organization operating tuition-free public charter schools across multiple U.S. states with a character- and academics-focused curriculum. Comparable as a charter operator with shared tuition-free, K-8 educational model.
• Success Academy Charter Schools: Large New York City-based charter school network known for high academic outcomes and STEM emphasis. Comparable as a charter operator achieving top-decile academic results, though it operates at city-network scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TwinLakesSTEMAcademy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/twin-lakes-stem-academy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Twin Lakes STEM Academy