Dayton Public Schools

What Dayton Public Schools does

Dayton Public Schools is a public K-12 school district and political subdivision of the State of Ohio, serving students and families residing in Dayton, Ohio. The district operates 27 schools — 17 elementary schools and 12 secondary schools — including specialized campuses such as Thurgood Marshall STEM High School, Stivers School for the Arts, River's Edge Montessori School, and the David H. Ponitz and Meadowdale Career Technology Centers. With more than 2,300 staff and 15,000+ students transported daily, the district offers a comprehensive K-12 platform spanning preschool through 12th grade, with core academic programs, Career-Technical Education pathways, College Credit Plus, gifted education, special education, and language support. The district has been designated by Ford Next Generation Learning for its Academy Model, which restructures schools around Freshman Academy, Guaranteed Experiences, and career-themed academies.

The district's technology stack is standard for a large urban K-12 system: Google-based intranet, Home Access Center for parent/student grade access, ParentSquare for communications, Here Comes the Bus and My Ride K-12 (Traversa Ride 360) for bus tracking, Clevertouch smartboards, and Exact Path as a third-party adaptive diagnostic for math, reading, and language arts. Dayton Public Schools also operates ancillary platforms including Dayton Digital Academy (online learning), WDPS FM school radio, DPS TV Live streaming, and the Challenger Center STEM facility. The Double Teaching Model (grades 1-3) uses two teachers per classroom — one math specialist, one literacy specialist — to deliver individualized instruction.

The business model is a managed-services public funding model: the district is tuition-free for K-12 students residing within district boundaries, with revenue derived from federal, state, and local government sources including state foundation aid, local property tax levies, and federal grants. Total COVID-relief ESSER funding received across rounds I, II, and III totaled $140.4 million. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the Student Enrollment Center at 136 S. Ludlow St., with transportation delivered through a North/South zone system managed by the district's transportation department. The go-to-market is non-commercial — enrollment is residency-based and state-mandated rather than market-driven. Key customer segments are K-12 students and families, with preschool and high school CTE-secondary segments layered on. Strategic partnerships include Dayton Children's Hospital (mental health), Premier Health (career development), Greater Dayton RTA (transit), and Ford Next Generation Learning (academy framework).

Name

Dayton Public Schools

Legal name

Dayton Public Schools

Website

https://dps.k12.oh.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

1930

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Dayton Public Schools is a tuition-free public K-12 school district in Dayton, Ohio, operating 27 schools and 2,300+ staff to serve 15,000+ students daily. Funded by state, local, and federal sources, it offers career-technical, college credit, and specialty academy programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public K-12 Education

NAICS

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

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDADABAA

Public School Districts (K–12)

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/School Districts, Local Education Authorities & Boards

SECONDARYEDAJAAAE

Public K–12 Combined Schools

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

SECONDARYEDAJAAAB

Public Elementary Schools

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

SECONDARYEDAJAAAD

Public High Schools

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

Keywords

• K-12 public education
• Career-technical education
• College Credit Plus
• Student transportation services
• Special education services

Headquarters

HQ city

Dayton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Dayton Public Schools is a public school district primarily funded through federal, state, and local government sources. Federal COVID-relief funding (ESSER I, II, III) has been a significant recent revenue source totaling over $140 million.
2. Tax Revenue: Local property taxes and district levies provide ongoing operational funding for the school district.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Dayton Public Schools is a tuition-free public K-12 school district that delivers comprehensive educational services to students in Dayton, Ohio across 27 schools (17 elementary and 12 secondary including alternative and career technology centers). Its core offerings include standard K-12 instruction, College Credit Plus, Career-Technical Education pathways, the Ford Next Generation Learning Academy Model, gifted and special education, transportation for eligible students, and student support services such as mental health resources.

Product overview

Dayton Public Schools is a public K-12 school district offering a comprehensive educational platform with multiple schools (elementary, middle, high schools), specialized programs, and digital services. The district operates an academy model (Ford NGL), career-technical education pathways, College Credit Plus programs, digital learning options (Dayton Digital Academy), and various student support services including the Challenger Center, WDPS FM radio, and DPS TV Live streaming. Key educational products include DPS University for accelerated learning, the Double Teaching Model for grades 1-3, and the My Ride K-12 App for transportation tracking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• K-12 Student Enrollment System
• College Credit Plus (CCP) Program allowing DPS students to take college-level courses at no cost, with credits transferable to Ohio public colleges and universities.
• Career-Technical Education & Pathways Career-technical education programs offering pathway options for students to prepare for college and career success, earning 4.5 out of 5 stars on Ohio Career-Tech report card.
• Dayton Digital Academy Online/digital learning option for students in the Dayton Public Schools district.
• Ford Next Generation Learning Academy Model Academy model designated by Ford NGL that reorganizes schools around college and career readiness, offering career-themed academies with guaranteed experiences.
• Summer Camps & Programs Summer programs including academic camps, enrichment activities, and the Summer Food Service Program for students.
• Challenger Center Interactive learning center providing STEM education experiences for students.
• WDPS FM Radio Station School radio station operated by Dayton Public Schools.
• DPS TV Live Streaming Live video streaming platform for district events and programming.
• Alternative School at Jackson Center Alternative education program offering flexible pacing, one-on-one learning, and work-based learning opportunities for students.
• Home Access Center (HAC) Online portal for parents and students to access grades, attendance, and academic information.

Quantifiable outcome

• CTE graduation rate of 87%
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Premier HealthminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2023Premier Health partners with DPS Student Senate for career development, with professionals presenting at monthly meetings to discuss career opportunities in the healthcare organization.
• Dayton Children's HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Dayton Children's Hospital provides Student Resiliency Coordinators (SRCs) in each school who manage long-term counseling needs and Student Behavioral Therapists (one for every two schools) for short-term counseling. This partnership supports student mental health across the district.
• Greater Dayton RTAminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Greater Dayton RTA provides bus passes for high school students who need transportation to or from school, supplementing the district's yellow bus system.
• Ford Next Generation LearningcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Dayton Public Schools was designated by Ford Next Generation Learning for its Academy Model approach. The district has implemented Ford NGL Academy Model across its schools, which includes Freshman Academy, Guaranteed Experiences, and career-focused academies. This partnership provides the framework for the district's approach to college and career readiness.
• Catapult CreativeminorOthersWebsite Designed by Catapult Creative - external vendor for website design services

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Chicago Public Schools: Much larger urban Illinois public school district operating its own academy/career-technical model. Serves as a scale benchmark for what a fully-resourced urban district operating model can look like.
• Detroit Public Schools Community District: Larger urban Midwest public school district facing analogous post-pandemic enrollment and funding challenges. Useful peer for benchmarking turnaround and academy-model implementation.
• Indianapolis Public Schools: Major urban Midwest public school district with comparable innovation-network and career-pathway programming. Shares DPS's challenges around charter competition and enrollment stability.
• Pittsburgh Public Schools: Urban Rust Belt public school district sharing Dayton's demographic headwinds and reliance on state/local tax revenue. Comparable in operating magnet programs and career-technical pathways.

Regional players

• St. Louis Public Schools: Urban Midwest public school district operating under a different state but with comparable scale, city-only footprint, and persistent enrollment/funding pressures. Useful benchmark for operating-school-district economics.

Direct peers

• Akron Public Schools: Mid-sized urban Ohio public school district with comparable scale, K-12 academy model programming, and similar exposure to ESSER funding cliffs and demographic pressures.
• Columbus City Schools: Ohio's largest urban school district, sharing DPS's state-funding model, ESSER exposure, and urban enrollment challenges. Comparable in operating Career-Technical Education and Academy Model programming.
• Toledo Public Schools: Urban Ohio public school district experiencing similar demographic and enrollment pressures as Dayton. Both operate a comparable mix of traditional, career-technical, and alternative schools under the same state funding formula.
• Cleveland Metropolitan School District: Urban Ohio public school district operating under the same Ohio Department of Education framework as DPS. Both face similar charter-and-voucher competitive pressures and urban socioeconomic challenges.
• Cincinnati Public Schools: Urban Southwest Ohio public school district comparable to DPS in scale, demographics, and statewide accountability framework. Both are large urban Ohio districts operating K-12 with career-technical pathways and similar urban-charter competition.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/dps.k12.oh.us
• Xx.com/daytonschools
• Facebookfacebook.com/daytonpublicschools
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dayton-public-school-district

Compliance2 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 Dayton Public Schools