Staples High School

What Staples High School does

Staples High School is a public high school serving approximately 1,850 students in grades 9-12 in Westport, Connecticut, operated by the Westport Public Schools district and funded primarily through local property taxes and state education aid. Founded in 1935 and led by Principal Stafford Thomas Jr., the school offers a comprehensive college-preparatory curriculum including an extensive Advanced Placement program, dual enrollment partnerships with the University of Connecticut, Southern Connecticut State University, and Connecticut State Community College, Independent Learning Experiences for self-directed study, and online electives delivered through the contracted Edmentum PLATO platform. The institution has been consistently ranked among the top public high schools in Connecticut by US News (#2), Niche, and USA Today, and holds W!se Platinum School recognition (2020-2022) for financial literacy and NEASC decennial accreditation (2015).

Operationally, Staples runs on a standard K-12 technology stack — PowerSchool for the Student Information System, Schoology as the Learning Management System, ClassLink for single sign-on, Edmentum PLATO for online electives, Google Workspace for Education, and Finalsite for the school's public website — and integrates ancillary platforms including Follett Destiny (library catalog), mySchoolBucks (cafeteria payments), and the Purdue Online Writing Lab. The school produces several student-run media properties, including WWPT 90.3 FM radio, the Staples Television Network, and the Gold Circle Award-winning Inklings student newspaper. Enrollment is geographically captive to Westport residents, with no tuition charged to district families; non-tuition revenue streams include a U.S. Department of Education PEP grant of $936,771.70 awarded in 2013 and ancillary community partnerships with Wakeman Town Farm, Synchrony, and international exchange programs including Hwa Chong Institution (Singapore) and the Normandy International Youth Leadership Summit. The administrative structure includes four grade-level Assistant Principals, a dedicated School Counseling Department, 252 listed staff members, and departmental chairs across English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Health & Physical Education, and Family and Consumer Sciences.

Name

Staples High School

Legal name

Staples High School

Website

https://shs.westportps.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

1935

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Staples High School is a public, tuition-free high school in Westport, Connecticut, serving approximately 1,850 students in grades 9-12 through AP courses, dual enrollment with three Connecticut universities, online electives, and college counseling, funded by local property taxes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public High Schools (EDAJAAAD)

Keywords

• Public secondary education
• College preparatory programs
• Advanced placement courses
• Dual enrollment programs
• High school counseling

Headquarters

HQ city

Westport

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public School Funding: Funded through local property taxes and state/federal education funding as a public high school in the Westport Public Schools district. No tuition charged to district residents.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Staples High School delivers public secondary education to students in grades 9-12 in Westport, Connecticut, including a comprehensive college-preparatory curriculum with Advanced Placement courses, dual enrollment with regional universities, Independent Learning Experiences, and online electives. Services are funded through local property taxes and state/federal education funding with no tuition charged to district residents, and are supported by a School Counseling department, athletics, arts, and media programs including WWPT 90.3 FM radio and Staples Television Network.

Product overview

Staples High School offers a comprehensive educational platform consisting of its main website powered by Finalsite, alongside multiple academic programs including AP courses through College Board, Independent Learning Experiences for self-directed study, Dual Enrollment programs with regional colleges (Connecticut State Community College, SCSU, UConn), and PLATO online learning electives through Edmentum. The school also operates media properties including Staples Television Network and WWPT 90.3 FM radio station. Students access these resources through integrated systems including PowerSchool (SIS), Schoology (LMS), and ClassLink (SSO).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advanced Placement (AP) Courses
• Dual Enrollment Programs Partnership programs allowing students to earn college credit while in high school through the Connecticut State Community College High School Partnership, SCSU Early College Program, and UConn Early College Experience. Targeted at high-achieving students in grades 11-12 seeking college credit opportunities.
• Independent Learning Experiences (ILE) Self-directed learning pathway for grades 9-12 enabling students to pursue passion projects, independent study, or coursework not otherwise offered at Staples. Students work with a faculty mentor and present final projects to a review panel.
• PLATO Online Learning Electives Online courses delivered through Edmentum's PLATO platform for grades 10-12, covering arts, career/vocational, English, health/PE, music, science, and social studies subjects. Costs are covered by the school system for approved courses.
• School Counseling Department Services College admissions counseling, post-high school planning, course selection support, academic scheduling, financial aid guidance, and standardized testing preparation. Targeted at all Staples students and families.
• WWPT 90.3 FM Radio Station School radio station broadcasting on FM frequency 90.3, also available via streaming platforms including Mixlr and online. Operated through the Media Lab program and available to the school community and general listeners.
• Staples Television Network School television station streaming video content, integrated with WWPT 90.3 FM radio station as part of the Media Lab program. Provides students with broadcasting and media production experience.

Quantifiable outcome

• US News Ranking: #2 Best High School in CT
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wakeman Town FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 October 2013Community partnership as part of the Westport Wellness Initiative PEP Grant. Wakeman Town Farm provides nutrition education training for teachers and student opportunities for outdoor activity and wellness education.
• UConn Early College ExperiencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDual enrollment partnership allowing students to earn college credit through UConn while still in high school. Students participate in UConn's Early College Experience program.
• SCSU Early College ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouthern Connecticut State University partnership enabling students to earn college credits through early college program while attending Staples.
• Connecticut State Community College High School PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Connecticut State Community College (formerly Norwalk Community College) allowing high school students to earn college credits through dual enrollment courses.
• Hwa Chong Institution (Singapore)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational exchange program including Hwa Chong Asia-Pacific Young Leaders Summit and Staples Exchange Program in Singapore, providing cultural exchange opportunities for students.
• Normandy International Youth Leadership SummitminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational leadership summit partnership providing students with global leadership development and cultural exchange experiences.
• Edmentum (PLATO Platform)coreTechnology or IntegrationContracted online learning platform provider for PLATO courses. Edmentum provides online elective curriculum not otherwise available at Staples, with costs covered by the school system.
• SHAPE AmericaminorOthersProfessional membership organization for health and physical education. Staples PE department follows SHAPE America National Standards for Physical Education.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Joel Barlow High School (Easton/Redding): Regional public high school serving Easton and Redding, CT — neighboring district to Westport. Competes for college-bound families in the broader Westport-area market.
• Fairfield Warde / Fairfield Ludlowe High Schools: Public high schools in Fairfield, CT, nearby Fairfield County. Comparable suburban public school system offering AP and college-preparatory programming; overlap in catchment-area families.
• Wilton High School: Public high school in Wilton, CT, adjacent to Westport. Comparable scale and demographic profile; competes directly for recognition in CT public school rankings and for in-region families.
• New Canaan High School: Public high school in New Canaan, CT — a peer affluent suburban public high school in lower Fairfield County. Direct competitor in the CT public-school rankings and for college-preparatory families in the region.
• Ridgefield High School: Public high school in Ridgefield, CT — comparable suburban, college-preparatory public high school in the same CT region. Overlaps with Staples on AP offerings, dual enrollment, and college counseling.
• Greenwich High School: Public high school in Greenwich, CT, comparable in scale and demographic profile. Competes for top CT public school rankings and offers similar AP breadth, athletics, and college counseling infrastructure.
• Darien High School: Public high school serving Darien, CT — a similarly affluent, college-preparatory public high school in Fairfield County. Direct competitor for top-ranked Connecticut public school status and feeder families in the surrounding region.

Regional players

• Ridgewood High School (NJ): Highly-ranked public high school in Ridgewood, NJ. Comparable in scale and college-preparatory positioning, often cited alongside top CT public schools; serves as a regional benchmark rather than a direct CT competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevideo.westport.k12.ct.us/show?video=f2bfb92e0e06
• Facebookfacebook.com/westportpublicschools
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/staples-highschool

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Staples High School