Wallace Stegner Academy

What Wallace Stegner Academy does

Wallace Stegner Academy is a nonprofit public charter school network operating five tuition-free campuses along Utah's Wasatch Front (Salt Lake City K-8, West Valley City K-8, Kearns K-6, Kearns High School 7-12, and Sunset K-8), serving more than 3,000 students in grades K-12. The school is publicly funded through Utah per-pupil state allocations, augmented by participation in the USDA National School Lunch Program and modest transaction revenue from a school store selling uniforms and branded apparel; no tuition or student fees are charged. Its core product is a college-preparatory K-12 curriculum with rigorous daily instruction in ELA, Math, and Science, supplemented by a Harry Potter-style six-house system (Altruismo, Amistad, Isibindi, Nukumori, Protos, Rêveur) that creates cross-grade community, mandatory service hours at the high school level, AP courses, advisory periods, and an after-school tutoring program running from 3:30-4:30.

The network's underlying technology stack is largely operational rather than proprietary: it uses Frogtummy for parent portal, lottery enrollment, carpool management, communications, and e-commerce; the Utah State Board of Education UsOE-DCS parent portal; and standard payment systems for the school lunch program. The proprietary layer is pedagogical rather than technological, built around structured literacy and discussion techniques (Turn & Talk, Stand & Talk, Speak in Complete Sentences), daily science instruction starting in kindergarten, and a teacher professional-development engine that delivers over 100 in-class training sessions per teacher per year compared to the 1-2 sessions typical in traditional public schools. The network supports this with the highest starting teacher salary in Utah at $74,000 (with a $10,000 premium for Special Ed, Secondary Math, and Secondary Science).

Customer acquisition is a direct-to-consumer enrollment motion: families apply through an online lottery system that opens December 1 annually, with sibling and re-enrollee preference, and can attend weekly Thursday tours or parent information nights at any of the five campuses. The school is led by Co-CEOs and Co-Founders Anthony Sudweeks and Adam Gerlach, supported by a tiered leadership structure (K-4 and 5-10 Heads of Schools, campus Principals) and a Board of Directors chaired by Sarah Vaughan. Wallace Stegner has been recognized as Utah's top-performing Title I charter school, was named 2025 Charter School of the Year and a 2025 National ESEA Distinguished School, and was previously awarded 2020 Charter School of the Year.

Name

Wallace Stegner Academy

Legal name

Wallace Stegner Academy

Website

https://wsacharter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Wallace Stegner Academy is a nonprofit, tuition-free public charter school network operating five campuses along Utah's Wasatch Front and serving more than 3,000 K-12 students with a college-preparatory curriculum, publicly funded through per-pupil state allocations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Charter School Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter College-Prep & Advanced Academics Schools (EDAJACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Charter Career & Technical Education (CTE) Schools (EDAJACAK)

Keywords

• Public charter school
• K-12 education
• College preparatory
• Tuition-free schooling
• Charter school network

Headquarters

HQ city

Salt Lake City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Per-Pupil State Funding: Public charter school funded primarily through per-pupil state education allocations. Wallace Stegner Academy is a free public school with no tuition charged to students.
2. USDA School Lunch Program: Participates in Seamless Summer Option (SSO) Food Service Program under USDA guidelines, providing meals to students.
3. School Store / Uniform Sales: Operates a school store selling uniforms and gear to students. Revenue from sale of school branded apparel and uniforms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Wallace Stegner Academy is a free, tuition-free public charter school network operating five campuses across the Wasatch Front in Utah, serving students in grades K-12 with a rigorous college-preparatory curriculum. The school offers daily science instruction starting in kindergarten, personalized math and reading instruction, a Harry Potter-style House Program for cross-grade community building, after-school tutoring, AP courses, and electives, with the stated mission of ensuring every student attends and graduates from at least a four-year college.

Product overview

Wallace Stegner Academy is a free public charter school network operating five campuses across Utah (Salt Lake City K-8, West Valley K-8, Kearns K-6, Kearns High School 7-12, and Sunset K-8) serving students in grades K-12. The school offers a unified college preparatory educational program built around rigorous academics, daily science instruction, and structured literacy practices. Key components include a Harry Potter-style House Program that creates cross-grade communities and leadership opportunities, an after-school tutoring program for academic support, AP courses for college preparation, and a $74,000 starting teacher salary program with extensive professional development. The school integrates a Parent Portal for family engagement and participates in the National School Lunch Program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• House System: Harry Potter-style house program with six houses: Altruismo, Amistad, Isibindi, Nukumori, Protos, and Rêveur, creating a school family that celebrates character, leadership, kindness, and teamwork.

Products and services

• Wallace Stegner Academy K-12 Education
• Kearns High School 7-12 Program
• Harry Potter-Style House Program
• After-School Tutoring Program
• National School Lunch Program
• Kearns High School Academic Courses
• School Store and Uniform Sales

Quantifiable outcome

• #1 in state test scores in ELA, Math and Science among 20 nearby schools
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• KIPP Public Schools: National nonprofit charter network operating college-preparatory public schools in underserved communities. Operates a similar multi-campus, K-12 college-prep charter model with extended hours, structured culture, and a focus on college matriculation, making it the most directly comparable peer to Wallace Stegner Academy.
• IDEA Public Schools: Large national charter network serving predominantly low-income students with a college-prep mission. Comparable to Wallace Stegner in Title I status, college-prep focus, and demonstrated success in producing strong academic outcomes for underserved populations.
• American Preparatory Academy: Utah-based charter school network serving K-12 students with a college-preparatory focus. One of the original Utah charter operators and a direct competitor for enrollment on the Wasatch Front; Co-CEO Anthony Sudweeks previously taught at American Preparatory Academy before founding Wallace Stegner.
• Success Academy Charter Schools: High-performing New York City-based charter network consistently ranked #1 in state test scores in New York. Closely comparable to Wallace Stegner in its positioning as a top-ranked charter on standardized assessments and its strong results for low-income students.
• Harmony Public Schools: Texas-based charter network with a STEM-focused college-preparatory K-12 model. Comparable to Wallace Stegner in operating multi-campus charter networks serving predominantly Title I populations with rigorous college-prep curricula.
• BASIS Charter Schools: College-preparatory charter network known for elite academic outcomes, rigorous curriculum, and STEM emphasis. Comparable to Wallace Stegner in its K-12 college-prep focus and consistent top-tier academic rankings, though BASIS operates in multiple states and targets a broader geographic footprint.
• Great Hearts Academies: Nonprofit charter management organization operating classical, college-preparatory K-12 academies. Comparable to Wallace Stegner in its multi-campus college-prep charter model, strong culture component, and focus on academic excellence, though Great Hearts uses a classical curriculum framework.

Broad incumbents

• National Heritage Academies: For-profit charter management organization operating K-8 schools across multiple states. A broader incumbent in the charter management space with comparable K-8 college-prep offerings, though it operates as a for-profit CMO rather than a single nonprofit network.
• Utah State Board of Education: State agency that charters and funds public schools in Utah, including district schools that compete with Wallace Stegner for students. Relevant as the authorizing body and primary funding source, and as the broader incumbent education system Wallace Stegner competes against on the Wasatch Front.

Emerging players

• Ascent Classical Academies: Growing charter network with a classical, college-preparatory K-12 mission. Comparable to Wallace Stegner in its rigorous academic focus and culture-led model, though smaller and in earlier stages of growth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/wallacestegneracademy
• Instagraminstagram.com/wallace_stegner_academy/?igsh=NmlsYnprZjFyZHdo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Wallace Stegner Academy