Urban Academy Charter School

What Urban Academy Charter School does

Urban Academy Charter School is a nonprofit public charter school established in 2003 in St. Paul, Minnesota, serving students from Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade at a single campus at 1668 Montreal Avenue. The school is authorized by Novation Educational Opportunities (NEO), a Minnesota charter authorizer, and operates as a no-cost, tuition-free public school funded primarily through per-pupil state aid and federal Title I and Title III funding. Approximately 85% of its students are English Language Learners (ELL), and the institution has built its identity around bilingual and ELL-specific programming aligned with WIDA standards, including a Language Instruction Educational Program (LIEP) that delivers 120 minutes per week of push-in ELL support per classroom. Special education, athletics (via the Minnesota Charter Athletic Association), and supplementary services such as transportation, food programs, and family community resources round out the offering.

Academically, the school employs a research-proven instructional stack: LETRS-trained staff (50% trained, remainder in progress under the Minnesota Read Act), the UFLI Foundations multi-sensory phonics program from the University of Florida Literacy Institute, Fishtank Learning for ELA, and McGraw Hill's Reveal Math, Inspire Science, and Impact Social Studies curricula. Assessment operations rely on NWEA MAP, FastBridge, Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA), and WIDA ACCESS. Enrollment is direct-to-consumer: families register through the school website, with recruiting reinforced by community partnerships, Ramsey County outreach, and participation in Minnesota's school choice system. The school also offers a hybrid online learning option and a Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) pathway for high-school-credit-bearing courses.

The institution is governed by an independent community board with voting members including Melissa Jensen (Chair), Fong Lor (Vice Chair), Caley Long (Financial), Chao Yang (Secretary), and others, with Dr. Mongsher Ly serving as Superintendent and Ex-Officio Board Member since 1999 (pre-founding). The faculty/staff directory lists 54 constituents, supporting a small, single-site operating model. Revenue is structurally a function of enrollment counts multiplied by Minnesota per-pupil aid rates plus federal supplements; the school does not charge tuition. No funding rounds, acquisitions, parent company, or expansion beyond the St. Paul campus have been disclosed.

Name

Urban Academy Charter School

Legal name

Urban Academy Charter School

Website

https://urbanacademymn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Urban Academy Charter School is a nonprofit, tuition-free Minnesota public charter school (est. 2003) serving Pre-K through 8th grade at a single St. Paul campus, with 85% English Language Learners and funding from per-pupil state aid and federal Title programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-8 Charter School Education

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAJACAI

Charter Language Immersion & Bilingual Schools

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/Charter K–12 Schools

Keywords

• K-8 charter school
• Public education services
• English language learning
• Special education programs
• Urban elementary education

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Per-Pupil State Funding: As a public charter school in Minnesota, Urban Academy receives per-pupil state funding based on enrollment. This is the primary revenue source for operational expenses.
2. Federal Title Funding: Federal funding including Title I (for high-poverty schools), Title III (for English Language Learners), and other federal education grants supporting specific programs and services.
3. AmeriCorps Program Support: Partnership with Reading Corps and Math Corps providing tutoring services to boost foundational reading and math skills, with AmeriCorps members serving as tutors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Urban Academy Charter School is a nonprofit public charter school in St. Paul, Minnesota providing tuition-free Pre-K through 8th grade education. It delivers research-based literacy instruction (LETRS, UFLI phonics), mathematics, science, and social studies curricula, with specialized English Language Learning (LIEP) support for an 85% ELL student body, alongside special education, athletics, family/community resources, transportation, and food services.

Product overview

Urban Academy Charter School is a Pre-K through 8th grade charter school established in 2003 in St. Paul, Minnesota. The school offers a comprehensive educational program built on research-proven methods combining science of reading literacy instruction (LETRS training, Fishtank Learning, UFLI phonics), mathematics curriculum (Reveal Math with Reflex and Prodigy), and content-area programs including Inspire Science and Impact Social Studies. The school serves a predominantly English language learning population (85%) through its Language Instruction Educational Program (LIEP) with WIDA-aligned instruction. Supporting services include Special Education (with OT, speech, social work, DAPE, and psychological services), Title I reading support, AmeriCorps Reading Corps and Math Corps tutoring, athletics (member of Minnesota Charter Athletic Association), and Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) for high school credit. The school utilizes various educational technology platforms for instruction including NWEA MAP assessments, Fastbridge, McGraw Hill programs, and digital learning tools. Transportation, food services, and family community resources complement the educational program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pre-K through 8th Grade Education Program
• Special Education Services
• English Language Learning (ELL) Program
• Athletics Program
• AmeriCorps Reading Corps and Math Corps Tutoring
• Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO)
• Student Transportation Services
• Food and Nutrition Services
• Family and Community Resources
• Hybrid Online Learning
• Annual Assessment Services
• Title I Reading Support

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% of staff currently LETRS trained with remaining staff in training process per Read Act requirements
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration34 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Novation Educational Opportunities (NEO)coreOthersNEO serves as the authorizer for Urban Academy Charter School, providing oversight and authorization services. Located at 3432 Denmark Ave, Ste 130, Eagan, MN 55123. NEO is responsible for authorizing and monitoring charter schools in Minnesota.
• Reading Corps and Math Corps (AmeriCorps)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUrban Academy has partnered with Reading Corps and Math Corps programs to boost foundational reading and math skills. AmeriCorps members serve as tutors helping students become successful learners and stay on pace with peers. The partnership provides no-cost tutoring services to students.
• Minnesota Charter School Athletic AssociationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUrban Academy is a member of the Minnesota Charter Athletic Association, offering after-school competitive sports including soccer, volleyball, basketball, and flag football for students throughout the year.
• WIDA (University of Wisconsin-Madison)coreTechnology or IntegrationWIDA provides English language development standards, assessment materials including WIDA ACCESS Placement Test (WAPT), WIDA Can-Do descriptors, and WIDA speaking/writing rubrics for ELL identification, instruction, and exit procedures.
• NWEA (Northwest Evaluation Association)coreTechnology or IntegrationNWEA provides the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment used for measuring student growth. Teachers use MAP results to focus intervention groups.
• Tri-Valley Opportunity CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTri-Valley Opportunity Council provides migratory support services for students identified as migratory children, including connecting families with support resources.
• VEAP (Volunteers Enlisted in Assisting People)minorOthersVEAP provides food bank services referenced in the school's community resources for supporting student and family needs.
• Monarch Busing (Verstrans MyStop)minorOthersMonarch Busing provides student transportation services with a mobile tracking app (Verstrans MyStop Mobile App) for parents to track bus locations.
• LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling)coreTechnology or IntegrationLETRS provides professional development training for teachers on the science of reading. Urban Academy has adopted LETRS training for all staff, with 50% currently trained and the rest in process.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• BASIS Charter Schools: Network of public charter schools (BASIS Charter, BASIS Independent) operating across multiple states. Comparable as a broader charter operator with rigorous academics and assessment-driven curriculum, though serving a different demographic segment.
• KIPP Schools: National nonprofit charter management organization operating dozens of college-prep public charter schools. Comparable as a broad charter operator with similar urban, high-needs student focus and college-prep mission, though at materially larger scale.
• Success Academy Charter Schools: NYC-based nonprofit charter management organization running 40+ K-12 public charter schools. Broad incumbent peer sharing urban charter status, ELL-heavy demographics, and standardized curriculum/assessment infrastructure.
• Friendship Public Charter School: Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit charter management organization operating multiple Pre-K-12 charter campuses. Comparable as a broader charter operator serving urban, high-ELL demographics with college-prep curriculum focus.
• National Heritage Academies: Grand Rapids, MI-based charter management organization operating 90+ public charter schools across multiple states. Broad incumbent peer in nonprofit charter operations with similar curriculum-and-assessment-driven academic model.

Direct peers

• Twin Cities Academy: St. Paul public charter school serving grades 6-12. Operates as a small nonprofit charter within the same St. Paul geography and NEO/Pillsbury authorizer ecosystem as Urban Academy, addressing similar urban demographics.
• Harbor International Center: Minneapolis public charter school focused on international and multilingual learners K-8. Closely comparable in mission (multicultural/ELL), grade span, and small nonprofit charter scale in the Twin Cities market.
• Bdote Academy: Minneapolis-area charter school focused on Dakota and Ojibwe language immersion and ELL students. Direct peer in mission, ELL/bilingual model, and K-8 grade configuration within the same Twin Cities charter ecosystem.
• Yinghua Academy: Minneapolis public charter school offering dual-language immersion (Mandarin/English) from K-8. Comparable as a small, ELL/bilingual-focused charter in the Twin Cities metro with similar nonprofit charter structure and Pre-K-8 grade span.

Regional players

• Metro Deaf School: St. Paul public charter school serving deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Regional peer operating in the same St. Paul/NEO ecosystem with a similar small, mission-driven nonprofit charter model serving specialized student populations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/urban-academy-charter-school

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Urban Academy Charter School