VOICE Charter School

What VOICE Charter School does

VOICE Charter School (legal name: VOICE Charter School of New York) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) public charter school founded in 2008 by Franklin Headley, who continues to serve as Executive Director/Principal. The school operates three campuses in Long Island City, Queens, New York, serving nearly 800 students in grades K-8. Its primary differentiator is the integration of the Kodály Method and Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance (CMP) into core literacy instruction, with all students singing daily in folk songs drawn from multiple languages including Spanish, Tibetan, French, Swahili, and Hungarian. The school draws from a geographically constrained catchment — Community School District 30 in Western Queens — and lottery-based admissions are open to all New York State students with preference for returning students, siblings, and CSD 30 residents. Auxiliary programs include a K-5 after-school program, VOICE Athletics (basketball, soccer, volleyball, track, cross country, golf), VOICE Musical Theatre with annual spring productions, a High School Preparation Program running from 7th grade, and an annual Parade of Nations cultural event.

The business model is that of a publicly funded charter school: the vast majority of revenue comes from per-pupil tax-levy allocations from the New York City Department of Education and the federal/state funding pipeline, with supplemental individual and organizational donations accepted via the school's website. There is no tuition; admissions are randomized via lottery. The school is independently governed by a Board of Trustees chaired by Christopher Doyle (Stroock & Stroock & Lavan M&A practice), with Sheila Durant (retired NYC DOE principal) as Vice President and Jose Garzon (Fund for Public Health NYC) as Treasurer, alongside members from Wharton, Citibank, the College Board, and Charter Technology Solutions. Operating technology is limited to off-the-shelf edtech: PowerSchool Gradebook, Talking Points (multilingual teacher-parent messaging), InfoSnap (enrollment), and the NYC MySchools high school admissions platform. Outbound channels are community-driven — open houses, weekly Wednesday tours, community partnerships, and earned press coverage (NYT, NY Daily News, Chalkbeat, NY1, The 74). The school reports 100% of students accepted to a high school of their choice, with 5-10% matriculating to performing arts high schools including LaGuardia, Frank Sinatra, Talent Unlimited, and Professional Performing Arts School.

Name

VOICE Charter School

Legal name

VOICE Charter School of New York

Website

https://voicecharterschool.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Short description

VOICE Charter School is a nonprofit K-8 public charter school in Long Island City, Queens, serving nearly 800 students through a Kodály-method music-integrated curriculum, lottery-based admissions, and three campus locations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-8 Public Charter Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter School Networks (Multi-Site) (EDAJACAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Charter Language Immersion & Bilingual Schools (EDAJACAI)

Keywords

• K-8 charter education
• Music integrated curriculum
• Social emotional learning
• Special education services
• Public charter school

Headquarters

HQ city

Long Island City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Public Charter School Funding: VOICE Charter School is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization funded primarily through tax levies and public money from charter school status. The school receives public funding in exchange for maintaining high standards of academic accountability.
2. Donations and Community Support: The school accepts donations from individuals and organizations to support educational programs. Partnership opportunities exist for organizations looking to enrich students' educational experiences.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

VOICE Charter School is a free public K-8 charter school delivering daily music-integrated academics to nearly 800 students across three campuses in Long Island City, Queens. Its core academic offering is organized into Lower Elementary (K-2), Upper Elementary (3-5), and Middle School (6-8), supplemented by after-school care, athletics, musical theatre, and a high school preparation program.

Product overview

VOICE Charter School is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) public charter school serving nearly 800 students in grades K-8 across three campuses in Long Island City, Queens, NY. Founded in 2008, the school offers a unified educational program centered on music education, with all students singing daily. The core academic products include Lower Elementary (K-2), Upper Elementary (3-5), and Middle School (6-8) divisions. Supplementary programs include a K-5 After-school Program, VOICE Athletics (6-8), VOICE Musical Theatre (Middle School), an annual Musical Theatre production, and an Athletics Program featuring basketball, soccer, volleyball, track, cross country, and golf. The school also provides Field Trips & Excursions (museums, performing arts, wildlife, and residential trips to Washington D.C. and Philadelphia), a Parade of Nations cultural celebration, and a High School Preparation Program supporting students from 7th grade onward. Technology-enabled services include PowerSchool Gradebook, Talking Points communication, and InfoSnap enrollment management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lower Elementary School (K-2) Free public charter school program for students in Kindergarten through 2nd grade, located at 37-15 13th Street, Long Island City, NY 11101. Operates Monday-Friday 7:30am-5pm as part of the VOICE K-8 continuum.
• Upper Elementary School (3-5) Free public charter school program for students in grades 3-5, located at 36-49 11th St, Long Island City, NY 11106. Continues the VOICE music-integrated academic model.
• Middle School (6-8) Free public charter school program for students in grades 6-8, located at 36-24 12th Street, Long Island City, NY 11106 (Main Office / Lena Horne Campus).
• K-5 After-school Program After-school program for K-5 students at 36-24 12th St, Queens, NY 11106, providing homework assistance, engaging activities, and outdoor recess in a supportive environment from school dismissal until 5:15 pm.
• Music Program Comprehensive school-wide music education program using the Kodály Method integrated with the CMP (Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance) approach; students sing daily, develop musical skills through folk songs from diverse cultures, and align music study with literacy instruction.
• Athletics Program School-sponsored athletics offering basketball, soccer, track and field, volleyball, cross country, and golf, with multiple girls-basketball, co-ed soccer, boys-basketball, and girls-volleyball championship achievements.
• High School Preparation Program Personalized high school admissions support starting in 7th grade, including SHSAT preparation, MySchools account assistance, and connections to top NYC high schools such as Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Tech, Bronx Science, and Hunter College High School.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of VOICE students are accepted to a high school of their choice
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Integration4 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood SettlementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner organization supporting the school's community engagement and student family services.
• NYC Charter School CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVOICE accepts the common application hosted by the NYC Charter School Center, allowing students to apply through their centralized system.
• Teachers for NYC Charter SchoolsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting teacher recruitment and professional development for NYC charter schools.
• Hour ChildrenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization supporting families affected by incarceration, partnering with VOICE for community services.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Public Preparatory Network: NYC-based multi-site charter network operating elementary and middle schools; directly comparable in lottery enrollment, public funding, and whole-child programming.
• Brooklyn Prospect Charter School: NYC K-12 charter with lottery admissions and International Baccalaureate emphasis; comparable in multi-site operations and family-facing communications model.
• KIPP NYC: Multi-site NYC charter network serving K-12 students via lottery admissions; comparable in scale, governance structure, and public-funding revenue model.
• BASIS Charter Schools: National charter network with rigorous college-prep curriculum; comparable as a multi-site charter operator with strong outcomes narrative and differentiated academic model.
• Uncommon Schools: Northeast charter network with multiple NYC campuses serving low-income communities; comparable in mission, multi-site operations, and college-prep outcomes focus.
• Success Academy Charter Schools: NYC's largest charter school network operating multiple campuses across boroughs; directly comparable multi-site K-12 charter operator with lottery admissions and strong outcome narratives.
• Achievement First: Charter school network with NYC presence serving K-12 via lottery; comparable in scale, public-funding model, and rigorous academic positioning.
• The Equity Project Charter School (TEP): Washington Heights K-8 charter with an unconventional teacher-pay model and intensive tutoring; comparable as a NYC K-8 charter differentiating via non-traditional pedagogy.

Emerging players

• Special Music School at Kaufman Music Center: NYC K-8 public school with music-centered curriculum; comparable niche overlap on daily music instruction, though selective rather than lottery-based and smaller scale.

Broad incumbents

• Harlem Children's Zone: Large NYC education nonprofit operating Promise Academy charter schools plus pipeline social services; broader scope but comparable charter operator with community-based model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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 VOICE Charter School