Fort Erie International Academy

What Fort Erie International Academy does

Fort Erie International Academy (FEIA) is a private for-profit boarding and day school located in Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, operating on a historic 1926 campus of approximately 70,000 m² with modernized facilities including two basketball gyms, an indoor swimming pool, science labs, dormitories, and a separate Rivergate Academy childcare facility (Central Avenue, capacity 151 children). Founded in 2019 by Paul Liu, with Will Cockburn as Principal since founding, FEIA delivers the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) to approximately 270 students across Grades 6-12, of whom over 90% are boarders drawn from more than 20 nationalities. The school's product set spans Middle School, Secondary School, and the Canadian College Pathway Program at the academic core; four flagship programs (AI & Innovation, Esports, Discovery & Adventure, Pathfinder) at the enrichment layer; and six athletic academies (boys and girls basketball and hockey, boys soccer, girls volleyball) competing in OSBA, NPA, CSSHL, and NGHL leagues. A separately licensed childcare subsidiary, Rivergate Academy, charges $22 CAD per day under the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care System (CWELCC) and is expanding into kindergarten in September 2026 and Grades 1-3 by 2027.

FEIA's revenue model is built on non-refundable annual tuition and boarding fees, structured as recurring subscriptions billed per academic year. International student recruitment is the primary growth lever, executed through a global recruitment team (Chief Global Recruitment Officer, Director of Enrolment LATAM, Regional Managers for Mexico, Brazil, and Asia based in Seoul, Mexico City, and São Paulo) plus the Amerigo Education agency channel and a dual ESL pathway with ILAC International Language Schools. Supporting infrastructure includes Brightspace (by D2L) for the Student Portal, EdSembliCloud for the Parent Portal, and Calendly for admissions scheduling. The school's go-to-market emphasizes results-based marketing through athletic championships (NPA 2024, NPA girls 2024-25, OSBA 2025-26), scholarship outcomes (~$5.2M CAD earned in 2024), and a November 2025 Adidas uniform partnership with Grammy-nominated producer Murda Beatz as basketball ambassador. Leadership change risk is observable: in June 2025, boys basketball franchise builder Charles Hantoumakos departed for the University of the Pacific, and the girls hockey head coach position was filled internally by Pete Montana.

Name

Fort Erie International Academy

Legal name

Fort Erie International Academy

Website

https://feia.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Fort Erie International Academy is a private Canadian boarding and day school (Grades 6-12, ~270 students) combining OSSD academics, six elite sport academies, and four flagship programs (AI, esports, adventure, Pathfinder) for an international student body on a historic Ontario campus.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Erie

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Academic Fees: Tuition fees are charged per academic year for both day and boarding students. Fees vary by grade level and boarding/day status. Once enrollment is confirmed, tuition and fees are non-refundable and considered earned over the full academic year.
2. Boarding/Residence Fees: Boarding students pay additional residence fees covering room, meals (three chef-prepared meals daily), supervision, 24/7 security, and weekend programming. These fees are bundled with tuition and non-refundable once enrollment is confirmed.
3. Childcare and Early Learning (Rivergate Academy): Rivergate Academy (FEIA-owned childcare) charges $22 per day per child for toddler and preschool programs, operating under the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care System (CWELCC) federal program which reduces fees for eligible families. Kindergarten will be offered from September 2026.
4. Specialized Athletic and Enrichment Program Fees: Fees for specialized programs including sports academies (basketball, hockey, soccer, volleyball, esports), AI and Innovation, Discovery and Adventure, and Pathfinder Program. These are non-refundable and charged in addition to base tuition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Fort Erie International Academy is a private day and boarding school in Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, serving students in Grades 6-12. It sells an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) academic program, residential boarding services, sport academies in basketball, hockey, soccer, volleyball and esports, and flagship enrichment programs (AI & Innovation, Discovery & Adventure, Pathfinder, Esports), along with on-site childcare for younger dependents of boarding families.

Product overview

Fort Erie International Academy (FEIA) is a private day and boarding school offering a unified educational platform combining academics (OSSD curriculum), athletics (high-performance sports academies), and flagship programs (AI & Innovation, Esports, Discovery & Adventure, Pathfinder). The school serves students from childcare (18 months) through Grade 12, with a 13:1 student-teacher ratio. Core academic products include Secondary School, Canadian College Pathway Program, Middle School, and Childcare, supplemented by five flagship programs. Athletics spans six sports (basketball, hockey, soccer, volleyball) with elite development tracks. Supporting infrastructure includes Student Portal (Brightspace/D2L), Parent Portal (EdSembliCloud), Boarding Program, and the newly expanding Rivergate Academy elementary school.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rivergate Academy: FEIA-owned childcare and early education program offering toddler, pre-school, and kindergarten programs, located on Central Avenue near the main FEIA campus

Products and services

• Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) Academic Program Core academic curriculum for Grades 6-12 students at FEIA, leading to the Ontario Secondary School Diploma. Delivered on the Fort Erie, Ontario campus and available to both day and boarding students.
• Boarding Program On-campus residential boarding for secondary students attending FEIA, supporting both domestic Canadian and international fee-paying families.
• Day School Program Day-school enrollment option for local families seeking private secondary education without boarding.
• Basketball Academy Elite basketball training program integrated with the OSSD academic curriculum for student-athletes.
• Hockey Academy Elite ice hockey training program integrated with the OSSD academic curriculum for student-athletes.
• Soccer Academy Elite soccer training program integrated with the OSSD academic curriculum for student-athletes.
• Volleyball Academy Elite volleyball training program integrated with the OSSD academic curriculum for student-athletes.
• Esports Academy Competitive esports training and competition program, positioned both as a sport academy and as a standalone enrichment track.
• AI & Innovation Program Flagship enrichment track focused on artificial intelligence and innovation, offered alongside the standard OSSD curriculum.
• Discovery & Adventure Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% university acceptance rate for the Class of 2024
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments6 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

AI capability2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AdidascoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 November 2025Adidas is FEIA's official uniform partner for the basketball program. FEIA student-athletes wear Adidas performance gear as official team uniforms. The partnership also includes mentorship opportunities and community engagement initiatives with basketball ambassador Murda Beatz (Grammy-nominated producer and Fort Erie native). The collaboration is described as 'groundbreaking' and connects global brand culture with FEIA's commitment to youth empowerment through sport and education.
• Murda BeatzcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 10 November 2025Grammy-nominated producer and Fort Erie hometown hero Murda Beatz serves as FEIA's Official Ambassador of the Basketball Program. He provides mentorship to student-athletes and contributes to community engagement. His involvement connects FEIA with global music/entertainment culture while supporting local youth in Fort Erie.
• Fort Erie Optimist ClubminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025FEIA partners with the Fort Erie Optimist Club (a community organization since 1975) for student volunteer initiatives, mentorship programs, and community engagement including clean-ups, fundraising events, and leadership programs. The collaboration supports FEIA's holistic education goals and community-minded citizenship.
• Amerigo EducationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAmerigo Education is a partner agency through which international students can apply to FEIA. Amerigo representatives manage recruitment logistics and follow up directly with students and families throughout the application process, providing additional support services for international students.
• ILAC International Language SchoolsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFEIA offers a dual program with ILAC (International Language Schools) for English language learning, combining FEIA's academic programming with ILAC's language instruction for international students needing ESL support.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Sunrise Christian Academy: Kansas-based elite basketball prep school with national rankings and deep NCAA pipeline. Comparable US sports-academy model that competes for similar international student-athletes seeking elite basketball and North American education.
• Lakefield College School: Ontario private boarding school with similar enrollment scale, athletics emphasis, and outdoor/adventure programming. Direct Canadian peer with comparable boarding-academic-athletic profile.
• Montverde Academy: Elite Florida private boarding school with national-championship-caliber basketball and a deep NCAA/NBA pipeline. FEIA's Lady Falcons defeated Montverde's #1-ranked team in 2024-25, and the schools compete for similar international student-athlete families.
• Upper Canada College: Toronto-based elite private boys' school with boarding, robust athletics, and university pathways. Comparable Canadian private school competing for similar high-income domestic and international families.
• IMG Academy: Premier US-based sports-academic boarding academy offering integrated elite training and college-prep academics across multiple sports. Closest direct analogue to FEIA's academic-sports-boarding model, though at significantly larger scale and broader sport offering.
• Appleby College: Oakville, Ontario private boarding school with strong athletics and university-prep academics. Comparable size and Canadian private boarding model with overlapping recruitment markets.
• Brentwood College School: British Columbia private boarding school with strong athletics and outdoor experiential programming. Comparable Canadian boarding school with similar emphasis on integrated academics, athletics, and adventure.
• Trinity College School: Port Hope, Ontario historic private boarding school with athletics and university placement. Comparable Canadian boarding model competing for similar provincial and international families.
• St. Andrew's College: Aurora, Ontario private boys' boarding school with strong athletics, university placement, and international student recruitment. Direct Canadian competitor to FEIA for boarding families and athletic-academic pathways.
• Ridley College: St. Catharines, Ontario private boarding school with elite athletics (OSBA basketball) and university-prep academics. Direct FEIA opponent in OSBA competition and direct Canadian peer for boarding families.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/feiawvb
• Xx.com/FtErieAcademy
• Facebookfacebook.com/forterieinternationalacademy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fort-erie-international-academy

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Fort Erie International Academy