CERAI-00-02
Last updated 6 March 2000
INTRODUCTION
The
1990s were a period of rapidexpansion for what is now called the
"education industry." One of thefastest growing sections of that
industry is that of companies managing publicschools, particularly
charter schools, for profit. Companies have alwaysprofited from selling
necessary supplies to schools, but the concept of makinga profit from
the administration and practice of K-12 public education itselfis new.
Industry watchers have coined the term "education
managementorganization," or EMO, to describe these companies, and the
comparison toHMOs seems accurate to both proponents and critics of the
phenomenon.
The
charter school movement hasbeen a boon to EMOs. The first charter
school law was passed in Minnesota in1991. Currently, most of the 37
states with charter school laws permit thecharter holder to be a
for-profit firm or allow the charter holder tosubcontract with
for-profit firms for management assistance or total schoolmanagement.
States having what are considered the strongest charter school
laws(i.e., the most flexible), such as Arizona and Michigan, also have
the mostschools managed by for-profit companies.
In
1999, the Center for EducationResearch, Analysis, and Innovation
published the first directory of companiesmanaging public schools for
profit, which included 13 firms managing 135schools in 15 states. The
2000 edition of the Profiles includes 20 companiesmanaging 230 schools
in 21 states. The companies profiled represent only thosethat CERAI
researchers could positively identify as for-profit
managementcompanies, and are likely to represent only the largest or
most high-profile ofthe many firms that exist. A table that lists other
companies for which limitedinformation is available can be found at the
end of the document.
CERAI
has attempted to provideinformation that is accurate and complete.
Company representatives are encouragedto send corrections and additions
to the CERAI office for inclusion in the nextedition of the Profiles.
| Company Name and Location | Total Number of Schools Operating | Number of Schools That Are Charter Schools | States in Which Company Is Operating |
| Advantage Schools, Boston, MA | 16 | 16 | AZ, DC, IL, MA, MI, NC, NJ, NY, PA, TX |
| Beacon Education Management, Westborough, MA | 22 | 13 | IL, MA, MI, MO, NC |
| Charter School Administration Services, Southfield, MI | 7 | 6 | MI |
| Charter Schools USA, Fort Lauderdale, FL | 5 | 5 | FL |
| Crawford First Education Portsmouth, VA | 5 | 1 | IL, MN, VA |
* = See note on company profile.
| Designs for Learning St. Paul, MN | 5 | 5 | MN |
| Edison Schools, New York, NY | 60* | 12 | CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, IA, KS, MA, MI, MN, MO, NC, NJ, OH,TX |
| Excel Education Centers, Prescott, AZ | 7 | 7 | AZ |
| Helicon Associates, Flat Rock, MI | 6 | 6 | MI |
| LearnNow, Inc., New York, NY. | * | * | * |
| Leona Group, East Lansing, MI | 34 | 16 | AZ, MI |
| Malone Management, Grand Rapids, MI | 1 | 1 | MI |
| Montessori Charter School of Flagstaff, Flagstaff, AZ | 1 | 1 | AZ |
| Mosaica Education San Rafael, CA | 8 | 8 | MI, NJ, PA |
| National Heritage Academies, Dearborn, MI | 22 | 22 | MI, NC |
* = See note on company profile.
| SABIS Educational Systems | 5 | 4 | MA, MI, MN |
| Smart Schools, Inc., Howell, MI | 1 | Unknown, information not available | MI |
| TesseracT Group, Scottsdale, AZ | 11 | 9 | AZ, IN, MN |
| Victory Schools, Inc., New York, NY | 2 | 2 | NY |
| White Hat Management, Akron, OH | 12* | Unknown, information not available | OH |
* = See note on company profile.
| Address | Telephone | WWW Address | Year Founded | Privately Held or Publicly Traded | Profitable or Not Profitable |
| 60 Canal St. Boston, MA 02114 | (617) 523-2220 or (888) 292-2344 FAX: (617) 523-2221 | 1996 | Privately held | Not Profitable |
| School Name | Location | Year Founded | Grade Levels Served | Charter School? |
| Phoenix Advantage Charter School | Phoenix, AZ | 1997 | K-7 | Yes |
| Washington DC Arts and Technology Academy | Washington, DC | 1999 | K-5 | Yes |
| Octavio Paz Charter School | Chicago, IL | 1998 | K-7 | Yes |
| Mystic Valley Advantage Regional Charter School | Malden, MA | 1998 | K-6 | Yes |
| Abby Kelley Foster Regional Charter School | Worcester, MA | 1998 | K-6 | Yes |
| Kalamazoo Advantage Academy | Kalamazoo, MI | 1998 | K-6 | Yes |
| Sugar Creek Charter School | Charlotte, NC | 1999 | K-5 | Yes |
| Rocky Mount Charter School | Rocky Mount, NC | 1997 | K-7 | Yes |
| New Horizons Community Charter School | Newark, NJ | 1999 | K-5 | Yes |
| Jersey City Golden Door Charter School | Jersey City, NJ | 1998 | K-6 | Yes |
| New Covenant Charter School | Albany, NY | 1999 | K-5 | Yes |
| Philadelphia Renaissance Charter School | Philadelphia, PA | 1999 | K-5 | Yes |
| Dallas Advantage Charter School | Dallas, TX | 1999 | K-5 | Yes |
| Houston Advantage Charter School | Houston, TX | 1999 | K-5 | Yes |
| Midland Advantage Charter School | Midland, TX | 1999 | K-5 | Yes |
| New Frontiers Charter School | San Antonio, TX | 1998 | K-6 | Yes |
| Address | Telephone | WWW Address | Year Founded | Privately Held or Publicly Traded | Profitable or Not Profitable |
| 112 Turnpike Road Suite 107 Westborough, MA 01581 | 800-789-1258 ext. 14 (508) 836-4461 FAX: (508) 836-2604 | e-mail: info@beaconedu.com | 1992 | Privately held | Not Profitable |
| School Name | Location | Year Founded | Grade Levels Served | Charter School? |
| Thomas Jefferson Charter School | Itasca, IL | 1999 | K-8 | Yes |
| Chelmsford Public Charter School | Chelmsford, MA | 1996 | 5-8 | Yes |
| Rising Tide Charter School | Plymouth, MA | 1998 | 5-8 | Yes |
| Roxbury College Preparatory Charter School | Boston, MA | 1999 | 6 | Yes |
| Crossroads Charter Academy* | Big Rapids, MI | 1998 | K-8 | Yes |
| The Learning Center* | Byron Center, MI | 1996 | K-10 | Yes |
| Chandler Park Academy* | Detroit, MI | 1997 | 8 | Yes |
| Chandler Park Academy South* | Detroit, MI | 1998 | 7 | Yes |
| Chandler Park Academy III* | Detroit, MI | Unknown | 5-6 | Unknown |
| White Pine Academy* | Leslie, MI | Unknown | K-8 | Unknown |
| Huron Academy* | McComb County, MI | Unknown | K-8 | Unknown |
| Renaissance Public School Academy* | Mt. Pleasant, MI | 1995 | K-8 | Yes |
| Great Lakes Academy* | Pontiac, MI | 1997 | K-6 | Yes |
| New Directions Academy* | Pontiac, MI | Unknown | K | Unknown |
| New Directions Institute* | Pontiac, MI | 1997 | 9-12 | Unknown |
| Landmark* | Port Huron, MI | Unknown | K-8 | Unknown |
| Conner Creek Academy East | Roseville, MI | 1998 | K-6 | Unknown |
| West Michigan Academy of Arts & Academics* | Spring Lake, MI | 1996 | K-8 | Yes |
| Conner Creek Academy | Warren, MI | 1998 | K-6 | Unknown |
| New Beginnings Academy | Ypsilanti, MI | Unknown | K-5 | Unknown |
| Southwest Charter School | Kansas City, MO | Unknown | 6-8 | Yes |
| Engelmann School of Arts & Sciences | Claremont, NC | 1996 | K-6 | Yes |
| Address | Telephone | WWW Address | Year Founded | Privately Held or Publicly Traded | Profitable or Not Profitable |
| 20755 Greenfield Rd. Suite 300 Southfield MI 48075 | (248) 569-7787 (248) 334-2814 FAX: (248) 569-6674 | None | 1995 | Privately Held | Unknown |
| School Name | Location | Year Founded | Grade Levels Served | Charter School? |
| Academy of Detroit - Oak Park | Ferndale, MI | 1995 | 6-12 | Yes |
| Academy of Detroit - East | Inkster, MI | 1995 | K-5 | Yes |
| Academy of Detroit - Southfield | Southfield, MI | 1995 | K-5 | Yes |
| Academy of Detroit - West | Oak Park, MI | 1995 | K-5 | Yes |
| Academy of Detroit - Westland | Westland, MI | 1994 | K-5 | Yes |
| Academy of Kansas City | Kansas City, MO | 1999 | Unknown | Unknown |
| Academy of Austin | Austin, TX | 1999 | CLOSED | Yes |
| Address | Telephone | WWW Address | Year Founded | Privately Held or Publicly Traded | Profitable or Not Profitable |
| 2500 N. Federal Hwy 5th Floor Fort Lauderdale, FL 33305 | (954) 202-3500 (954) 791-9910 FAX: (954) 202-3512 | e-mail: | 1998 | Privately Held | Unknown |
| School Name | Location | Year Founded | Grade Levels Served | Charter School? |
| Coral Springs Middle School | Coral Springs, FL | Unknown | Unknown | Yes |
| Coral Springs Charter High School | Coral Springs, FL | Unknown | Unknown | Yes |
| Ryder Elementary Charter School | Miami, FL | 1999 | K-3 | Yes |
| North Lauderdale Academy High School | North Lauderdale, FL | Unknown | Unknown | Yes |
| Palm Beach Maritime Academy | West Palm Beach, FL | 1999 | Unknown | Yes |