Awards
Awards
Congratulations to the 2026
Yass Prize Contenders
vying for the $1 million Yass Prize
Live from Forbes on Fifth in New York City, the Yass Prize contenders were revealed in a special livestream event on August 12th. After two rounds of rigorous evaluation by more than 500 judges, the contenders for the $1 million “Pulitzer of Education Innovation” will now have the opportunity to pitch at the Miami Accelerator, making the case for why they should be the 2026 winner and how they will expand their impact and ensure that more students gain access to the education they deserve.
More than just a prize, the Yass Prize is a movement—backed by mentorship, funding, and a powerful network—that champions the freedom to learn and the courage to reimagine what education can be.
Rewatch the livestream event and meet the newest 2026 contenders here.
Meet the 2026 Yass Prize Contenders
2025 Yass Prize Winner:
Chesterton School Network
Chesterton proves that when parents are trusted and equipped, exceptional schools can flourish anywhere.
Meet the 2025 Yass Prize Finalists
2025 Yass Prize Contenders
Meet the 18 Contenders selected for the 2025 Yass Prize
Yass Award for
Education Freedom, 2023
Celebrating States that Expand Education Opportunity
Other State Initiatives
Responding in real time to policy opportunities as well as challenges.
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Kaimuki Middle School
Honolulu, HI
KaiPod Learning
Boston, MA
Kairos Academies
St. Louis, MO
Kidvation Global
National
Kind Academy
Coral Springs, FL
Lab51 – One Stone
Boise, Idaho
Lancaster Science Factory
Lancaster, PA
Latitude Learning Resources
Derry, NH
Launch Expeditionary Learning Charter School
Brooklyn, NY
Leaders to Legends
Omaha, NE
Leading Little Arrows
Arlington, TX
Learning Center for the Deaf
Framingham, MA
Learning Lounge
Pine Bluff, AR
Libertas School of Memphis
Memphis, TN
Liberty STEAM Charter School
Sumter, SC
LiFT Learning
Bristol, VT
Liguori Academy
Philadelphia, pA
Living School
New Orleans, LA
Logos Academy
York, PA
Louisiana Key Academy
Baton Rouge, LA
Lutheran Urban Mission Initiative, Inc. (LUMIN)
Multiple cities, WI
Madrona Folk School
Grant Pass, OR
Man Up Teacher Fellowship
Mempis, TN
MAP Academy
Plymouth, MA
Maryville Academy
Des Plaines, IL
Milwaukee College Prep
Milwaukee, WI
MindSprout Montessori
Spring, TX
Miracle Academy Private Christian School
Birmingham, AL
Mission Achievement and Success Charter School
Albuquerque, NM
Modern States Education Alliance
National
Moreana Boys Academy
Gilbert, AZ
Mountaineer Homeschool Hub
Morgantown, WV
National Fellowship for Black and Latino Male Educators
National
National Microschooling Center
Las Vegas, NV
Neighborhood Schools
Houston, TX
New Testament Christian Academy
Milwaukee, WI
New Way Global
Greenville, SC
Northeast Academy for Aerospace and Advanced Technologies
Elizabeth City, NC
Northern Cass School District
Hunter, ND
Notre Dame School of Milwaukee
Milwaukee, WI
Oakmont Education
Akron, OH
Odyssey
Washington, DC
Odyssey Charter School
Wilmington, DE
Odyssey Leadership Academy
Oklahoma City, OK
Old Sturbridge Academy
Sturbridge, MA
One City Schools
Madison, WI
Onward Learning
Martin, SD
OnYourMark
National
Open Sky Education
National
Optima Academy Online
Naples, FL & National
Orangeburg High School for Health Professions
Orangeburg, SC
Parents Challenge
Colorado Springs, CO
Partnership Schools
National
Path of Life Learning
Yorktown, VA
Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship
Penn Hills, PA
Pepin Academies
Tampa, FL
Philadelphia Independence Mission Schools
Philadelphia, PA
Pine Ridge Girls School
Porcupine, SD
Positive Tomorrows, Inc.
Oklahoma City, OK
Prenda
National
Prichard Preparatory School
Whistler, AL
Primer Microschools
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Purdue Polytechnic High Schools
Indianapolis, IN
Randolph Eastern School Corporation
Union City, IN
Rapunzl
Chicago, IL
RCMA Immokalee Community Academy
Immokalee, FL
Regina Caeli Academy
National
RISE Hybrid Academy
Fredericksburg, VA
River City Fellowship San Antonio Christian School
San Antonio, TX
Rock by Rock
National
Rural Schools Innovation Zone
Premont, TX
SailFuture
St. Petersburg, FL
Salt & Light Academy for Boys
Philadelphia, PA
Savannah Legacy Academy
Savannah, GA
School House
East Northport, NY
School of Hope
Fayetteville, NC
Short Answer
National
Siembra Leadership High School
Albuquerque, NM
SOAR Academy
Evans, GA
Sora Schools, Inc.
National
Space Florida
Merritt Island, FL
Spark Academy of Advanced Technologies
Manchester, NH
Special Care
Oklahoma City, OK
St. Anthony Catholic School
Des Moines, IA
St. Francis de Sales School
Philadelphia, PA
St. George Municipal School Unit
Tenants Harbor, ME
St. Mary Magdalen Catholic School
San Antonio, TX
St. Mary’s Academy
New Orleans, LA
St. Philip the Apostle Catholic School
Camp Springs, MD
Star Lab
Sarasota, FL
Summit School
Lorena, TX
Thales Academy
National
The Discovery Center of Springfield
Springfield, MO
The High School for Recording Arts
St. Paul, MN
The Innovation School
Bismarck, ND
The Lab School of Memphis
Memphis, TN
The League of Young Inventors
Brooklyn, NY
The Melanin Village
National
The Oakland REACH
Oakland, CA
The Oaks Academy
Indianapolis, IN
End of Awardees
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Believe in your mission… Ground yourself… Never give up…
There is absolutely zero downside to being a part of this network by submitting your application and what you will encounter is unlike any other grant.
It's actually mind blowing. I really see myself as an education entrepreneur, but this expanded me.
I’m dreaming bigger, bolder, and more bodacious [because of the Yass Prize].
It has helped me raise the ceiling on what’s possible.
Because of the Yass Prize, we were able to add an additional pre-K classroom.
The Yass Prize has brought together such diverse leaders
from all different demographics, all different states, all different service provider types that you can learn from.
The Yass Prize process has created an awareness of the education freedom movement within churches and communities.
It's given us an opportunity to start critical discussions with our congregations, parents, community leaders and members, about the laws that govern education in Pennsylvania.
We used the Yass Prize to launch a program called Skypod catalyst, which is essentially an accelerator to help other people start microschools.
We believe very much that microschools should be bottoms up, they come from the community. They're founded by educators who know their community really well. And they want to design a learning environment for the kids in that community.
If you're committed to wanting to be one of the change makers of the future in education, I believe that this is a place for you.
Not only because of the capital, but because of the knowledge that comes by communing with the diverse group of people as opposed to everybody that thinks the exact same way that you might think.
The foundation of any society is a good education.
The Yass Prize is truly changing the landscape of education options across the nation,
and I couldn't be more grateful for what it's done for us, and helping us serve more students and families.
Yass brought us together, creating opportunities to create an educational universe within which we can look at education differently…
we have to find academic experiences that represent neuro-divergent learners, kids who want to learn about gaming, who want to do stuff online, who dropped out of school.
One of the missions of the Yass Prize and the Yass Prize movement is really surfacing best practices in innovation—
in innovators who are doing this type of transformational work, so that others can learn from it and replicate it, so that you can actually grow yourselves.