Awards
Awards
The 2025 Yass Prize Winner!
Chesterton School Network
Chesterton Schools Network stands out as the 2025 Yass Prize winner because it embodies all four STOP principles at once. Its model is sustainable, allowing parents to open affordable, high-quality classical high schools in education-freedom states; transformational, restoring joy, deep thinking, and character formation through a content-rich, tech-free environment; outstanding, producing remarkable academic, social, and spiritual outcomes for students nationwide; and permissionless, enabling families to found accredited schools in as little as 18 months. Chesterton proves that when parents are trusted and equipped, exceptional schools can flourish anywhere. And the network is on pace to reach 150 schools by 2030 and 1,000 schools by 2040.
Meet the Texas Education Freedom Award Winners
Yass Prize alumni were awarded funding to position them to launch or expand innovative school models in 2026—meeting the needs of even more Texas students.
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.
Search for More Awardees
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
MAP Academy
Plymouth, MA
Maryville Academy
Des Plaines, IL
Milwaukee College Prep
Milwaukee, WI
MindSprout Montessori
Spring, TX
Mission Achievement and Success Charter School
Albuquerque, NM
Modern States Education Alliance
National
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
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
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
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
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. 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
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
Trinity School
Oklahoma City, OK
Trivium Charter School Network
Lompoc, California
Tutwiler Community Education Center
Tutwiler, MS
unCommon Construction
New Orleans, LA
Urban Preparatory Academy
Wichita, KS
UrbaNeXt
Cincinnati, OH
Valiant Cross Academy
Montgomery, AL
Verdi EcoSchool
Melbourne, FL
Vertex Partnership Academies
Bronx, NY
VictoryXR
National
Vimenti
San Juan, PR
West Virginia Academy
Morgantown, WV
Wildflower Schools
Minneapolis, MN & National
WIN Academy at BridgeValley Community and Technical College
South Charleston, WV
WonderHere
Florida & South Carolina
Workshop Middle School
Brooklyn, NY
Young Women’s Preparatory Network
Dallas, TX
Zeta Charter Schools
Bronx, NY
End of Awardees
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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.
In a state where alternative education is often overlooked, the Yass community helps us shine.
The Yass Prize has empowered our youth, families and community by bringing great visibility to our efforts.
I'm a Yass Prize finalist from last year.
And through that, we were able to open up our second campus in the city of Wichita.
Everyone knows that without great education, our nation suffers.
Great education is a vital link for students to become successful citizens.
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.
Believe in your mission… Ground yourself… Never give up…
Education is one of the most fundamental pillars for democratizing opportunities for success that we have in our society.
It’s thanks to organizations like the Yass Prize that our children are going to have a better tomorrow.
When we follow the money, it’s ludicrous how this country is getting away with funding education.
The funding is not following children. We're trying to make better options for kids, for poor kids, middle class kids. Wealthy people have this choice, they opt out of their systems easily, why shouldn't all children have that choice?
The Yass Prize has significantly impacted the trajectory of our organization.
When we originally applied, we simply provided supplemental support services to homeschooling families. Now, we are growing into an education network that provides community, coaching, and curriculum nationwide.
Being a part of the [Yass] family confirmed that what I'm doing is right,
going against the common core and focusing on what we know is important for kids really works, and having a network of people now that also agree was super huge.
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.
I’m dreaming bigger, bolder, and more bodacious [because of the Yass Prize].
It has helped me raise the ceiling on what’s possible.