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.
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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
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
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
Purdue Polytechnic High Schools
Indianapolis, IN
Randolph Eastern School Corporation
Union City, IN
Rapunzl
Chicago, IL
RCMA Immokalee Community Academy
Immokalee, FL
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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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?
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 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.
It might be the first time you’re speaking where everyone is actually listening and cares about what you’re doing.
I don’t think I’ve been in a room as supportive as the Yass Prize Semifinalist room in Miami.
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.
I’m dreaming bigger, bolder, and more bodacious [because of the Yass Prize].
It has helped me raise the ceiling on what’s possible.
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 a Yass Prize finalist from last year.
And through that, we were able to open up our second campus in the city of Wichita.
Believe in your mission… Ground yourself… Never give up…
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.
We have a tremendously transformative model that could stand for a little disruption.
The Yass experience has given us “permission” to do exactly that.
Being a part of this experience has amplified the access we can give to our students in a way that nothing has, and the access is just critical.
The Yass Prize is almost like Burning Man for education reform.