Imagine Schools


Imagine Schools is a charter management organization in the United States, operating 55 schools in 9 states. They are K-8, for the most part. In 2015, Imagine schools had enrolled 29,812 students.
Imagine Schools was founded by Dennis and Eileen Bakke with $155 million of the fortune Dennis had earned as Chief Executive Officer of AES Corporation, a global energy provider which he co-founded in 1981.

History

Beacon Education Management was founded in 1996. By 2008, Imagine had grown to 56 schools.

Peer group

In 2015, Imagine adopted non-profit tax status. Similar organizations are known as charter management organizations. Other large non-profits are KIPP and Cosmos.
Similar services are provided by for-profit entities known as education management organizations. K12 was the largest in the US in 2011-2012. K12 does not manage any brick-and-mortar schools, instead delivering schooling on line.