At a time when parents and educators across the country are rethinking how, where, and what children learn—and who gets to decide—some of the most meaningful education innovations are coming from courageous individuals willing to build something new. The FEE Enterprising Founder Award recognizes those bold education entrepreneurs who saw unmet needs, took personal and professional risks, and created learning environments that put students—and families—first.
“We are living through a re-founding moment in American education,” said FEE President Diogo Costa, one of the award’s judges. “The recipients of this year’s Founder Award stand at the forefront of this transformation. They have turned educational freedom into lived reality, creating pathways for students to pursue their own unique potential.”
With over 200 applications—more than double what we saw in last year’s inaugural award cycle—it was challenging to select the 12 finalists and, ultimately, choose one winner and two runners-up. This year’s applicants were demographically, geographically, and ideologically diverse, but all shared a commitment to reimagining K-12 education in novel, entrepreneurial ways. Three founders rose to the top of the applicant pool, demonstrating a clear understanding of, and appreciation for, the free-market forces that lead to individual and collective progress and prosperity. All have leveraged these forces to create sought-after schools that are also sustainable small businesses.
I am thrilled to announce that Tiffany Thenor, co-founder of WonderHere, is the winner of the 2025 FEE Enterprising Founder Award, while Denise Lever, founder of Baker Creek Academy and TrailBlazED, and Giselle McClymont, founder of Tree Stars Learning, are the runners-up. Thanks to a generous FEE donor, Thenor will receive $5,000, and Lever and McClymont will each receive $2,500.
“I became an education entrepreneur because I believe freedom is the foundation of human flourishing,” said Thenor, who worked as a public school teacher in a Title I school for seven years before becoming a founder. “The same principles that power a thriving marketplace—ownership, creativity, and voluntary exchange—also power meaningful learning. When those freedoms are removed, compliance replaces curiosity and innovation disappears.” WonderHere began as a single schoolhouse in 2016 in Lakeland, Florida. Today, it includes multiple microschools across Florida and South Carolina, as well as a curriculum and professional development entity, serving hundreds of students and educators.
For Denise Lever, expanding educational options for rural families was a key motivator on her pathway toward entrepreneurship. A former wildland firefighter who now lives in Apache County, Arizona, Lever launched a Prenda microschool in 2020. Since then, Lever’s microschool has expanded into a cohort of local microschools that together serve approximately 15% of the local school-age population. “In a community where families previously had limited options, the emergence of nine microschools represents an enormous shift towards a true education marketplace,” said Lever, who created the TrailBlazED network to support current and aspiring microschool founders across the US. “These programs succeed because of their ability to meet the needs of learners, respond to parental preferences, and innovate without bureaucratic barriers. The result is a thriving, competitive ecosystem that shows what is possible when free-market principles guide the design and delivery of K to 12 education.”
The ability to innovate in education was what drove Giselle McClymont to entrepreneurship. A former public school teacher, McClymont opened her first microschool location in West Sunrise, Florida, in 2024 and has since expanded to several locations. Many of McClymont’s students are neurodiverse or have special learning needs, and she intentionally pairs her microschool programming with occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech-language therapy providers so that students can receive services on-site during the school day.
“The traditional education system often operates as a closed market, where families have limited choices and where educators have little freedom to innovate,” said McClymont. “Through the free market, however, entrepreneurs can create alternatives that respond directly to what people need but are not receiving. Tree Stars Learning exists because families were seeking something the traditional system could not consistently offer: individualized instruction, small group environments, integrated therapies, flexibility, and an educational experience that truly honors each child’s pace and learning profile.”
Blending ingenuity and industriousness, education entrepreneurs like Thenor, Lever, and McClymont are reshaping the US educational landscape with schools and learning communities that prioritize individualization over standardization. They provide often life-changing educational opportunities for the students and families they serve, while finding deep fulfillment in entrepreneurship and encouraging more enterprising parents and educators to follow their lead.
Congratulations to the 2025 FEE Enterprising Founder Award winners! Please visit the Education Entrepreneurship Lab at edentrepreneur.org for information and inspiration on finding or founding a new school in your community.
The post Announcing the 2025 Enterprising Founder Award Winners! was first published by the Foundation for Economic Education, and is republished here with permission. Please support their efforts.
