We Are 5A!

We Don’t Build Programs. We Build Infrastructure.

Redefining the role of sport in education, leadership, and generational transformation.

 

 

The 5A Elite Mission

Founded in 2007 and incorporated in 2014, 5A Elite is a nationally scalable, trauma-informed youth empowerment agency. We embed a comprehensive, district-wide ecosystem into K–12 schools that fuses elite athletic development, academic identity-building, wellness strategies, and leadership pathways. This is infrastructure—not intervention. We develop student-athletes into systems-level change agents who lead transformation from within.

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We call it the Academy for the Advancement of Academics, Athletics, and Awareness—a unified framework that anchors our six flagship systems and drives measurable, campus-wide transformation.

 

From Locker Rooms to Leadership Pipelines
Where most models treat symptoms, we build for sustainability. From chronic absenteeism to staff burnout, from disengaged families to rising student trauma—we address root conditions. Our integrated systems cultivate resilience, academic achievement, and campus culture change, positioning sport as the entry point—not the end goal—for educational and civic renewal. Across our multi-site feasibility study, student-athletes consistently boosted their GPAs by over 15%, led peer mentoring initiatives, facilitated family engagement events, and helped reshape campus culture—demonstrating that when embedded correctly, sport becomes a launchpad for academic and civic leadership.

 

 

The Problem We Solve

Today's schools are burdened by systemic challenges that no single program can fix:

• Alarming rates of chronic absenteeism and academic disengagement

• Severe staff attrition and leadership turnover

• Mental health crises accelerating among youth and educators

• Family-school disconnect driven by mistrust or lack of access

• Disproportionate discipline, opportunity gaps, and equity failures

• Students facing trauma, identity loss, and cultural invisibility

 

Traditional models patch these problems. We build the system that prevents them.

 

Our Solution: A Living System That Embeds

We install a scalable, trauma-informed infrastructure that strengthens the entire educational ecosystem from within:

• Academic integration that raises student achievement and redefines GPA as a tool of identity, not just compliance

• Resilience-centered wellness systems that stabilize classrooms and empower students and staff with emotional regulation tools

• Family empowerment pipelines that move beyond engagement to co-leadership in student success

• Coaching transformation through trauma-informed case management, mentoring, and leadership modeling

• Student-led civic development that channels youth influence into storytelling, advocacy, and policy-shaping

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Our system becomes the operating engine of school culture—one that outlasts leadership changes and elevates every layer of the school experience. This system integrates seamlessly into the rhythms of the school day—and sustains even through staff transitions.

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What Makes Us Different

5A Elite isn’t a sports program. It’s a civic infrastructure strategy rooted in the science of resilience and the power of student leadership. Every touchpoint—coach training, GPA dashboards, SEL routines, student-led campaigns—is designed for durability, not dependency.

Through authentic partnerships with schools, families, and cross-sector allies, we create life-changing outcomes for under-resourced students. Our approach doesn’t just build better athletes—it builds stronger campuses and communities.

 

 

Our Flagship System Suite: Introduces six interlocking systems. One unified transformation model.

• Academic ExtraPoint™: Builds academic identity and performance through GPA dashboards, scholar cohorts, and NCAA-aligned supports.

• HealthySeeds Initiative™: Cultivates emotional regulation through SEL rituals, trauma-informed wellness routines, and caregiver engagement.

• OverTime Sport Studies™: Equips student-athletes with NIL literacy, entrepreneurship, and postsecondary readiness.

• ZeroGround™ Sport Development: Launches inclusive K–6 fitness, movement-based SEL, and early-stage sport pipelines.

• Coach For Life™: Elevates coaching into trauma-informed leadership through certification, PD intensives, and case management.

• ALI: Athletic Leadership Institute™: Converts student influence into civic leadership through storytelling labs and peer-led advocacy.

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Our Impact Snapshot: Legacy Outcomes That Last Beyond Leadership Cycles:

• +15% GPA growth in student-athlete cohorts

• 90%+ trauma-informed coach certification across pilot sites

• 4× increase in family engagement through co-designed programming

• Documented culture shifts in school belonging, behavioral stability, and adult-student trust

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Who We Serve

We partner with Title I public schools, K–12 districts, athletic departments, and community coalitions—especially those committed to equity, innovation, and whole-child transformation. Whether urban, rural, or in-between, we build systems for student-athletes and the adults who support them.

 

 

Our Theory of Change

When we embed our infrastructure:

• Student-athletes gain identity, voice, and postsecondary vision

• Coaches and educators become trauma-informed culture-builders

• Families shift from passive participants to co-leaders

• Schools develop capacity to sustain transformation beyond any single program, leader, or funding cycle

 

Our Legacy Outcomes Index™ tracks these changes across academics, wellness, family engagement, and leadership.

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Meet the Vision Behind the Model

5A Elite was built by educators, coaches, and former student-athletes who lived the disconnect between talent and opportunity—and committed to redesigning school culture from the inside out. Our founder’s story of overcoming systemic gaps through sport fuels our mission to ensure no student-athlete is reduced to a stat or sidelined by circumstance.

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Why It Matters
When students feel unsafe, unseen, or unchallenged, entire communities pay the price. But when student-athletes are equipped with identity, voice, and system-level support, they do more than succeed. They lead. This leadership, scaffolded across classrooms, teams, and families, fuels measurable transformation—academically, emotionally, and civically. This isn’t just about test scores. It’s about rewriting life trajectories and restoring generational opportunity.

 

 

Ready to Transform What School Can Be?
Districts are onboarding now for Fall 2025—be part of the next wave of flagship innovation.
Become a Flagship District. Join the National Strategy.

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