Aperture Education

What Aperture Education does

Aperture Education LLC is a US-based for-profit company that develops and sells the DESSA System, an evidence-based social and emotional learning (SEL) and behavioral assessment platform for K-12 schools and districts. The product portfolio includes the DESSA-Mini universal screener (approximately 1 minute, 95% accuracy, with post-pandemic norms), the Full DESSA competency-level assessment, over 650 data-driven instructional lessons with tiered intervention recommendations, and the EdSERT professional development and certification program. The system is designed to operate inside Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) frameworks and integrates with Move This World's PreK-12 instructional curriculum to deliver a connected screening-to-intervention workflow.

The business model is a B2B SaaS / licensing model targeted at K-12 school districts, with quote-based annual subscription licensing as the primary revenue stream and professional learning services (EdSERT certification, implementation, and rostering support) as a secondary stream. Go-to-market combines direct enterprise field sales (Schedule a Demo) with channel distribution through Riverside Insights, which serves as the primary reseller of the DESSA System to districts nationwide. Marketing relies on content (Riverside Insights blog, webinars, professional learning programs) and organic social on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

Aperture Education was founded in 2017, headquartered in Fort Mill, South Carolina, and has been acquired by Riverside Insights, integrating DESSA into a broader K-12 assessment portfolio that includes CogAT, Iowa Assessments, ESGI, EasyCBM, and Logramos. The DESSA trademark is registered, the underlying assessment is backed by nearly two decades of research, and the company had previously executed an acquisition of Ascend Goals in May 2021. Leadership includes Jessica Adamson (CEO), Christine Nicodemus (Chief Product Officer), and Stacey Preator (Vice President of Customer Experience).

Name

Aperture Education

Legal name

Aperture Education LLC

Website

https://apertureed.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Aperture Education is a US K-12 EdTech company that develops the DESSA System, an evidence-based social and emotional learning assessment and intervention platform sold to school districts. It operates as a subsidiary of Riverside Insights following acquisition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Social-Emotional Learning Assessment

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Assessment, Testing & Analytics Platforms (Formative/Summative) (EDAJAMAC)

Keywords

• Social emotional learning
• K-12 student assessment
• Behavioral screening tools
• MTSS intervention platform
• Educator professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Mill

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Assessment Licenses and Subscriptions: Schools and districts purchase licenses to access the DESSA System including screeners, assessments, and instructional resources. Revenue is generated through school/district licensing agreements with recurring subscription components.
2. Professional Learning Services: Implementation support including Professional Learning, EdSERT Certification, and Rostering Services provided alongside the core assessment product to drive adoption and effective use.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Aperture Education sells the DESSA System, an evidence-based social, emotional, and behavioral assessment platform for K-12 schools and districts. The offering combines a 1-minute universal screener (DESSA-Mini) and a deep competency-level assessment (Full DESSA) with 650+ data-driven instructional lessons, tiered intervention recommendations, and the EdSERT educator certification program. The system is sold as enterprise district-wide subscriptions, primarily through Riverside Insights as channel partner and direct field sales.

Product overview

Aperture Education offers the DESSA System, a unified platform for student social, emotional, and behavioral assessment and intervention. The portfolio consists of the DESSA-Mini for rapid universal screening (1-minute, 95% accuracy), the Full DESSA for deep competency-level assessment, over 650 data-driven instructional lessons with tiered intervention recommendations, and the EdSERT professional development program. The system integrates with Multi-Tiered Support System (MTSS) frameworks and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) initiatives to help schools screen, assess, and support student resilience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DESSA System A comprehensive student resilience assessment system for K-12 schools and districts that includes universal screening (DESSA-Mini), deep competency-level assessment (Full DESSA), over 650 data-driven instructional lessons, and tiered interventions for social, emotional, and behavioral skill development.
• DESSA-Mini Screener A rapid universal screener that assesses student social and behavioral competence in approximately 1 minute with 95% accuracy, featuring post-pandemic norms and nearly two decades of research backing. Designed for school-wide behavioral screening in K-12 settings.
• Full DESSA Assessment A comprehensive competency-level assessment that enables deep analysis of student behavioral development, identifying strengths and specific competency gaps to guide targeted intervention within MTSS frameworks.
• EdSERT Certification Program A professional development program for educators that provides tools for personal wellbeing and effective social, emotional, and behavioral instruction, including certification for implementing the DESSA system in K-12 settings.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Riverside InsightscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRiverside Insights distributes and sells the DESSA System through their K-12 assessment platform. They serve as the primary channel partner bringing Aperture Education's social-emotional learning assessments to school districts nationwide.
• Move This WorldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMove This World is integrated with the DESSA System to create a connected system for student behavioral health. The combination links DESSA's evidence-based screening and assessment with Move This World's PreK-12 instructional curriculum within an MTSS framework.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• EVERFI: EVERFI provides K-12 SEL, prevention, and life-skills digital curricula to school districts. Directly comparable to Aperture as both sell subscription-based SEL programs into the same K-12 district procurement channels.
• Committee for Children (Second Step): Committee for Children's Second Step program is one of the most widely adopted SEL curricula in U.S. K-12 schools. Competes head-to-head with DESSA for SEL budget allocation and district-wide adoption.
• Move This World: Move This World delivers PreK-12 SEL instructional curriculum aligned to MTSS frameworks and is a strategic integration partner of Aperture. Closely comparable SEL content provider serving the same K-12 buyer.
• Emotional ABCs: Emotional ABCs is a K-12 SEL curriculum and assessment platform cited as a direct competitor. Both companies target elementary SEL screening and instruction use cases with similar subscription models.
• Panorama Education: Panorama provides a student success platform with SEL surveys, behavior tracking, and MTSS tools for K-12 districts. Directly comparable to DESSA's screening and progress-monitoring capabilities.
• RethinkEd: RethinkEd offers SEL, behavioral health, and professional development solutions for K-12 districts. Competes for the same behavioral and SEL budget with similar subscription and PD offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Nearpod: Nearpod offers interactive K-12 instructional content including SEL lessons as part of a broader engagement platform. Comparable as a competing SEL content provider but with a much wider product portfolio.
• Riverside Insights: Riverside Insights owns and distributes the DESSA product and operates a broad K-12 assessment portfolio (CogAT, Iowa Assessments, WJ V). Closely tied as parent/distributor but adjacent in assessment products.
• ClassDojo: ClassDojo provides classroom management and SEL tools used widely across K-12, including SEL curriculum content. Comparable buyer base and SEL focus, though anchored in a free classroom app rather than district licensing.

Emerging players

• BASE Education: BASE Education provides online SEL and mental health curriculum for K-12, often used for Tier 2/3 intervention. Comparable as an SEL instruction provider, though more focused on secondary students and credit-recovery contexts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ApertureEdu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aperture-education-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aperture Education