What Blue Valley School District does

Blue Valley School District is a public K-12 school district headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, that pioneered the Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) profession-based learning (Pro-BL) model in 2009. The CAPS program immerses high school students in professional culture, where they solve real-world problems using industry-standard tools, are mentored by actual employers, and earn both high school and college credit simultaneously. The district operates the Blue Valley CAPS flagship program at its Overland Park facility and serves as the governance anchor for the broader CAPS Network.

The CAPS Network, a nationally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit housed under the district's leadership, is the operational and commercial vehicle for scaling the model. Its product portfolio includes the proprietary CAPS Colab collaboration platform for affiliates, the Experience.Work gateway platform (co-developed with American Student Assistance/Britebound in January 2025), the CAPS Middle School Network pilot (launched early 2026), downloadable CAPS Playbooks, two podcast series, and a 2019 documentary ("Where Students Lead"). The network connects 180+ school district affiliates across 22+ U.S. states and 4 countries with a Council of Champions spanning engineering (Black & Veatch), food science (American Bakers Association), healthcare (HCA Midwest Health), and financial services (Mazuma Credit Union), plus six major university partners (Northeastern, ASU, K-State, Mizzou, WashU, FSU).

The business model is a hybrid of public education funding (for the in-district Blue Valley CAPS program) and nonprofit revenue (for the CAPS Network) drawn from foundation grants (Kauffman Foundation, Kemper Family Foundation, Sherman Family Foundation), donations, and member support. The go-to-market is community-led: districts and industry partners adopt the framework via affiliation, access the CAPS Colab platform and playbooks, and benefit from peer network effects across 100+ affiliate programs. Quantified student outcomes — including confidence in accessing professionals rising from 13% to 72% and resume-building ability rising from 14% to 82% — are central to the value proposition and to ongoing expansion.

Name

Blue Valley School District

Legal name

Blue Valley School District

Website

https://yourcapsnetwork.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Blue Valley School District is a public K-12 district in Overland Park, Kansas, that founded the CAPS profession-based learning model in 2009, now scaled through the CAPS Network nonprofit serving 180+ school districts, industry partners, and universities across 22+ U.S. states and 4 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Career and Technical Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Career & Technical Education (CTE) Centers & Programs (EDAJAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public High Schools (EDAJAAAD), Public Middle Schools (EDAJAAAC)

Keywords

• Profession-based learning
• Career technical education
• K-12 innovative programs
• Workforce readiness education
• Experiential high school

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the CAPS Network relies on donations and grants from foundations and community organizations to support profession-based learning experiences for students.
2. School District Funding: Blue Valley School District funds its CAPS program through public education funding as part of its innovative career and technical education offerings.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Blue Valley School District operates the original Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) program, a profession-based learning framework in which high school students are fully immersed in a professional culture, solving real-world problems using industry-standard tools, mentored by actual employers, while earning high school and college credit. The district pioneered this model in 2009 and anchors the CAPS Network, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that licenses the framework to affiliated K-12 schools and districts nationally and internationally.

Product overview

Blue Valley School District operates its profession-based learning programs through the CAPS (Center for Advanced Professional Studies) ecosystem. The CAPS model — pioneered by Blue Valley School District in 2009 in Overland Park, Kansas — is a nationally recognized framework in which high school students are fully immersed in professional culture, solving real-world problems using industry-standard tools, mentored by actual employers, while earning high school and college credit. The CAPS Network (a 501c3 nonprofit organization) provides the umbrella infrastructure for over 100 affiliate programs globally, offering the proprietary CAPS Colab collaboration platform, the Experience.Work resource portal (co-developed with American Student Assistance / Britebound), the CAPS Playbooks (practical implementation guides), and two podcast series ("The Network" and "The CAPS Playbook Podcast"). Blue Valley School District's own Blue Valley CAPS program serves as the founding affiliate, and the district also participates in the newer CAPS Middle School Network launched in 2026. Student client projects — where student teams solve genuine problems for real organizations — form the experiential core of all CAPS programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CAPS Network

Quantifiable outcome

• Before CAPS: 13% confident accessing professionals for future support → After CAPS: 72%
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and major.

• American Student Assistance (ASA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 January 2025National nonprofit helping middle and high school students know themselves and understand education and career options. Jointly launched Experience.Work platform dedicated to bridging education and industry through Profession-Based Learning. ASA provides digital experiences directly to millions of students.
• Gillian Chapman (Superintendent, Blue Valley School District)coreOthersGillian Chapman serves as Superintendent of Blue Valley School District and on the CAPS Network leadership team, providing strategic direction for the profession-based learning movement.
• Chad Ralston (Director, Blue Valley CAPS)coreOthersChad Ralston serves as Director of Blue Valley CAPS, leading the flagship CAPS program that pioneered the profession-based learning model in 2009.
• Clay Norkey (Member, Blue Valley Board of Education)coreOthersClay Norkey serves on the Blue Valley Board of Education and contributes to CAPS Network governance and strategic direction.
• Black & VeatchflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering Champion of CAPS Council of Champions. An employee-owned engineering, procurement, consulting and construction company with 100-year legacy. Black & Veatch was an original host site for CAPS students when the original program launched in 2009 and has consistently partnered on win-win pairings of engineering professionals and CAPS students.
• American Bakers Association (ABA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood Science and Manufacturing Champion. The largest, most established, diverse trade association for the commercial baking industry in the US with 375+ member companies representing 1,200+ facilities. Partnership aims to inspire high school students to pursue careers in the baking industry.
• Lifted LogiccoreTechnology or IntegrationTech Design Champion and web design partner. Premier full-service digital agency that designs and builds online experiences. Supports CAPS Network with technology needs connecting education administrators, instructors, and students globally.
• Mazuma Credit UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKansas City Area Champion. Mazuma's purpose is to make Kansas City a better place to live, work, and bank. CEO Deonne Christensen and team host annual student takeover at headquarters with nearly 100 students working on solutions for executive team.
• HCA Midwest HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHospital System Champion. Offers care across Greater Kansas City with 150+ points of care, 1,500+ providers, 80+ specialties. Partners with CAPS programs to connect students with real-world medical environments, innovation challenges, and industry mentors.
• BriteboundcoreTechnology or IntegrationPowers the Experience.Work platform alongside CAPS Network. Britebound helps middle and high school students understand their education and career options.
• Northeastern UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor post-secondary partner. Provides resources for CAPS curriculum design, offers professional development, and collaborates on thought leadership around profession-based and experiential education. Lydia Young serves as Director of NExT at Northeastern.
• Arizona State UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPost-secondary partner recognizing CAPS graduates' demonstrated knowledge and competencies to succeed in post-secondary settings. Endorses the profession-based learning model.
• Kansas State UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrong institutional partner with four campuses fully committed to partnering with CAPS. Provides scholarships, college credit, and support for CAPS students.
• University of MissourimajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPost-secondary partner pleased to support CAPS Network through advocacy, research, and thought leadership around experiential education.
• Washington University in St. LouismajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool of Engineering & Applied Science supports CAPS efforts and recognizes initiatives as vital to recruiting and educating the next generation of problem solvers.
• Florida State UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEndorses CAPS as a transformational approach recognizing the student experience as the center of motivated learning. Integrates with Campus Reimagined mission.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• P-TECH (Pathways in Technology Early College High School): P-TECH is a public-private CTE model offering high school plus associate degree pathways with industry partners such as IBM. It competes head-to-head with CAPS for the same districts, students, and corporate champions seeking work-based learning credentials.
• Big Picture Learning: Big Picture Learning runs a national network of project-based, internship-driven high schools with personalized learning plans. It overlaps with CAPS in real-world project work, mentorship, and district replication, although it focuses more on whole-school redesign than CTE strands.
• Cristo Rey Network: Cristo Rey operates a national network of Catholic college-prep high schools whose defining feature is a corporate work-study program where students work one day a week at partner firms. It is highly comparable to CAPS's industry-immersion, dual-credit model.
• NAF (National Academy Foundation): NAF is a national network that brings career-themed academies into high schools, with industry partnerships and work-based learning. It directly competes with CAPS for district-level CTE adoption and shares the same public-school and employer-engagement model.
• High Tech High: High Tech High is a network of innovative public schools built around project-based learning and industry-anchored work. It is directly comparable to CAPS in pedagogy (project work, employer engagement, dual credit) and in serving as a national model that other districts replicate.

Emerging players

• CareerWise USA: CareerWise USA modernizes youth apprenticeships by partnering with school districts, employers, and state governments to build earn-and-learn pathways for high schoolers. It overlaps with CAPS on work-based learning and industry-partnered secondary education, though it emphasizes multi-year paid apprenticeships.
• American Student Assistance (ASA): ASA is a national nonprofit focused on helping middle and high school students explore education-to-career pathways and is CAPS Network's direct partner on the Experience.Work platform. While ASA historically served students directly, the partnership positions it as a co-developer and partial substitute.
• Year Up: Year Up is a workforce-development nonprofit providing young adults with training, mentorship, and corporate internships leading to employment. While focused on post-secondary ages, it competes for the same corporate partner goodwill and works in adjacent education-to-employment pathways.

Broad incumbents

• Jobs for the Future (JFF): JFF is a national nonprofit driving workforce and education transformation, including CTE and work-based learning initiatives across multiple states. It is a broad incumbent in the same ecosystem, partnering with districts and states where CAPS also operates.
• LinkedIn Learning (Microsoft): LinkedIn Learning is a large-scale professional skills platform used by employers, schools, and individuals. It is a broad incumbent that can substitute or complement CAPS-style experiential learning with on-demand skills content, particularly as districts expand digital CTE offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bvcaps
• Facebookfacebook.com/capsnetwork
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caps-network
• Instagraminstagram.com/capsnetwork

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Blue Valley School District