What Specialized Education Services does

Specialized Education Services, Inc. (SESI) is a Philadelphia-based K-12 education services provider founded in 1976 and operating as a division of FullBloom. The company delivers specialized academic, behavioral, therapeutic, and workforce-readiness programming to public K-12 students whose needs exceed what traditional classrooms can serve — primarily students with autism spectrum disorder, emotional disabilities, learning disabilities, ADHD, and students who are over-age or under-credited. Services are organized around a Support.Prevent.Connect multi-tiered framework integrated with personalized instruction, life-skills development, and clinical/behavioral supports.

SESI distributes its programs through a dual-channel model: 100+ owned private day schools operated under sub-brands such as High Road Schools, Sierra Schools, Excel Academies, Achieve Academy, Graham Academy, Rubino Academy, and acquired brands including NewHope Academy and Lattice Educational Services; and 145 in-district classrooms embedded inside partner school districts. The company also offers supplementary Extended School Year (ESY) summer programming and Coaching/Professional Development services for partner district educators. There is no proprietary software or AI-driven product disclosed; the technology stack consists of evidence-based instructional methodology, clinical staffing models, and compliance-grade records handling under FERPA, HIPAA, and COPPA.

SESI generates revenue primarily through multi-year contracts with school districts, either per-pupil placements at its private day schools or managed-services agreements where SESI supplies staff and programming for in-district classrooms. Revenue sources are diversified across 800+ district partners and supplemented by coaching/PD and ESY fees. The business is structured through 20 state-level wholly-owned subsidiaries (e.g., Specialized Education of California, Inc., Specialized Education of Texas, Inc.) and has executed selective acquisitions in Illinois and California during 2023 to broaden geographic and capability reach.

Name

Specialized Education Services

Legal name

Specialized Education Services, Inc.

Website

https://sesischools.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Specialized Education Services (SESI), a FullBloom division, operates 100+ private day schools and 145 in-district classrooms providing K-12 special education and alternative education to over 12,500 students with autism, emotional, and learning disabilities across 800+ U.S. school district partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Special Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (61), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

School-Based SEL Curriculum & Instructional Programs (EDAKAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Staff Training, Coaching & Professional Development (SEL/Mental Health) (EDAKAMAL), Behavioral/SEL-Integrated Academic Tutoring (Self-regulation, anxiety-informed study support) (EDANAFAK), Attendance, Engagement & Truancy Intervention Services (EDAJAIAI)

Keywords

• Special education services
• K-12 alternative education
• Private day schools
• In-district classrooms
• Behavioral health education

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. School District Contracts: SESI generates revenue through contracts with school districts to deliver special education and alternative education services. Districts pay for access to SESI's private day schools or for SESI to manage in-district classrooms. Students are referred by districts when their needs exceed what traditional classrooms can provide.
2. Private Day School Tuition: SESI operates 100+ private day schools serving students with special needs. Revenue is generated through educational service contracts with referring school districts who pay for specialized educational placements.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Specialized Education Services, Inc. (SESI) provides K-12 special education and alternative education programs through a network of more than 100 private day schools and 145 in-district classrooms across multiple U.S. states. The company partners with over 800 public school districts to deliver specialized instruction, behavioral and mental health support, and related therapies to approximately 12,500-13,000 students annually whose needs exceed the capacity of traditional public school settings. Founded in 1976 and headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, SESI operates as a division of FullBloom and applies evidence-based instructional frameworks such as its Support.Prevent.Connect approach.

Product overview

Specialized Education Services, Inc. (SESI) is a division of FullBloom that provides a comprehensive K-12 Special Education and Alternative Education platform through multiple delivery channels. The core offering consists of Special Education Programs (for students with autism spectrum disorder, emotional disabilities, and learning disabilities) and Alternative Education Programs (for over-age, under-credited students). These programs are delivered through three main settings: Private Day Schools (100+ branded schools including High Road Schools, Sierra Schools, Excel Academies, Graham Academy, Achieve Academy, and Lattice Educational Services), In-District Classrooms (145 embedded classrooms within local school districts), and community-based support. SESI also offers supplementary programs including Extended School Year (ESY) summer programming and Coaching/Professional Development services for district partners. The company serves over 12,500 students annually through partnerships with more than 800 school districts nationwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• High Road Schools: Private day schools serving students with special education needs
• Sierra Schools
• Excel Academies
• Achieve Academy
• Graham Academy
• Rubino Academy
• Northwest Center for Autism
• Lattice Educational Services
• NewHope Academy

Products and services

• Private Day Schools K-12 private day school facilities operated by SESI that deliver special education and alternative education instruction to students referred by public school districts; the network encompasses operating school brands such as High Road Schools, Sierra Schools, Excel Academies, Graham Academy, Achieve Academy, Rubino Academy, Northwest Center for Autism, Lattice Educational Services, and NewHope Academy.
• In-District Classrooms Special and alternative education classrooms operated by SESI within partner public school district buildings, providing localized specialized instruction, behavioral support, and related services to students who remain enrolled in their home districts.
• Extended School Year (ESY) Program Extended-year educational programming provided to special education students during summer and intersession periods to maintain academic and behavioral progress in accordance with individualized education plans.
• Coaching and Professional Development Training, coaching, and professional development services delivered to educators and district staff supporting students with special needs, behavioral challenges, and autism spectrum disorder.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves over 12,500 students annually across the network
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ChanceLight Behavioral Health, Therapy and Education: ChanceLight is a sister company of SESI under the FullBloom parent, providing K-12 special education, mental health, and behavioral services through its own network of schools and in-district programs. Same buyer (school districts), same customers (K-12 students with disabilities), same revenue model, making it the closest comparable peer.
• Catapult Learning: Catapult provides supplemental special education, intervention, and professional development services to K-12 school districts. Operates a similar B2B-district GTM model with evidence-based instructional programs for students with diverse learning needs.
• LearnWell: LearnWell provides hospital, homebound, and special education instruction to K-12 students with medical or behavioral needs, contracting with school districts to deliver continuity-of-service placements. Closely overlapping service mix and customer base with SESI's alternative education business.
• New Story Schools: New Story operates private day schools and in-district classrooms for K-12 students with autism, behavioral challenges, and emotional disturbances across multiple states. Operates a substantially similar delivery model (private day schools + district-embedded programs) for a near-identical student profile.
• Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health: Devereux is a large nonprofit provider of behavioral health and special education services, including K-12 day schools serving students with autism and emotional disturbances. Comparable in service scope and student profile to SESI's special education programming.
• Green Chimneys: Green Chimneys is a nonprofit operating private day schools and therapeutic programs for K-12 students with special needs, including those with behavioral and emotional disabilities. Comparable operating model and student population to SESI's private day schools.

Broad incumbents

• The MENTOR Network (Sevita): Sevita (formerly The MENTOR Network) operates a national platform of community-based and educational services for children and adults with intellectual, developmental, and behavioral health needs. Overlaps with SESI in K-12 special education and behavioral services delivery.
• Stride (formerly K12 Inc): Stride is a large publicly-traded K-12 online learning provider serving special needs, alternative education, and credit-recovery students through district partnerships. Adjacent rather than directly competing — different delivery (online vs. brick-and-mortar) but serves same K-12 districts and special/alt-ed population.
• National Heritage Academies: NHA is a large charter school management organization operating K-8 and K-12 public charter schools, including programs serving students with special needs. Overlaps with SESI in K-12 school operation and special education delivery at scale.

Emerging players

• PresenceLearning: PresenceLearning provides teletherapy and online special education services to K-12 districts, including speech-language, mental health, and behavioral support. Different delivery modality but overlaps meaningfully on the special-education services SESI provides in-district.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Specializededucationservices
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/specialized-education-services-inc-sesi-

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A2 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Specialized Education Services