Smart Horizons Career Online Education

What Smart Horizons Career Online Education does

Smart Horizons Career Online Education (SHCOE) is a privately held, for-profit online education provider founded in 2009 and headquartered in Pompano Beach, Florida. Operating as the self-described "world's first accredited online school district," SHCOE delivers competency-based, Cognia/SACS/NCA/NWAC-accredited high school completion programs to adults and older youth who lack a diploma. The platform runs two core schools — Career Online High School (COHS) for public libraries and corporate partners, and Smart Horizons Career Online High School (SHCOHS) for non-profits, school districts, workforce boards, and direct student enrollment — backed by a 100% online delivery model hosted on the NexPort Solutions LMS on Microsoft Azure with SOC2 Type 2 compliance. Curriculum spans 70+ academic and career-based semester courses and 10+ career certificate tracks spanning home care, food and hospitality (CPFM-aligned), retail, child care (CDA-aligned), office management, security (CPO-aligned), commercial driving, manufacturing, professional skills, and homeland security.

The business model is institutional B2B with a multi-channel revenue structure: corporate employee-benefit partnerships (most notably McDonald's Archways to Opportunity since 2015), public library scholarship programs operating across 2,000+ library locations, WIOA-funded workforce development board contracts, managed-service contracts with correctional institutions (including the official Florida Department of Corrections program), community college pipelines, military recruitment support, non-profit partnerships, and direct self-serve student enrollment via SHCOHS. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; corporate programs are typically structured around the $5,250/employee annual tax-deductible tuition reimbursement framework. Outcome metrics cited include 22,000+ graduates, 70% retention, 76% postsecondary progression, 90,000+ McDonald's crew members served since 2015, and a 6x outcome advantage versus GED for inmates with 5th–9th-grade TABE scores.

SHCOE is an independent, privately-held organization with no disclosed parent, venture funding, or public listing. Strategic scale is anchored by the McDonald's relationship, which alone accounts for roughly $240M+ of cumulative employer/franchisee investment over a decade, and by a broad but individually smaller roster of corporate partners (Amazon, Walmart, Hopdoddy, Checkers & Rally's, First Watch, Next Mile DSP), library systems (California State Library, Los Angeles Public Library), workforce intermediaries (NAWB, CAEL), and government buyers (Florida Department of Corrections). The company emphasizes a "first accredited online school district" positioning and a competency-based, no-supplemental-texts delivery model as core differentiators versus traditional GED and adult high-school completion alternatives.

Name

Smart Horizons Career Online Education

Legal name

Smart Horizons Career Online Education

Website

https://shcoe.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Smart Horizons Career Online Education is a private, Florida-based accredited online school district that delivers competency-based high school diplomas and career certificates to adults through corporate employee benefits, public library scholarships, workforce boards, correctional institutions, and direct enrollment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Adult Secondary Education

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Educational Support Services (611710), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Adult High School Diploma Completion Programs (EDAAABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Awarding Organizations & Credentialing Bodies (Certificates/Diplomas) (EDADAFAC), Professional & Applied Skills Noncredit Certificates (Non-licensure) (EDAAAEAD), Workforce Development & Continuing Education Divisions (Noncredit) (EDAHADAG)

Keywords

• Online adult education
• High school diploma programs
• Career certificate training
• Online learning platform
• Distance secondary education

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Lauderdale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Corporate Partnership Programs: Revenue generated through partnerships with corporations such as McDonald's, Amazon, and others who provide the Career Online High School program as an employee benefit. Companies pay for employee enrollment, with costs potentially offset by tax deductions (up to $5,250/employee annually under corporate reimbursement programs) and reduced turnover/recruitment costs.
2. Library Scholarship Programs: Public libraries fund scholarships for community members to earn their high school diplomas through the COHS program. Libraries utilize various funding sources to provide no-cost access to students.
3. Workforce Development Boards: WIOA-aligned programs funded through workforce development boards that support individuals with barriers to employment. Revenue derived from per-student enrollment fees covered by workforce training funds.
4. Correctional Institution Contracts: Contracts with correctional institutions (including Florida Department of Corrections) to provide online secondary education for incarcerated individuals. The company is the official provider of online education for prisons in Florida and the nation's first and only online secondary program for corrections.
5. Direct Student Enrollment: Smart Horizons Career Online High School (SHCOHS) allows individual students to enroll directly through the school's website. Students can pay for the program or utilize scholarship funding through partner organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SHCOE operates an accredited online school district delivering competency-based high school diploma completion programs for adults and older youth, accessible 100% online with no supplemental texts. Students earn a Cognia/SACS/NCA/NWAC-accredited diploma plus an embedded career certificate (e.g., Home Care Professional, Food and Hospitality, Retail Customer Service, Child Care & Education, Security Professional) across two main schools—COHS for libraries/corporations and SHCOHS for direct enrollment and non-profits. Delivery runs on Microsoft Azure via a SOC2-compliant NexPort Solutions LMS with academic coaching support.

Product overview

Smart Horizons Career Online Education operates a unified platform of accredited online high school completion programs consisting of two primary schools—Career Online High School (COHS) for public libraries and corporations, and Smart Horizons Career Online High School (SHCOHS) for non-profit organizations, school districts, workforce boards, and direct student enrollment. Both programs share the same competency-based learning platform and offer over 70 academic and career-based semester courses, with students earning both a Cognia/SACS/NCA/NWAC accredited high school diploma and a career certificate upon completion. The platform also includes specialized programs for correctional institutions and an EnGen English language integration partnership. Career certificate tracks span industries including food and hospitality, retail customer service, child care and education, office management, security professional, professional skills, and introduction to commercial driving and manufacturing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Career Online High School (COHS): Online high school completion program for public libraries and corporations, offering accredited diplomas and career certificates.
• Smart Horizons Career Online High School (SHCOHS)

Products and services

• Career Online High School (COHS) Accredited online high school diploma program for adults and older youth, offered through public libraries and corporations. Students earn a Cognia/SACS/NCA/NWAC accredited diploma along with a career certificate across 10+ fields.
• Smart Horizons Career Online High School (SHCOHS) District school operated by SHCOE enabling direct student enrollment, as well as institutional partnerships with non-profit organizations, school districts, and workforce boards. Students access the same competency-based accredited diploma and career certificate curriculum.
• Correctional Institutions Online Education Program Specialized online secondary education program for incarcerated individuals, featuring end-point security software that restricts inmates to courseware with zero breaches to date. Delivers accredited high school diploma plus career certificate to inmate populations, with documented 6x better outcomes than GED for inmates with TABE scores of 5th-9th grade.

Quantifiable outcome

• 22,000+ students graduated from the program
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• McDonald'sflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015McDonald's Archways to Opportunity partnership represents SHCOE's flagship corporate program. Since 2015, McDonald's and participating franchisees have invested over $240 million in the program, helping 90,000+ crew members earn Career Online High School diplomas. The 10-year partnership includes college tuition assistance, English language learning, and career advising services. Participants report 80% increased economic opportunity, 64% faster promotions, and 75% career transformation.
• AmazoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmazon is a featured corporate partner offering Career Online High School as an employee education benefit. The partnership supports Amazon employees seeking to complete their high school education while working.
• NexPort SolutionscoreTechnology or IntegrationNexPort Solutions provides the Learning Management System (LMS) platform for SHCOE's online education programs. NexPort maintains SOC2 compliance as a fundamental pillar of their data security commitment, ensuring robust security controls and privacy practices for the LMS handling sensitive student information.
• EnGencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnGen provides English language learning content integrated into SHCOE's dual program for English learners. The partnership helps employees and community members gain English proficiency while simultaneously working toward their high school diplomas.
• Florida Department of CorrectionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHCOE is the official provider of online education for prisons in Florida and the nation's first and only online secondary program for corrections. The partnership provides high-security, internet-based high school programs for incarcerated individuals with proven 6x better outcomes than GED.
• California State LibrarycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCalifornia State Library is a featured partner providing Career Online High School scholarships to library patrons across the state through the public library system.
• National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNAWB is a featured workforce development partner, representing workforce boards across the U.S. that implement WIOA-aligned career education programs including COHS.
• Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCAEL is a featured non-profit partner supporting adult learners' access to career-based education and credentialing programs.
• Cognia/SACS/NCA/NWACcoreOthersCognia accreditation (formerly AdvancED/SACS/NCA/NWAC) provides national accreditation ensuring quality and accountability. This accreditation enables graduates to be eligible for federal student aid programs.
• HopdoddyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured corporate partner offering Career Online High School as an employee education benefit.
• Checkers & Rally'sminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured corporate partner offering Career Online High School as an employee education benefit.
• First WatchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured corporate partner offering Career Online High School as an employee education benefit.
• Next Mile DSPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured corporate partner offering Career Online High School as an employee education benefit.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Penn Foster: Penn Foster is the closest direct peer — an accredited, online adult-focused education provider offering high school completion, career certificates, and college preparation to employer-sponsored and self-pay adult learners. Operates similar B2B2C channel structure with employer tuition-reimbursement partnerships and shares the same state-by-state high school diploma market.
• Stride (formerly K12 Inc.): Stride is a large, publicly traded online K-12 and adult education provider with Connections Academy, K12 tuition-free schools, and adult-focused programs. Competes head-on in online high school completion and offers employer-sponsored learning. Significantly larger scale than SHCOE, representing the most scaled direct competitor.
• Florida Virtual School (FLVS): FLVS is a state-funded public online school district offering K-12 online courses including adult learners seeking credit recovery and high school completion. Operates with Florida-based institutional relationships overlapping SHCOE's Florida Department of Corrections partnership and competes on the same competency-based, accredited secondary delivery model.
• Apex Learning: Apex Learning is an accredited online secondary education provider focused on credit recovery, alternative education, and high school completion for at-risk and adult learners. Shares the institutional B2B sales motion (school districts, alternative education programs) and similar competency-based curriculum positioning.
• Edmentum: Edmentum is an online curriculum and assessment provider serving K-12, adult education, and correctional education markets with rigorous online and blended learning solutions. Shares SHCOE's correctional and alternative education footprint, with overlapping LMS and competency-based positioning.
• Imagine Learning: Imagine Learning provides online instructional solutions across K-12, English learner, and adult populations, including credit recovery and high school completion. Direct overlap in adult secondary and ELL content categories, including competency-based assessment and online credentialing infrastructure.
• Connections Education (Stride): Connections Academy is a Stride-owned online K-12 school network serving grades K-12 including high school and adult learners seeking flexible completion pathways. Direct overlap on online accredited secondary delivery to adult and non-traditional learners.
• Graduation Alliance: Graduation Alliance focuses specifically on dropout recovery, adult high school completion, and alternative education programs delivered in partnership with school districts, workforce boards, and correctional institutions. Closely overlapping mission and institutional buyer profile.

Broad incumbents

• Western Governors University: WGU is a large, accredited nonprofit online university focused on working adults, including tuition-reimbursement arrangements with large employers (similar to SHCOE's McDonald's Archways program). Operates at the postsecondary layer where SHCOE graduates (76%) pursue further education, representing both an indirect pipeline partner and a downstream competitor in adult credentials.
• National University: National University is an accredited nonprofit institution focused on adult learners, nontraditional students, and workforce-aligned degree programs with online and hybrid formats. Competes at the postsecondary layer where SHCOE feeder graduates progress, with a similar "career-adjacent, employer-sponsored, online adult" mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SmartHorizonsCareerOnlineEducation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smart-horizons-online-education
• Instagraminstagram.com/smarthorizonshs
• Xx.com/SmartHorizonsEd

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Smart Horizons Career Online Education