The Hill Center

What The Hill Center does

The Hill Center, operating as Hill Learning Center, is a Durham, North Carolina-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1977 that delivers specialized education and literacy intervention services to students with learning differences (dyslexia, ADHD, executive function challenges) and the educators who serve them. Its core portfolio comprises four service lines: (1) Hill School, a half-day program for grades 1–12 enrolling approximately 175 students daily drawn from 70 public, independent, and home schools across the Triangle; (2) Hill Summer and Hill Tutoring, offering five-week summer programs, 1-to-1 reading intensives, and year-round individual/small-group tutoring in reading, writing, math, and executive function; (3) Professional Learning, including self-paced online Science of Reading, Executive Function, and Math Strategies courses enrolling 9,000+ educators globally, plus 95 RAP (formerly HillRAP, sold to 95 Percent Group in January 2023 for $3.9M) training and implementation support; and (4) Community-facing products such as Hill Connect webinars (1,400+ attendees annually), Learning Differences 101 presentations, EarlyBird literacy screenings, and the Hill Mile fundraiser. The methodology backbone is research-based structured literacy and explicit instruction aligned with the Science of Reading, refined over four decades of in-classroom practice.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid nonprofit model combining tuition and program fees (earned revenue), individual and family giving, foundation and corporate grants (including a $402,752 NC Board of Education ELISS grant in April 2024 and a Kenan Charitable Trust grant), and residual licensing/training support tied to the divested HillRAP/95 RAP product. In 2022–23, donor contributions reached approximately $1.8M in annual and multi-year commitments, $115K was raised via the Hill Mile event, and financial aid disbursed totaled roughly $600,000 to 51 students. Go-to-market is consultative and dual-channel: on-campus enrollment management for families plus embedded school partnerships that deliver Literacy Intervention Tutoring (LIT) directly into Durham-area public and charter schools — a model that scaled to 11 schools, 115 students, 12 tutors, and 3,200+ sessions in 2024–25. Following Dr. Bryan Brander's appointment as Executive Director in 2024, the Board approved a new strategy narrowing geographic focus to the Triangle with three pillars — Strengthen Programs, Expand Access, Engage Community — reflecting a deliberate pivot from national licensing (via HillRAP) toward deepened local service delivery.

Name

The Hill Center

Legal name

The Hill Center, Inc.

Website

https://hillcenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Hill Center is a Durham, NC 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1977 that provides specialized literacy intervention, tutoring, and half-day school programs for grades 1–12 students with learning differences, alongside professional development and embedded school partnerships serving local public and charter schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Special Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

High-Intensity Tutoring / Response to Intervention (RTI/MTSS Tier 2–3) (EDAKADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

K–12 Core Curriculum Small-Group Tutoring Centers (Math/ELA/Science/Social Studies) (EDANAHAA), Accelerated Learning & Grade Advancement Programs (EDAJAGAE), Academic Support & Learning Assistance (Tutoring Centers) (EDALABAF)

Keywords

• Specialized education services
• Structured literacy intervention
• Learning differences support
• Educator professional development
• Executive function training

Headquarters

HQ city

Durham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. School Tuition: Hill School charges tuition for its half-day program for students in grades 1-12 with learning differences. The program serves approximately 175 students on average from 70 different schools.
2. Summer Program Fees: Revenue from five-week summer programs, 1-to-1 reading intensive, and tutoring services during summer months.
3. Tutoring Services: Year-round individual tutoring and classes in Reading, Writing, Math, and Executive Function for students across the region.
4. Individual & Family Giving: Charitable contributions from individuals and families, including recurring monthly gifts, tribute gifts, and peer-to-peer fundraising.
5. Foundation & Corporate Grants: Support from foundations and corporations including named endowed funds, general operating support, and designated program grants.
6. Professional Development Services: Training and professional development for educators, including Science of Reading courses, HillRAP training, and custom workshops for schools and districts.
7. HillRAP Licensing: HillRAP was sold to 95 Percent Group in January 2023 for $3.9 million; Hill continues to support select organizations with training, coaching, and implementation support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Hill Center (Hill Learning Center) is a nonprofit educational organization operating a half-day school for grades 1-12 students with learning differences, alongside summer programs, year-round tutoring, and professional learning for educators. The organization delivers literacy intervention tutoring directly into local schools, runs free community education webinars, and develops research-based curricula (formerly HillRAP, now 95 RAP) for reading intervention.

Product overview

Hill Learning Center operates as a unified educational organization offering a portfolio of programs for students with learning differences, attention challenges, and academic skill gaps. The core offerings include Hill School (half-day program for grades 1-12), Summer Programs, Tutoring Services, and Professional Learning for educators. Community-facing products include Hill Connect webinars, Early Literacy Screeners, and Learning Differences 101 presentations. The organization also delivers Literacy Intervention Tutoring (LIT) in local schools and previously developed the HillRAP structured literacy program, which was acquired by 95 Percent Group in 2023 and rebranded as 95 RAP. Professional development offerings include Science of Reading, Executive Function, and Math Strategies courses. The organization serves approximately 1,000 local students annually and has trained over 9,000 educators worldwide through its online courses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hill School Half-day differentiated instruction program for students in grades 1-12 with specific learning differences or attention deficit disorders. Average daily enrollment of approximately 175 students drawn from 70 different public, independent, and home schools in the Triangle region of North Carolina. Tuition-based with financial aid available.
• Hill Summer Five-week summer program, 1-to-1 Reading Intensive, and tutoring services during summer months. Open to students without requiring a formal LD/ADHD diagnosis. Designed to build skills, confidence, and independence over the summer break.
• Hill Tutoring Individual and small-group tutoring offerings for all grade levels covering Reading, Writing, Math, and Executive Function skills. Built upon research, individualized instruction, and Hill's teaching techniques; available across the region throughout the year.
• Professional Learning Professional development offerings for educators and schools covering Science of Reading, Executive Function, Science of Learning, Math Strategies, and 95 RAP reading intervention training. Includes self-paced online courses, custom workshops, and on-site professional learning. In 2022-23, 950 teachers participated in Hill trainings.
• Literacy Intervention Tutoring (LIT) High-impact, small-group reading instruction delivered by Hill-trained tutors directly in local public and charter schools during the school day. In 2024-25 served 11 schools, 115 students with 12 tutors providing 3,200+ sessions. Targets students with persistent reading challenges using research-based methodology.
• Early Literacy Screeners Free early literacy screenings for pre-kindergarten through second grade students using the EarlyBird Assessment developed by Boston Children's Hospital and Florida Center for Reading Research. Available on campus and through Community Reading Screener Days.
• Science of Reading Course Self-paced online course supporting educators' Science of Reading journey. The updated 2022 version enrolled 4,250 educators in one year and has cumulatively enrolled over 9,000 educators worldwide. Includes custom workshops and online resources for secondary teachers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 860 students served annually across School, Summer, and Tutoring programs
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 95 Percent GroupcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 202395 Percent Group acquired HillRAP from Hill Learning Center in January 2023. HillRAP was rebranded as 95 RAP. Hill continues to support select organizations with training, coaching, and implementation support for 95 RAP, including NC districts, NC independent/charter schools, and KIPP schools.
• Durham Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFully funded professional development partnership providing 38 middle and high school teachers with three custom in-person workshops and online resources focused on the Science of Reading.
• Maureen Joy Charter SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLiteracy Intervention Tutoring (LIT) program delivery with summer and after-school programs including 95 RAP for literacy intervention.
• KIPP Durham ElementarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLiteracy Intervention Tutoring (LIT) program with elementary students, with plans for summer programs.
• Partnership Academy High SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLiteracy Intervention Tutoring (LIT) program bringing intensive reading tutoring to high school students at-risk of reading failure.
• New Hope Elementary SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLiteracy Intervention Tutoring (LIT) program expansion for 2024-25 school year.
• A.L. Stanback Middle SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLiteracy Intervention Tutoring (LIT) program delivery during school day.
• Grady A. Brown Elementary SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLiteracy Intervention Tutoring (LIT) program expansion for 2024-25 school year.
• Boys & Girls Club of Durham and Orange CountiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHill piloted an executive function program at the Boys & Girls Club location.
• Students to ScholarsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to reach more local students through the Students to Scholars organization.
• E.K. Powe Elementary SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHill reading tutors placed in Durham public schools.
• Fayetteville Street Elementary SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHill reading tutors placed in Durham public schools.
• Duke UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHill partners with Duke TeachHouse and co-sponsors UnConference with Duke TeachHouse.
• Culbreth Middle SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for supporting readers at local schools.
• Phoenix Academy High SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for supporting readers at local schools.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Lab School of Washington: A private K-12 school in Washington, D.C. serving students with learning differences such as dyslexia, ADHD, and executive function challenges. Directly comparable to Hill School's half-day model, with overlapping instructional philosophy (structured, multisensory) and similar target families.
• 95 Percent Group: The acquirer of HillRAP (now 95 RAP), specializing in structured literacy professional development and intervention products for K-3 schools. Directly comparable in the structured literacy / Science of Reading professional learning market, and a partner-competitor for Hill's remaining training services.
• The Gow School: A New York boarding and day school for students in grades 6-12 with dyslexia and other language-based learning disabilities. Comparable to Hill School's Upper School division in serving bright students with LD through structured, research-based instruction.
• Carroll School: An independent day school in Massachusetts serving grades 1-9 students with language-based learning differences. Directly comparable mission and methodology (structured literacy, explicit instruction) to Hill School's half-day program for students with LD.
• Chartwell School: An independent school in California serving students with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences. Comparable to Hill School in mission (specialized instruction for LD), tuition-based non-profit structure, and structured literacy methodology.
• The Jemicy School: A Maryland-based private school for students with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences. Closely comparable to Hill School in its half-day/full-day specialized model, structured literacy curriculum, and educator training component.
• IMSE (Institute for Multi-Sensory Education): A provider of Orton-Gillingham based structured literacy training and professional development for educators. Comparable to Hill's Professional Learning offerings (Science of Reading, Executive Function, 95 RAP training) in the multi-sensory explicit instruction methodology space.
• Westmark School: A California private school serving students in grades 2-12 with learning differences. Comparable to Hill School's differentiated half-day model for students with dyslexia, ADHD, and executive function challenges.
• Stern Center for Literacy and Learning: A Vermont-based non-profit providing literacy assessment, intervention, tutoring, and educator training aligned with structured literacy and the Science of Reading. Closely comparable to Hill in mission, methodology, and multi-channel delivery (school services, tutoring, PD, community programs).

Broad incumbents

• Wilson Language Training: An established publisher of structured literacy programs (Fundations, Just Words, Wilson Reading System) used widely in U.S. schools. Comparable to Hill as a broad structured literacy / professional development provider, but operating at much greater national scale with a publishing-based business model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hillcenter
• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLtoDAOWCRof67CJmsOkbfgmi6sXQme8XD
• Facebookfacebook.com/DurhamHillCenter
• Instagraminstagram.com/hillcenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-hill-center

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 The Hill Center