Scholastica Travel

What Scholastica Travel does

Scholastica Travel Inc is a family-owned group travel agency headquartered in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, founded in 1980 by former teachers John and Nancy. The company plans customized educational and group travel for K-12 schools, marching bands, church groups, youth organizations (Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts), educator groups, and individual vacation travelers. Operations are organized around three core product lines - School Field Trips (covering 15+ U.S. destinations plus Toronto), Marching Band Travel (festivals, competitions, and bowl games), and Vacation Travel (Disney packages, European tours, cruises, honeymoons) - supported by two productized add-ons: a Trip Registration Platform (online payments, trip insurance, and fundraising money management) and a Safety and Security service (CSTO-certified, 24-hour emergency response, nighttime supervision, and per-traveler insurance). Dedicated travel consultants work one-on-one with group leaders from quote to trip completion, and the company supplements direct sales with on-site school presentations, a website inquiry system, and a multi-channel social presence.

Revenue is generated per trip based on traveler count (minimum 20 paid travelers), nights, hotel choice, motor coach selection, dining, paid attractions, and season, with sample itineraries ranging from $282 (Gettysburg/Philadelphia) to $1,136 (Orlando) per person. The company holds SYTA, ABA, NTA, ARC, IATAN, and Cornerstone Safety Group memberships, and earned the CSTO designation in 2025 after third-party review against 25 safety standards. The 90% repeat-customer rate, 4.8-star Google rating across 159 reviews, and average 20 years of team experience point to a relationship-driven, retention-heavy business model. Ownership is now in the second generation, with daughter Natalie Weir Rice as Owner/CEO and early employee Ann Yelle as President; the company remains privately held with no disclosed funding rounds or parent company.

Name

Scholastica Travel

Legal name

Scholastica Travel Inc

Website

https://scholasticatravel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Scholastica Travel is a family-owned, Greensburg, PA-based group travel agency founded in 1980 that plans customized school field trips, marching band tours, and vacation travel for K-12 institutions, youth organizations, and individuals across 15+ U.S. and Canadian destinations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Group Travel Services

NAICS

Travel Agencies (561510), Tour Operators (56152), Tour Operators (561520)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

School Group & Curriculum-Led Trips (THAKAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student & Youth Educational Tours (THAKAGAA), Educational/Student Retail Travel Agencies (THAKABAK), Faith-Based Group Travel (Church/Mosque/Temple) Organizers (THAKAHAH)

Keywords

• Group travel planning
• Educational student tours
• Marching band travel
• School field trips
• Student tour operator

Headquarters

HQ city

Greensburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Group Travel Planning Services: Customized travel planning services for school groups, marching bands, and other organizations. Pricing is based on number of travelers, nights, hotel choice, transportation, dining, attractions, and season. Transportation is negotiated separately based on starting location.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Scholastica Travel is a family-owned travel agency that plans and books customized group travel for K-12 schools, marching bands, church groups, youth organizations, and educators across the United States. Each trip is tailored to the group's destination, size, and budget, with a dedicated travel consultant coordinating transportation, lodging, meals, attractions, and on-the-ground tour leaders from start to finish. Minimum group size is 20 paid travelers, with per-person pricing customized based on itinerary components.

Product overview

Scholastica Travel operates as a family-owned group travel company (founded 1980) offering a unified portfolio of customized educational travel services. The core offerings consist of School Field Trips covering 15+ US destinations (Washington D.C., New York City, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, Toronto, etc.), Marching Band Travel with festival and competition packages, and Vacation Travel including Disney packages and European tours. These are supported by the Trip Registration Platform (for online payments and participant management) and Safety and Security Services (including 24-hour emergency support, nighttime supervision, and Certified Student Tour Operator status). The company provides end-to-end service including dedicated tour leaders, customized itineraries, transportation coordination, hotel accommodations, and attraction bookings. Pricing is customized based on group size, duration, hotel selection, and chosen activities, with sample itineraries ranging from $282 to $1,136 per person.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School Field Trips

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of business comes from repeat customers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Student & Youth Travel Association (SYTA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry association for student and youth travel. SYTA members are recognized for providing the highest quality experiences for student and youth travelers. Scholastica holds membership and obtained CSTO certification through SYTA.
• American Bus AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe most trusted motorcoach, group tour and travel association in the industry. Scholastica maintains active membership.
• National Tour Association (NTA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading association for professionals serving travelers to, from and within North America. Scholastica is a member and offers NTA Travel Protection Plan.
• Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC)coreTechnology or IntegrationGives U.S. travel agencies the ability to easily ticket flights worldwide on more than 200 airlines. Scholastica uses ARC for flight bookings.
• Cornerstone Safety GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides 24/7 access to Medical Directors, Mental Health Advisors, and Safety and Risk Management Professionals. Facilitates annual crisis response training for Scholastica staff. Members have 24/7 support from medical and mental health directors.
• Guild of Professional Guides of Washington, D.C.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association for tour guides in Washington D.C. Scholastica maintains membership for best practices.
• Guide Association of New York CityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association for NYC tour guides. Scholastica maintains membership for best practices.
• Music in the ParkscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFestival organization for school band performances. Scholastica partners to provide travel logistics for participating bands.
• Festival of MusiccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMusic festival organization. Scholastica provides travel arrangements for festival participants.
• Disney Youth ProgramscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDisney's youth and school group programs. Scholastica offers Walt Disney World performance packages with 3-Day Disney Youth Premium Park Hopper Passes.
• OrlandoFestminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPerforming arts festival in Orlando. Scholastica coordinates travel for participating groups.
• Heritage Performance (WorldStrides)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPerformance travel organization (WorldStrides). Scholastica partners for heritage performance travel.
• USA FestminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPerforming arts festival organization. Scholastica coordinates travel for festival participants.
• International Association of Travel Agents Network (IATAN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry association for travel agents providing accreditation and network access. Scholastica maintains membership.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• WorldStrides: The largest U.S. student and youth travel operator, offering educational, performing arts, and sports travel programs. Directly overlaps with Scholastica's school field trips and marching band segments, but at materially larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• ACIS (American Council for International Studies): Specializes in educational group travel for middle and high schools with custom and pre-designed itineraries across North America and Europe. Closely comparable buyer (teachers and group leaders) and trip-planning model.
• Heritage Performance: Specializes in performance-based travel for school music groups, including marching bands at bowl games and Disney — directly competing with Scholastica's marching band and performance festival offerings.
• EF Educational Tours: A leading global operator of educational group travel for K-12 schools and teachers. Targets the same school leader buyer with custom itineraries, payment plans, and tour leaders — competing head-to-head with Scholastica on most U.S. destination itineraries.
• Bob Rogers Travel: Performing arts and student group travel specialist — one of the closest direct competitors in Scholastica's marching band and performance tour segment, including Disney, bowl games, and festival packages.
• Brightspark Travel: Student travel brand (formerly independent, now part of WorldStrides) focused on K-12 educational trips, including destination field trips similar to Scholastica's core product.
• Educational Tours Inc. A smaller but established operator of K-12 student group travel offering custom itineraries to U.S. destinations similar to Scholastica's portfolio (DC, NYC, Boston, Williamsburg).
• Performance Tours: Specializes in travel for school performing ensembles including marching bands, choirs, and orchestras to festivals, competitions, and bowl games. Direct overlap on Scholastica's marching band product line.
• Choice Tours International: Operates student and youth group tours with custom itineraries across North America. Comparable sales-led motion working with teachers, band directors, and group leaders.

Others

• Student & Youth Travel Association (SYTA): The industry trade association of which Scholastica is a member and through which it obtained CSTO certification. Not a competitor but a peer/ecosystem participant that defines industry safety standards and provides supplier and conference connections.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/scholasticainc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/scholasticatravel/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/ScholasticaTravel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scholastica-travel
• Instagraminstagram.com/scholasticainc
• Pinterestpinterest.com/scholasticainc

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Scholastica Travel