NSHSS

What NSHSS does

NSHSS (The National Society of High School Scholars) is a private, nonprofit academic honor society founded in 2002 by Claes Nobel of the Nobel Prize family, headquartered at 1930 North Druid Hills Road in Atlanta, Georgia. The organization serves high-achieving high school students through an invitation-only membership model in which students are nominated by educators or counselors based on academic criteria. Since inception, NSHSS has inducted over 2 million members across 170+ countries and 26,000+ high schools, making it one of the largest high-school-level honor societies globally.

The core product is a paid annual membership that bundles scholarship eligibility, leadership development programs (Ambassadors, Collegiate Council, Fellows, Mentoring Program), networking access, webinars, and discounts. NSHSS awards more than $2.5 million in scholarships annually and over $7.5 million since 2002, supplemented by partner-sourced scholarships such as $32M+ from the U.S. Army ROTC since 2018 and $3M+ in need-based aid from Yale Young Global Scholars. The technology stack is a conventional web-based platform: a member dashboard (dashboard.nshss.org), an e-commerce merchandise storefront (store.nshss.org) selling graduation regalia, apparel, and a college admissions book, and digital content delivery for webinars and the Scholars Connect podcast. No proprietary AI, machine learning, or algorithmic platform is described in the source material.

Revenue is generated across four streams: recurring membership subscription fees (price undisclosed publicly), one-time merchandise sales (unit-priced items ranging from $5 to $45), event registrations anchored by the annual Scholar's Day, and partner compensation/affiliate referrals from Sallie Mae student loans and CollegeAdvisor.com advising. Strategic partnerships with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the U.S. Army ROTC, Yale YYGS, Columbia University, UC Berkeley, DECA, and Scholarship America extend the value proposition and serve as distribution channels. The organization operates with a lean team of 11-50 employees, a warehouse/fulfillment function in Duluth, Georgia operated by Wallace Graphics, and a small leadership group including Co-founder Claes Nobel, President James W. Lewis, and CFO Tammy Bailey.

Name

NSHSS

Legal name

The National Society of High School Scholars

Website

https://nshss.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NSHSS is a private, nonprofit academic honor society founded in 2002, serving more than 2 million high-achieving high school students across 170+ countries through invitation-only membership, $2.5M+ in annual scholarships, leadership programs, elite university partnerships, and branded merchandise.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Honor Society Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

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

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDADAHAC

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Funding, Grants & Financial Aid Administration

SECONDARYBPAGAKAK

Education Grantmaking Foundations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

SECONDARYEDADAHAD

Grantmaking Agencies & Education Program Grants Administration

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Funding, Grants & Financial Aid Administration

Keywords

• Academic honor society
• High school scholarships
• Student leadership programs
• College admissions resources
• Membership organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: NSHSS generates revenue through paid membership subscriptions. High school students invited to join pay membership fees to access benefits including scholarships, leadership programs, discounts, and the member store. The exact membership fee structure is not publicly disclosed on the website.
2. Merchandise Sales: The NSHSS Member Store (store.nshss.org) sells branded merchandise including graduation regalia (honor cords, medallions, stoles, tassel drops, patches, lapel pins, diploma seals), apparel (t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, track jackets), accessories (tumblers, journals, notebooks), and the NSHSS College Admissions Book. Revenue is generated through one-time product purchases by members and their families.
3. Event Revenue: NSHSS hosts events including Scholar's Day (annual flagship event) where attendees pay registration or associated fees to participate in workshops, college/career expos, mentor roundtables, and recognition ceremonies. The events feature corporate sponsor and college exhibitor booths as additional revenue streams.
4. Partner Compensation: NSHSS discloses that it receives compensation from partners including CollegeAdvisor.com for referral of loan customers, and from various university and corporate partners for promotional placements on the NSHSS website. The site states: 'We may receive compensation from our partners, at no cost to you.'
5. Scholarship Program: NSHSS awards over $2.5 million in scholarships annually to qualified members. While scholarships represent an outflow for NSHSS, they serve as the core value driver for membership acquisition and are partially funded through partner contributions and the NSHSS Foundation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

NSHSS is an invitation-only academic honor society for high-achieving high school students, providing paid membership that grants access to scholarships (over $2.5M awarded annually), leadership development programs, networking across a 2M+ member community, college admissions resources, and exclusive partner opportunities. The organization also sells branded merchandise through its online store and hosts paid events such as the annual Scholar's Day.

Product overview

NSHSS (National Society of High School Scholars) is an academic honor society for high-achieving high school students offering a unified membership platform. The core offering consists of membership recognition, scholarships and grants (over $2.5 million annually), leadership development programs (Ambassadors, Collegiate Council, Fellows, Mentoring), member events, webinars, and educational resources. The ecosystem includes the NSHSS Member Store for graduation regalia and apparel, the Be More Program for world betterment initiatives, and educator grants. Strategic partnerships extend offerings through Yale Young Global Scholars, Columbia University Pre-College Programs, UC Berkeley Summer Pre-College, St. Jude Leadership Society, Sallie Mae student loans, and CollegeAdvisor.com advising services. The organization connects scholars from high school through college to career via networking, internships, study abroad, and events including the annual Scholar's Day.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NSHSS Membership Annual subscription-based membership recognizing high-achieving high school students, providing access to over $2.5M in annual scholarships, leadership programs (Ambassadors, Collegiate Council, Fellows), networking with 2M+ members globally, partner-offered programs, and exclusive events. Membership is by invitation only, typically following educator nomination or academic threshold qualification.
• NSHSS Member Events (Scholar's Day) Flagship annual event featuring workshops, college and career expos with 45+ exhibitors, mentor roundtables, scholarship award ceremonies, and networking opportunities. Registration is paid, with separate offerings such as academic tours and regional events also distributed through the NSHSS website.
• NSHSS Member Store Direct e-commerce storefront selling NSHSS-branded merchandise including graduation regalia (honor cords, stoles, medallions, tassel drops, lapel pins, diploma seals, patches), apparel (T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, track jackets, Proud Parent line), accessories (tumblers, journals, notebooks, plush mascot, plush blanket), and the NSHSS College Admissions Book. Orders ship from a Georgia fulfillment center with 10-15 business day delivery.
• Scholarships and Grants Program Award program offering over 50 named scholarships totaling $2.5M+ annually, including the $10,000 Be More Grant for student-led world betterment projects, the NSHSS STEAM Scholarship, NSHSS Student Athlete Scholarship, NSHSS-DECA Scholarship, John Lewis Good Trouble Scholarship, and partner-facilitated programs such as U.S. Army ROTC full-tuition scholarships.
• UC Berkeley Summer Pre-College Scholars Program Pre-college academic summer program at UC Berkeley offered to NSHSS members, providing residential, commuter, non-credit, and virtual tracks for rising juniors and seniors to experience college-level coursework. NSHSS members receive scholarship support for this program.
• Yale Young Global Scholars (YYGS) Two-week residential summer academic enrichment program at Yale University covering humanities, social sciences, STEM, and cross-disciplinary topics, available to NSHSS members with special application access and Early Action deadlines.
• Columbia University Pre-College Programs Pre-college academic programs at Columbia University for high school students, offering 90+ intensive noncredit courses, weekend sessions (grades 9-12), summer online/in-person programs (1-3 weeks), and College Edge for college credit (grades 11-12).
• St. Jude Leadership Society Co-branded leadership society engaging high-performing students in leadership development sessions, networking, mentorship with St. Jude executives, and a $2,500 per-person fundraising commitment. Members meeting their goal attend the SJLS Memphis Experience.
• Sallie Mae Student Loans Private student loan products distributed to NSHSS members through Sallie Mae, including undergraduate, graduate, career training, MBA, medical, dental, law school, and health professions loans with competitive variable and fixed rates, no origination fee or prepayment penalty. NSHSS receives referral compensation.
• CollegeAdvisor.com Admissions Advising One-on-one college admissions advising from former admissions officers and advisors at top schools, covering admissions essays, financial aid, alumni interviews, and strategy. Pricing is managed directly by CollegeAdvisor.com.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $7.5 million in scholarships awarded since founding in 2002
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• U.S. Army (Army ROTC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018The U.S. Army is a long-time partner of NSHSS. Since 2018, Army ROTC has offered over $32 million in scholarships to NSHSS members. In 2020, 29 NSHSS members accepted $3.2 million in full-tuition scholarships from Army ROTC to pursue patriotic leadership careers. Scholarship amounts per student range from $43,500 to $229,000.
• St. Jude Children's Research HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSHSS partners with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital through the St. Jude Leadership Society (SJLS), a membership for high-performing students focused on leadership, service, and community. SJLS members participate in leadership development sessions inspired by St. Jude founder Danny Thomas, work with mentors on fundraising strategies, and are challenged to raise $2,500 per person. Those meeting their goal attend the SJLS Memphis Experience. Robert Machen, President & COO of St. Jude, was a keynote speaker at Scholar's Day 2019.
• CollegeAdvisor.comcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCollegeAdvisor.com is an educational partner providing personalized one-on-one college advising for NSHSS members. Their network of advisors from top schools offers guidance on admissions essays, financial aid, alumni interviews, and more. Last admissions cycle, 91% of their students were admitted to at least three of their top eight schools. NSHSS may receive compensation for purchases made through affiliate links.
• Columbia UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerColumbia University's Pre-College Programs have been offered for over 30 years, providing intensive non-credit and credit-bearing courses for high school students. NSHSS members can attend NSHSS-specific events at Columbia University. Programs include weekend sessions (grades 9-12), summer online/in-person programs (1-3 weeks), and College Edge for college credit (grades 11-12).
• Yale Young Global Scholars (YYGS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYYGS is a two-week academic summer program at Yale University serving nearly 2,000 students from 150+ countries and 50 U.S. states. NSHSS members receive special application access and Early Action deadlines. YYGS distributes over $3 million in need-based financial aid annually. NSHSS may receive compensation for referrals.
• Sallie MaecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNSHSS partners with Sallie Mae to offer student loan products including undergraduate, graduate, career training, MBA, medical, dental, law, and health professions loans. Sallie Mae offers competitive variable and fixed rates with no origination fee or prepayment penalty. NSHSS receives compensation from Sallie Mae for the referral of loan customers.
• University of California, BerkeleycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUC Berkeley offers the Summer Pre-College Scholars Program for rising juniors and seniors to experience college life at Berkeley, taking college-level courses. NSHSS members receive scholarship support for this program. Residential, commuter, non-credit, and virtual tracks are available.
• NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling)minorOthersNSHSS is a proud member of NACAC, an organization that helps students achieve their educational and professional goals as they transition to college and beyond. NSHSS participates in NACAC networks and events.
• DECAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDECA has impacted over 10 million students since 1946, preparing emerging leaders and entrepreneurs. NSHSS and DECA offer three award opportunities for NSHSS scholars who are also DECA members, plus two awards for active DECA advisors in schools across the U.S. and internationally. DECA's Executive Director Frank Peterson called the collaboration 'creating meaningful opportunities that will positively impact the futures of high school students.'
• National Scholarship Providers Association (NSPA)minorOthersNSPA is a nonprofit member association established in 1999 by Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, Fastweb.com, Hispanic Scholarship Fund, and Scholarship America to advance collective impact of scholarship providers. NSHSS is a member and contributes to and accesses NSPA's resources and best practices for supporting students with scholarship funding.
• Scholarship AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScholarship America works with students, parents, colleges, businesses, and communities to help students fulfill college dreams. Since 1958, it has distributed $4.2 billion to over 2.5 million students. CEO Robert Ballard has been a keynote speaker, scholarship panel moderator, and mentor at NSHSS events. The strategies and missions of both organizations are directly aligned.
• Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe CIA was an event sponsor and presenter at Scholar's Day 2019 in D.C., providing a special session discussing internship opportunities for high school students within the organization. The CIA participated in the College & Career Expo and Future Focused corporate panel.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• DECA: DECA is a student organization preparing emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management, with 10M+ student members since 1946. NSHSS is a formal partner offering joint scholarships, but DECA serves as a comparable extracurricular/leadership membership organization competing for the same student mindshare.
• CollegeAdvisor.com: CollegeAdvisor.com provides paid 1-on-1 college admissions advising from former admissions officers and is an NSHSS partner. It sits in the same high-achieving-student, college-prep ecosystem, offering an adjacent paid service that overlaps with NSHSS's college-prep value proposition.

Direct peers

• Phi Theta Kappa: Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society for two-year college students, offering scholarships, leadership opportunities, and recognition. It operates a parallel model to NSHSS but at the community-college level, making it a structural analog and a downstream competitor for NSHSS Collegiate Council members.
• Scholarship America: Scholarship America is one of the largest U.S. private scholarship providers, having distributed $4.2B to 2.5M+ students since 1958. It is a direct NSHSS partner but also a competitor in the scholarship-discovery and distribution space for high-achieving high school students.
• Jack Kent Cooke Foundation: The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation awards large multi-year scholarships (up to $55K/yr) to high-achieving high school students with financial need. It competes for the same high-achieving high school student segment and represents a free, high-prestige alternative to NSHSS membership value.
• National Beta Club: National Beta Club is a leading K-12 academic honor and service organization with school-based chapters across the U.S. Like NSHSS, it recognizes high-achieving students and provides leadership, service, and scholarship opportunities, serving as the closest direct comparable in the school-affiliated honor society category.
• QuestBridge: QuestBridge connects high-achieving, low-income high school students with full four-year scholarships to top colleges. It competes with NSHSS for the same high-achieving student demographic, but differentiates via a more selective, need-based, full-ride scholarship model rather than a paid membership model.
• National Honor Society (NHS): The National Honor Society is the largest and most established U.S. academic honor society for high school students, sponsored by NASSP. It competes directly with NSHSS for the same high-achieving student segment, but is school-chapter-based and free, making it the primary non-paid alternative that constrains NSHSS's pricing power.
• Hispanic Scholarship Fund: The Hispanic Scholarship Fund provides scholarships and support services to Hispanic high school and college students. It overlaps with NSHSS in the high-achieving student scholarship space and is also a co-founder of NSPA alongside NSHSS partners.
• Coca-Cola Scholars Program: The Coca-Cola Scholars Program awards 150 achievement-based, full-tuition scholarships annually to high school seniors. It competes with NSHSS for prestige-driven, scholarship-seeking high achievers and is a co-founder of NSPA, the industry association NSHSS belongs to.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nshss
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-society-of-high-school-scholars

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 NSHSS