National Honor Society

What National Honor Society does

The National Honor Society (NHS) is a nonprofit high-school student recognition program operated by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), founded in 1921 in Pittsburgh, PA. The organization recognizes academically high-achieving high school students (grades 10-12) across four pillars — scholarship, service, leadership, and character — and operates through school-based chapters managed by a principal and a faculty adviser at each member school. The platform comprises the core membership and chapter management workflow, the Adviser Resource Center (operational templates, handbooks, bylaws), the National Student Project Database (a searchable library of tens of thousands of student-submitted service project ideas), the Chapter Finder tool for chapter affiliation verification, a member-only Adviser Online Community, the annual LEAD leadership conference, the $2M NHS Scholarship program, and the NHS Chapters of Distinction national recognition program. Adjacent sub-brand programs include the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS, est. 1929), the National Elementary Honor Society (NEHS, est. 2008), and the National Association of Student Councils (NASC, est. 1931) — all run under the NASSP umbrella.

NHS generates revenue through a $385 annual chapter affiliation fee (the primary recurring revenue stream), unit-priced sales of official regalia and recognition items (pins, certificates, stoles at $15-30, honor cords, ceremony supplies) via the NHS Store e-commerce storefront, and philanthropic/corporate sponsorships. Customers are distributed across more than 16,000 active school chapters in all 50 U.S. states, territories, and overseas schools, engaging over 1.4 million student members, with secondary touch points to faculty advisers, principals, and parents. Marketing and acquisition occur principally through the embedded NASSP principal network and partnerships with 12 state secondary school principal associations; product distribution is exclusively direct via the national website for affiliation and the Personify-powered e-commerce storefront for merchandise.

Name

National Honor Society

Legal name

National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP)

Website

https://nationalhonorsociety.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1921

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The National Honor Society (NHS) is a nonprofit high-school student recognition program operated by NASSP that recognizes academic achievement across four pillars (scholarship, service, leadership, character) through 16,000+ school-based chapters serving 1.4 million students across all 50 U.S. states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Reston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Chapter Membership Fees: Annual affiliation fees from schools operating NHS chapters. The standard annual fee is $385 per chapter. This covers chartering, access to Adviser Resource Center, National Customer Care support, and membership benefits.
2. Official Products and Regalia: NHS operates an online store selling official recognition items including membership pins, certificates, stoles, cords, candles, banners, and ceremony supplies. Products are available through the NASSP Personify eBusiness platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The National Honor Society operates school-based chapter affiliation programs that recognize outstanding high school students based on four pillars — scholarship, service, leadership, and character. Schools pay an annual $385 affiliation fee to charter a chapter, and chapter members gain access to national scholarship programs, the LEAD leadership conference, the National Student Project Database, student service grants, and the NHS Store for recognition merchandise.

Product overview

The National Honor Society operates a suite of programs organized as a unified platform with distinct modules. At its core, NHS is a national recognition program for high school students built around four pillars: scholarship, service, leadership, and character. The platform comprises the core NHS membership program (with student selection, chapter management, and induction workflows), the Adviser Resource Center (providing operational guidance and templates), the National Student Project Database (a searchable repository of 11,000+ service project ideas), the NHS Scholarship program ($2M+ annually to 600 students), the LEAD Conference (annual national leadership training event), Student Service Grants ($200-$1,000 per project grants funded by The Allstate Foundation), and the NHS Chapters of Distinction recognition program. Supporting infrastructure includes the NHS Store (official merchandise), Chapter Finder (chapter discovery), the Adviser Online Community (peer networking), and the College and Career Readiness Series (admission guidance webinars). NHS is complemented by three sub-brand programs—NJHS (middle school), NEHS (elementary school), and NASC (student councils)—all administered by NASSP.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NHS Chapter Affiliation Program
• NJHS Chapter Affiliation Program
• NEHS Chapter Affiliation Program
• NASC Chapter Affiliation Program
• NHS Scholarship Program
• LEAD Conference
• Student Service Grants
• NHS Store
• Chapters of Distinction
• National Student Project Database
• College and Career Readiness Series

Quantifiable outcome

• Average NHS chapter contributes 1,000 hours of school/community service annually
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered silver partner and bronze partner.

• College Boardsilver partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerSilver Partner supporting NHS. College Board partnership aligns with NHS scholarship and college readiness mission, supporting students' academic and higher education pathways.
• LEAD IDEAsilver partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerSilver Partner supporting NHS leadership development initiatives. Partnership aligns with NHS pillar of leadership development and LEAD Conference programming.
• Solution Treesilver partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerSilver Partner supporting NHS mission. Solution Tree focuses on professional development for educators, aligning with NHS adviser support and chapter excellence goals.
• Capturing Kids' Heartsbronze partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerBronze Partner supporting NHS. Partnership aligns with NHS character pillar and school culture development initiatives.
• Hello Collegebronze partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerBronze Partner supporting NHS college readiness mission. Hello College partnership supports NHS Scholarship and College and Career Readiness Series programming.
• N4SA (National Association of Secondary School Administrators)bronze partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerBronze Partner supporting NHS. N4SA partnership extends reach to school administrators and supports NHS chapter development across member schools.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• College Board: College Board is an existing Silver partner of NHS that operates in the college-readiness and assessment space (PSAT/SAT/AP), directly adjacent to NHS's scholarship and college-preparation mission and a natural strategic peer in the recognition-to-college pipeline.
• Allstate Foundation: The Allstate Foundation is NHS's presenting sponsor underwriting $215K in annual student service grants; an adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor, but tightly bound to NHS's funding and program model.
• National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP): NASSP is the parent nonprofit organization of NHS, providing the governance, infrastructure, and principal network that NHS relies on for chapter acquisition and operations; not a competitor but the structural umbrella entity.

Direct peers

• National Beta Club: National Beta Club is a leading student honor and service organization for grades 4-12, directly competing with NHS/NJHS/NEHS for school chapter affiliations and recognition mindshare among high-achieving students.
• National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS): NSHSS is a for-profit high-achieving student recognition society that charges students directly and partners with brands for member benefits, competing with NHS on the same high-achieving high school segment with a different revenue model.

Emerging players

• SkillsUSA: SkillsUSA is a national nonprofit serving middle, high, and college students preparing for skilled trades and career-technical careers, partially overlapping with NHS around leadership and character development frameworks.
• DECA: DECA is a student organization focused on emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management, partially overlapping with NHS's leadership and scholarship pillars and competing for school adviser attention and chapter slots.
• Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA): FBLA is a career-oriented student organization that overlaps with NHS on leadership development and recognition, but specifically targets students interested in business pathways and competes for chapter affiliations.

Broad incumbents

• National Merit Scholarship Corporation: National Merit is an established, broader-scope academic recognition and scholarship organization that overlaps with NHS at the high-achieving high school student layer, particularly around scholarship funding and college admission signaling.

Regional players

• California Scholarship Federation (CSF): CSF is a long-standing high school academic recognition organization operating primarily in California, comparable to NHS in mission (scholarship-focused recognition) but serving a distinct, region-specific chapter base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nhs_njhs
• Facebookfacebook.com/nhsandnjhs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nassp
• Instagraminstagram.com/nationalhonorsociety

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 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 National Honor Society