Penn Foster Group

What Penn Foster Group does

Penn Foster Group is a privately held portfolio of online education brands founded in 1890 by Thomas Foster as a mail-based training program for Pennsylvania coal miners and now legally organized as PF Carrus Careers, LLC, headquartered in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The company operates a multi-brand platform delivering self-paced online education across high school completion, career diplomas, associate and bachelor's degrees, professional certifications, and workforce training, primarily serving non-traditional adult learners, working parents, career-changers, and enterprise workforce partners in the United States and Canada. Its portfolio spans 13+ retained brands including Penn Foster High School, Penn Foster Career School, Penn Foster College, Ashworth College, James Madison High School, CareerStep, the New York Institute of Photography, the New York Institute of Art and Design, EHR Go, ACLS.com, ICS Canada, PCDI Canada, and Sokanu.

The platform runs on the D2L Brightspace learning management system with a proprietary NewLeaf unified student experience layer (launched February 2024) that integrates enrollment, academic support, financial services, and graduation workflows via an Anthology Student API backbone, and has served over 500,000 learners. The LAADS (Learner-centered, Authentic, Active, Differentiated, and Skill-based) course design framework, rolled out in April 2025 across Veterinary Technician and Dental Assistant programs, lifted pilot completion rates from 73% to 92% and improved course engagement by 19%. The company generates revenue primarily through tuition and program fees paid by individual learners via direct-to-consumer online enrollment and phone-based sales, supplemented by B2B enterprise contracts through Penn Foster for Organizations, which serves employers, educational institutions, and non-profits. Channel distribution is augmented by partnerships with four major universities (Southern New Hampshire University, Purdue University Global, National University, and University of Maryland Global Campus) and platform partners including SkillsWave and Anthology, with operational hubs in Scranton, Atlanta, Lehi (Utah), and Chandler (Arizona).

Name

Penn Foster Group

Legal name

PF Carrus Careers, LLC

Website

https://pennfostergroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1890

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Penn Foster Group is a privately held portfolio of 13+ online education brands delivering self-paced high school diplomas, career training, college degrees, and certifications to non-traditional adult learners, employers, and institutional partners across the United States and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Education and Distance Learning

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Access & EdTech for Equity (Low-cost Learning, Skills Platforms) (BPAGALAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in Education (EDADALAD)

Keywords

• Online education programs
• Distance learning services
• Career training certificates
• High school diplomas
• Workforce development solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Scranton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Program Tuition and Fees: Penn Foster Group generates revenue through tuition and program fees charged to learners for online education programs including high school diplomas, career training diplomas, associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, and certificates. Programs are priced affordably with flexible payment options.
2. Enterprise/B2B Learning Solutions: Penn Foster for Organizations provides configurable learning solutions to employers, educational institutions, and non-profits, generating revenue through institutional partnerships and corporate training contracts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Penn Foster Group is a portfolio of online education brands that sells self-paced high school diplomas, career diplomas, associate and bachelor's degrees, professional certificates, and corporate workforce learning programs to individual learners and organizational partners. Its brands include Penn Foster High School, Penn Foster College, Penn Foster Career School, Ashworth College, James Madison High School, CareerStep, the New York Institute of Photography, the New York Institute of Art and Design, EHR Go, and ACLS.com. The company also operates Penn Foster for Organizations, a B2B channel selling configurable learning solutions to employers, schools, and non-profits.

Product overview

Penn Foster Group is a portfolio company providing online education and training solutions through multiple distinct brands. The portfolio includes Penn Foster High School (accredited diploma programs), Penn Foster College and Penn Foster Career School (career-focused degrees and diplomas), Penn Foster for Organizations (B2B corporate learning solutions), Ashworth College (self-paced career education), James Madison High School (online high school), CareerStep (healthcare training), New York Institute of Art and Design and New York Institute of Photography (creative programs), EHR Go (healthcare records training), and ACLS.com (healthcare certification). The company operates NewLeaf, a unified student experience platform integrating enrollment, academic support, financial services, and graduation workflows. The LAADS (Learner-centered, Authentic, Active, Differentiated, and Skill-based) framework underpins redesigned courses across the portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Penn Foster High School
• Penn Foster College and Penn Foster Career School
• Penn Foster for Organizations
• Ashworth College
• James Madison High School
• CareerStep
• New York Institute of Art and Design
• New York Institute of Photography
• EHR Go
• ACLS.com (ACLS Certification Institute)

Quantifiable outcome

• 92% course completion rate in LAADS redesigned programs
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• SkillsWaveminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 19 January 2026Penn Foster programs join SkillsWave's Learning Network offering career-aligned training to employees through corporate learning pathways. SkillsWave enables employers to offer affordable, flexible education aligned to workforce needs.
• Chicago CREDminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 August 2025Partnership addressing gun violence through flexible, trauma-informed education. Chicago CRED founder and Penn Foster CLO co-authored op-ed on education as violence prevention tool.
• D2L BrightspacecoreTechnology or Integration · 25 April 2025Integration of ReadSpeaker text-to-speech technology into D2L Brightspace learning platform, allowing learners to transform written materials into accessible audio for flexible, inclusive learning.
• LearningMateminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 9 August 2024Podcast partnership where CEO and CLO discussed how Penn Foster supports learners through pathways to job-ready credentials and importance of partnering with institutions and employers.
• Southern New Hampshire UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2024Strategic partnership to broaden educational pathways and enhance learner success by providing flexible, accessible, and comprehensive academic opportunities through combined innovative educational solutions and university resources.
• Purdue University GlobalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2024Partnership designed to support diverse students offering improved access to high-quality education and career advancement through Penn Foster's innovative educational solutions combined with Purdue's extensive university resources.
• National UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2024Collaboration to broaden educational pathways and enhance learner success with flexible, accessible academic opportunities supporting diverse student populations.
• University of Maryland Global CampuscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2024Partnership providing improved access to high-quality education and career advancement through combination of Penn Foster's educational solutions and UMGC's university resources.
• Chandler, ArizonaminorOthers · 7 May 2024Partnership with Chandler city for opening Center of Excellence office at 3133 W. Frye Road, with plans to hire 100+ employees to support online students.
• Petco LovecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 March 2024Petco Love Registered Veterinary Technician Scholarship Fund addressing shortage of credentialed veterinary technicians by increasing training access for those serving vulnerable pets and pet parents struggling financially.
• AnthologycoreTechnology or Integration · 1 February 2024Technology partnership powering NewLeaf unified student experience platform that integrates enrollment, academic support, financial services, and graduation processes. Platform leverages Anthology Student system API and real-time data architecture.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• InStride: Workforce education company that partners with universities to deliver employer-funded degree and credential programs. Closely comparable to Penn Foster for Organizations on the B2B channel, employer partnership model, and integration with academic institutions for tuition assistance pathways.
• Capella University: For-profit online university owned by Strategic Education, focused on working adults in healthcare, business, and technology. Comparable on online-only delivery, career-aligned degree programs, and competency-based offerings overlapping with Penn Foster's portfolio.
• Southern New Hampshire University: Large nonprofit online university with deep non-traditional adult learner base and aggressive workforce/B2B expansion. SNHU is both a Penn Foster direct competitor in online degrees and a strategic university pathway partner, making it the most relevant comparable on customer profile, product mix, and channel strategy.
• University of Phoenix: For-profit online university historically focused on working adults seeking career-relevant degrees. Closely comparable on for-profit distance-education model, employer-sponsored programs, and adult-learner marketing approach.
• Western Governors University: Nonprofit, competency-based online university serving working adults seeking affordable degrees and certifications. Highly comparable to Penn Foster on target learner (non-traditional adult), online modality, affordability positioning, and emphasis on workforce-aligned credentials.
• Purdue University Global: For-profit online university operated by Strategic Education targeting working adults and military-affiliated learners. Comparable on for-profit online model, career-focused degree/diploma offerings, employer and government partnership channels, and tuition structure. Also a Penn Foster university pathway partner.
• Walden University: For-profit online university owned by Adtalem Global Education serving adult learners in healthcare, education, and social sciences. Comparable on for-profit distance model, graduate and professional credentials, and B2B workforce partnerships.

Emerging players

• StraighterLine: Low-cost online provider of general-education and introductory college courses with credit-transfer partnerships to universities. Comparable on low-cost, self-paced online learning model and university articulation strategy, though narrower in program scope.
• Emeritus: Online education provider partnering with top universities to deliver professional certificates and executive education programs. Comparable on the online, partnership-led model with universities and the adult-professional learner segment, though focused on executive/graduate credentials.

Broad incumbents

• Skillsoft: Public corporate learning company offering enterprise SaaS for workforce upskilling, certifications, and leadership development. Directly comparable to Penn Foster for Organizations on B2B learning solutions and the broader workforce-development value proposition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pennfostergroup
• Xx.com/PennFosterGroup

Compliance12 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries13 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 Penn Foster Group