Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence

What Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence does

Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence (BRSE), legally Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence, Inc., is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2001 and headquartered in Chapin, South Carolina, with a stated phone and email contact ([email protected]) and an explicit disclaimer of any affiliation with the U.S. Department of Education's Blue Ribbon Schools Program. The organization operates in education services, providing a proprietary school improvement assessment to public and private K-12 schools across the United States.

The core product is the BRSE Assessment Program: a fixed 40-day school improvement evaluation that uses a proprietary nine-category framework (Student Focus and Support; School Organization and Culture; Challenging Standards and Curriculum; Active Teaching and Learning; Technology Integration; Professional Community; Leadership and Educational Vitality; School, Family, and Community Partnerships; and Indicators of Success). The assessment is administered through an online survey tool that collects confidential feedback from building-level administrators, certified staff, support staff, students, parents, and community stakeholders, followed by an onsite validation visit by a BRSE assessment consultant and a delivered "Blueprint for Excellence" improvement plan. Schools that meet excellence thresholds receive Lighthouse Schools recognition across three tiers (Points of Light, Beacon, Lighthouse).

BRSE monetizes two primary streams: per-school assessment fees publicly disclosed at $7,900 per individual school and $6,500 per school when multiple schools in a district participate, structured as multi-year contracts; and conference revenue from a flagship annual national conference (the 27th edition scheduled for November 30–December 3, 2026 at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Florida), which combines registration fees, exhibitor fees, and presenter sponsorships with recognition of new Lighthouse Schools. Ongoing engagement is supported through regional workshops, a monthly email newsletter, the corporate website, and a Twitter presence (@BRSOE). The company has 11–50 employees and is governed by a board under CEO Judy Warden Fields and Founder/President Bart Teal.

Name

Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence

Legal name

Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence, Inc.

Website

https://blueribbonschools.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 2001, that runs a proprietary 40-day, 9-category K-12 school improvement assessment and a Lighthouse Schools recognition program, serving public and private schools nationwide and monetizing through per-school assessment fees and an annual Disney-hosted national conference.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Education Assessment and Improvement Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDADACAI

Accreditation Evaluation, Peer Review & Site-Visit Organizations

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Accreditation Bodies (Institutional & Programmatic)

SECONDARYEDADACAE

K–12/School & District Accreditation Bodies

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Accreditation Bodies (Institutional & Programmatic)

SECONDARYEDADACAJ

Accreditation Standards, Benchmarking & Framework Organizations

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Accreditation Bodies (Institutional & Programmatic)

SECONDARYEDACAIAB

In-Service Professional Development (Workshops/Institutes/Short Courses)

Education/Early Childhood Education/Early Childhood Teacher Training & Professional Development

Keywords

• School improvement assessment
• K-12 education services
• School evaluation framework
• Education professional development
• Lighthouse Schools recognition

Headquarters

HQ city

Chapin

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, Others

Revenue model

1. School Assessment Services: Fees charged to individual schools and districts for comprehensive assessment services including the 40-day evaluation process, onsite validation, and Blueprint for Excellence improvement plans.
2. Conference Revenue: Annual national conferences held at Disney resorts generating revenue through registration fees, sponsorships, and exhibitor fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence (BRSE) provides a 40-day School Assessment Program that evaluates K-12 schools across a proprietary 9 Performance Categories Framework using feedback from students, parents, teachers, administrators, and support staff collected through an Online Assessment Tool. The assessment culminates in onsite validation by BRSE consultant assessors and delivery of a customized Blueprint for Excellence improvement plan, with schools meeting excellence thresholds receiving Lighthouse Schools Awards recognition at three tiers. The organization also hosts an annual national conference and ongoing regional workshops for professional development and peer best-practice sharing.

Product overview

Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence offers a single unified school improvement assessment product—the BRSE Assessment Program—that provides a comprehensive 40-day evaluation process using a proprietary 9 Performance Categories Framework. The core assessment collects feedback from multiple stakeholder groups (students, parents, teachers, administrators, support staff) through a proprietary Online Assessment Tool and delivers a Blueprint for Excellence Plan. Schools meeting excellence thresholds receive Lighthouse Schools Awards at three recognition levels (Points of Light, Beacon, Lighthouse). The portfolio includes associated services: Onsite Validation and Review by BRSE consultants, Regional Workshops for ongoing professional development, and an Annual National Conference at Disney properties for networking and best practice sharing. The program is priced at $7,900 per school or $6,500 per school for district-wide participation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BRSE School Assessment Program
• Lighthouse Schools Awards
• BRSE National Conference
• Regional Workshops

Quantifiable outcome

• Schools report highest test score growth and reduced chronic absenteeism following BRSE assessment process
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Disney Resorts (Coronado Springs Resort)coreOthersAnnual national conferences held at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Florida. The partnership enables BRSE to host its major annual events at a premier venue, providing networking and professional development opportunities for educators from across the nation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Character.org: Character.org runs the National Schools of Character recognition program and provides frameworks for school improvement focused on character education. Comparable as a nonprofit that evaluates and recognizes K-12 schools on qualitative frameworks, though BRSE's framework is broader and operations-focused.
• Magnet Schools of America: Magnet Schools of America is a nonprofit that evaluates, recognizes, and provides professional development to K-12 magnet and theme-based schools. Comparable as a niche K-12 recognition/improvement nonprofit serving a subset of US schools with award programs and conferences.
• Solution Tree: Solution Tree provides professional development, conferences, and school improvement resources for K-12 educators, including major annual events and PLC frameworks. Directly comparable on the conference/professional development side and competing for the same school improvement budget dollars.
• Learning Forward: Learning Forward is a nonprofit professional association focused on educator professional learning and school improvement. Comparable in its nonprofit mission around K-12 professional development and improvement, with overlapping audience of school leaders.

Broad incumbents

• ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development): ASCD is a major educator association providing professional development, publications, and conferences on curriculum, instruction, and school leadership. Comparable as a broad incumbent serving K-12 school improvement via conferences, frameworks, and PD offerings, overlapping with BRSE's professional development channels.
• Cognia: Cognia (formerly AdvancED) is the largest US K-12 accreditation and school improvement body, offering evaluation, accreditation, and improvement services to schools and districts. Directly comparable to BRSE's assessment and improvement offerings, but at significantly larger scale and with federally/state-recognized accreditation status.
• Middle States Association (MSA): Middle States Association is one of the regional accrediting bodies for K-12 schools and colleges, conducting school evaluations and accreditation reviews. Comparable in the formal school evaluation/peer review process, though MSA holds state and federal recognition BRSE does not.

Others

• National Blue Ribbon Schools Program (U.S. Department of Education): The federally-run National Blue Ribbon Schools recognition program shares a name and recognition category with BRSE's Lighthouse Schools awards. BRSE explicitly disclaims affiliation, but the programs compete for the same "top school" recognition narrative and federal/state school leader mindshare.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BRSOE

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 Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence