Exceptional Learners Collaborative

What Exceptional Learners Collaborative does

Exceptional Learners Collaborative (ELC) is a special education cooperative organized as a joint agreement under Illinois school law, founded in 2015-2016 and headquartered in Vernon Hills, Illinois. It is collectively owned and governed by four member school districts: Kildeer Countryside School District 96, Lincolnshire-Prairie View School District 103, Adlai E. Stevenson High School District 125 (voting), and Fox Lake Grade School District 114 (non-voting). ELC delivers a full continuum of special education services to students ages 3-22 across 13 Lake County communities, spanning 8 elementary schools, 4 junior high/middle schools, and 1 high school. The organization is led by Superintendent Dr. Megan Clarke (since 2015) and a board of education with district representatives.

Core service lines include Early Childhood Assessment (ECAT), Assistive Technology, Audiological Services, Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) services, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech-Language Pathology, Psychology/Social Work, Vision & Orientation and Mobility, and the ELC West Transition Program for students ages 18-22. The Butterfly Boutique, a student-run microbusiness, operates within the ELC West program for vocational training. The underlying technology footprint is modest: a Finalsite-hosted public website, a Google Sites staff intranet, and the ASQ Online child-find portal; no proprietary platform, AI/ML systems, or commercial APIs are documented.

ELC is funded through joint agreement contributions from member districts, supplemented by state and federal IDEA-related funding and a purchase-services offering to non-member districts for school evaluations and school-based services. It is not a venture-backed or publicly traded entity; there is no parent company, no equity funding rounds, and no M&A activity. Headcount per the staff directory is 149+ constituents across member districts and programs.

Name

Exceptional Learners Collaborative

Legal name

Exceptional Learners Collaborative

Website

https://elced.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Exceptional Learners Collaborative is an Illinois special education cooperative delivering a full continuum of related services—including OT, PT, speech, audiology, vision, psychology, BCBA, assistive technology, and transition programming—to students ages 3-22 across four member school districts in Lake County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Special Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Special Education Schools & Programs (EDAJAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialized Programs & Classrooms (Autism, Emotional/Behavioral, Intellectual/Developmental, Multi-Disability) (EDAJAKAH), Special Education Vocational & Transition Programs (18–22) (EDAKAAAG), Specialized Inclusive / Co-Taught Special Education Programs (EDAKAAAK)

Keywords

• Special education services
• Special education cooperative
• Related services education
• Special needs education
• Transition program services

Headquarters

HQ city

Vernon Hills

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Member District Contributions: As a special education cooperative, ELC is funded through joint agreement contributions from member school districts (District 96, 103, 125, and 114) to provide specialized educational services to students with exceptional needs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Exceptional Learners Collaborative is a special education cooperative that provides a continuum of specialized educational, therapeutic, and related services to students ages 3-22 with exceptional needs across four member K-8 school districts in Lake County, Illinois. Services include speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, audiology, school psychology, social work, adapted physical education, transition programming, and behavioral intervention, delivered both directly to member districts and on a purchased-service basis to surrounding non-member districts.

Product overview

Exceptional Learners Collaborative (ELC) is a special education cooperative providing a comprehensive suite of services for students with disabilities from ages 3 through 22. The organization operates as a unified service offering across member school districts (Districts 96, 103, 125, and 114), encompassing related services (assistive technology, audiology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, vision services, psychology, social work), diagnostic services including psychoeducational assessments, early childhood assessment and screenings, professional development, and the ELC West Transition Program for students ages 18-22. A key component is the Butterfly Boutique, a student-run microbusiness providing vocational training through on-site retail operations featuring handmade products. The organization does not operate as a technology product platform with modules; rather, it provides direct educational and therapeutic services to member districts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Butterfly Boutique: Student-run microbusiness operated by ELC West Transition Program students, featuring handmade candles, spiritwear resale, snack cart, and handmade note card packs. Part of vocational education programming to build student independence and work skills.

Products and services

• Special Education Cooperative Services (Member-District Joint Agreement)

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kildeer Countryside School District 96coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVoting member district of the Exceptional Learners Collaborative. ELC provides full continuum of special education services to students within District 96, which serves Buffalo Grove, Kildeer, Long Grove, and nearby communities.
• Lincolnshire-Prairie View School District 103coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVoting member district receiving special education services through the ELC collaborative agreement. District 103 serves Lincolnshire, Riverwoods, Prairie View, and surrounding areas.
• Adlai E. Stevenson High School District 125coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVoting member district. ELC provides transition services and vocational programming including the Butterfly Boutique operated at Stevenson High School for student work training.
• Fox Lake Grade School District 114minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-voting member district receiving special education services. District 114 serves Fox Lake and Spring Grove communities.
• CAU (Pre-Admission Screening/Independent Service Coordination Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAU is a PAS/ISC Agency serving the north side of Chicago and Northern Suburbs of Cook and Lake Counties. They provide case management services and help families enroll in PUNS (Prioritization for Urgency of Need for Services) database for individuals with developmental disabilities.
• The Arc of IllinoiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvocacy organization whose representative Samantha Alloway works with ELC students on self-advocacy training. ELC student Eva participated in Arc of Illinois training and Speak Up Speak Out Conference.
• Jimmy Casas ConsultingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProfessional development provider offering 'Handle With Care' training to ELC staff.
• University of North Carolina TEACCHminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProfessional development provider offering 5-day certifications, 2-day workshops, and coaching programs for ELC staff.
• Rush Neuro-Behavioral HealthminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProfessional development provider offering Executive Functioning training to ELC staff.
• Jessica MinahanminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProfessional development provider offering training on Reducing Anxiety and Challenging Behaviors in Students.
• Meaningful Speech LLCminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProfessional development provider offering training on Gestalt Language Processing and Echolalia.
• Paridad Education ConsultingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProfessional development provider offering Developing Culturally & Linguistically Sustaining MTSS for Multilingual Learners.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Catapult Learning: Large private provider of special education, intervention, and related services to K-12 districts nationally. Overlaps with ELC in OT, speech, and psychology service delivery but operates as a vendor rather than a cooperative.
• PresenceLearning: Teletherapy platform delivering school-based speech, OT, mental health, and behavioral services. Competes with ELC's related-services portfolio via remote delivery model.
• Specialized Education Services Inc (SESI): Operator of private special education schools and related services for students with emotional, behavioral, and learning disabilities. Comparable in transition-age programming but operates proprietary schools rather than member-district services.

Emerging players

• The Menta Group: Illinois-based operator of special education schools and programs serving students with emotional, behavioral, and learning needs. Partial overlap with ELC's transition and specialized-programs offerings, focused on private school operation.

Direct peers

• Cooperative Association for Special Education (CASE): Illinois special education cooperative offering comprehensive related services and transition programming to member school districts, directly comparable in structure and service mix.
• Northwest Suburban Special Education Organization (NSSEO): Illinois special education cooperative serving northwest suburban districts. Comparable in member-district governance, related-services portfolio, and transition programming.
• School Association for Special Education in DuPage (SASED): DuPage County, Illinois special education cooperative offering OT, PT, speech, psychology, and transition services to member districts. Functionally identical governance and service-delivery model to ELC.
• North Shore Special Education District (NSSED): Illinois special education joint agreement serving north suburban districts with related services, transition programs, and itinerant staffing — same legal structure and service mix as ELC.
• Special Education District of Lake County (SEDOL): Special education cooperative operating in the same Lake County, Illinois geography, serving multiple member districts with itinerant related services. Most directly comparable peer given overlapping catchment and identical cooperative structure.

Others

• LearnWell: Education services provider delivering instruction and related services to students in hospitals, residential, and alternative settings. Adjacent peer touching ELC's special-needs population through non-traditional delivery settings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/elc_eduil
• Facebookfacebook.com/elced.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/exceptional-learners-collab
• Instagraminstagram.com/exceptionallearnerscollab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Exceptional Learners Collaborative