Smoky Hill Education Svc Cntr

What Smoky Hill Education Svc Cntr does

Smoky Hill Education Service Center (SHESC) is a private nonprofit consortium of more than 50 Kansas public school districts organized in 1990 to cooperatively deliver educational services across a 25-county service area. Headquartered in Salina, Kansas with a regional office in Hays, the organization serves approximately 2,700 teachers and administrators and reaches more than 31,000 students through member district programming. SHESC operates two sub-brands: the Smoky Hill Learning Center (an accredited virtual diploma and credit recovery program operating since 1996) and the Smoky Hill Education Foundation (which runs the Teacher Mini-Grant Program).

SHESC's product portfolio spans four functional pillars: (1) academic learning software distributed via channel partnerships with Apex Learning, Achieve3000, Carnegie Learning, DreamBox Learning, Edmentum, Fast ForWord, and Learn360; (2) test preparation and credential programs including ACT prep via Odysseyware ($150/student) and high school credit recovery ($300/semester course); (3) professional development including in-person workshops, virtual coaching through the VECTOR partnership, graduate credit via MidAmerica Nazarene University, and leadership mentoring; and (4) cooperative purchasing through the ESM e-procurement platform with vendor integrations to CDW-G, School Specialty, and Frey Scientific. The underlying technology stack consists of a Wild Apricot web portal for workshop registration, SharePoint for staff resources, and virtual learning infrastructure for diploma delivery. SHESC also operates a specialized E-Rate assistance program that has secured more than $1.5 million in annual federal funding savings for member schools since 1998.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid model combining recurring membership fees from charter and associate member districts, transaction fees on credit recovery and Rosetta Stone language learning tickets ($115 each, representing 78% off retail), graduate credit fees ($45 per 0.5 credit), and a 2% administrative fee on volume purchases by non-member organizations. Go-to-market relies on direct outreach to member districts, event-driven engagement (workshops, annual golf tournament), and a web portal for registration. SHESC operates without venture backing or public listing as a nonprofit entity governed by a Board of Directors drawn from member district clusters, with a Superintendents Advisory Council providing additional input.

Name

Smoky Hill Education Svc Cntr

Legal name

Smoky Hill Education Service Center

Website

https://smokyhill.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Smoky Hill Education Service Center is a Kansas nonprofit consortium of 50+ school districts across 25 counties, providing cooperative purchasing, professional development, E-Rate assistance, and virtual diploma programs to approximately 2,700 educators and 31,000 students since 1990.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Support Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Online Credit Recovery & Alternative Pathways (Virtual) (EDAJADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Test Prep & Exam Readiness (K–12) (EDAJALAC), Accelerated Learning & Grade Advancement Programs (EDAJAGAE)

Keywords

• Education service consortium
• Cooperative purchasing programs
• Professional development services
• E-Rate funding assistance
• K-12 shared services

Headquarters

HQ city

Salina

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, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Charter and associate member school districts pay membership fees for access to services including volume purchasing at no additional cost. Non-members pay a 2% administrative fee on purchased items.
2. Credit Recovery Courses: High school credit recovery courses at $300 per semester course, billed to schools or paid directly by students.
3. Rosetta Stone Tickets: Language learning tickets sold to schools for $115 each, providing access to Rosetta Stone Classroom for one year.
4. Graduate College Credit: Graduate credit hours from MidAmerica Nazarene University at $45 per 0.5 credit, for workshop completion.
5. ACT Prep Course: Online ACT prep course via Odysseyware offered for $150 per student.
6. Volume Purchasing Administration: 2% administrative fee assessed quarterly on purchases for non-member organizations, excluding shipping and supplier fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Smoky Hill Education Service Center is a nonprofit consortium of 50+ Kansas school districts that delivers shared educational services to member districts and educators. Its core offerings are professional development workshops (often eligible for graduate credit), cooperative volume purchasing of technology, supplies and software, E-Rate federal funding application assistance, a Virtual Diploma Program for adults and high school students, online credit recovery courses, virtual instructional coaching, and ancillary programs such as first aid and defensive driving training.

Product overview

Smoky Hill Education Service Center operates as a consortium of more than 50 school districts in 25 Kansas counties, offering a diverse portfolio of educational products and services. The core offerings include academic learning software through partnerships with Apex Learning, Achieve3000, Carnegie Learning, DreamBox Learning, Edmentum Solutions, and Learn360; test preparation programs including ACT Prep via Odysseyware and Method Test Prep; literacy solutions such as Fast ForWord and LETRS training; and credential programs including high school credit recovery and virtual diploma completion. Supporting services encompass instructional coaching (both in-person and virtual via VECTOR partnership), technology services including E-Rate assistance, digital citizenship education, STOPit anonymous reporting, Rosetta Stone language learning, MEDIC First Aid training, adventure/ropes course programs, leadership support, and a cooperative volume purchasing program. The organization was organized on July 1, 1990, and provides staff development and services to approximately 2,700 teachers and administrators benefiting over 31,000 students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Smoky Hill Learning Center: Provides Virtual Diploma Program for adults and high school students to earn accredited Kansas State Board of Education high school diplomas.
• Smoky Hill Education Foundation

Products and services

• Virtual Diploma Program
• High School Credit Recovery
• Volume Purchasing Program
• E-Rate Services
• Professional Development Workshops
• ACT Test Prep Course
• Rosetta Stone Language Learning Tickets
• Graduate College Credit
• Virtual Instructional Coaching
• Leadership Support Program
• Adventure Program
• MEDIC First Aid Training
• Defensive Driving Training
• Resource Library
• Technology Services
• Digital Citizenship & Technology Program
• LETRS Training
• Teacher Mini-Grant Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $1.5 million in E-Rate savings secured annually for member schools
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Integration9 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and support.

• VECTOR Virtual CoachingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHESC partnership with VECTOR Virtual Coaching brings high-quality, accessible, personalized professional development in the form of virtual coaching to all Kansas educators. VECTOR stands for Verify perspective, Examine influence, Commit to change, Take action, Operationalize performance, and Reflect and recommit. The goal is ensuring every teacher has access to excellent support systems and high-quality learning opportunities through preschool to 12th grade coaching.
• MidAmerica Nazarene University (MNU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to provide graduate college credit hours for SHESC workshops and trainings. MNU offers affordable graduate credits with a STAR program allowing educators to earn up to 2.5 additional credits within one year through application and reflection activities.
• STOPit SolutionssupportChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSHESC offers STOPit anonymous reporting solution at discounted rates to Kansas schools. STOPit provides mobile app, web, and phone reporting to help administrators identify and prevent bullying, student self-harm, and acts of violence with 24-hour incident monitoring.
• Learn360supportChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLearn360 is a media-on-demand service offering thousands of streaming video clips and K-12 educational media from National Geographic, History Channel, A&E, and other publishers. SHESC provides access to preview accounts and facilitates subscriptions.
• Rosetta StonesupportChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSHESC distributes Rosetta Stone tickets for language learning to Kansas schools at $115 per ticket (vs $499 retail), providing access to 25 languages for one year through Rosetta Stone Classroom.
• ESM SolutionscoreTechnology or IntegrationE-procurement platform provider for SHESC's Volume Purchasing Program. Schools register and purchase through eprocument.esmsolutions.com accessing CDW-G, School Specialty, and Frey Scientific catalogs at negotiated pricing.
• Carnegie Learning (Fast ForWord)supportChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSHESC offers Fast ForWord neuroscience-based reading and language programs developed by Carnegie Learning. Products help students attain skills necessary for state language arts standards and align with dyslexia legislation.
• CDW-GsupportChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTechnology products vendor available through ESM Volume Purchasing Program, offering discounted technology solutions to member school districts including interactive flat panels, projectors, printers, and software licensing.
• School SpecialtysupportChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFull online catalog available through SHESC Volume Purchasing Program offering educational supplies, equipment, and resources at discounted consortium rates.
• Frey ScientificsupportChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorScientific supplies and equipment vendor available through ESM Volume Purchasing Program for member school districts.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• South Central Kansas Education Service Center: Kansas-based ESC offering professional development, cooperative purchasing, and student services to member districts in south-central Kansas.
• ESSDACK (Educational Services & Staff Development of the Central Kansas Cooperative): Kansas education service center providing cooperative services to school districts including staff development, technology support, and cooperative purchasing. Direct competitor for Kansas district memberships.
• Greenbush Education Service Center: Another Kansas-based education service center operating as a cooperative providing professional development, cooperative purchasing, and special education services to member districts. Directly comparable as a fellow Kansas ESC serving small/rural districts with a similar consortium model.
• Southwest Plains Education Service Center: Kansas ESC providing cooperative services to member districts. Functions as a direct peer within Kansas's regional education service center ecosystem.
• Northwest Kansas Education Service Center: Kansas-based ESC serving member districts in northwest Kansas with cooperative purchasing, professional development, and special education services. Direct regional peer within the Kansas ESC network.

Broad incumbents

• Education Service Center Region 13: Texas ESC serving school districts with curriculum, instructional, and operational support services. Comparable service portfolio to SHESC's consortium offerings at much larger geographic and organizational scale.
• Region 4 Education Service Center: One of Texas's largest ESCs, serving school districts with professional development, cooperative purchasing, and operational services at a much larger scale. Comparable in service mix (PD, cooperative purchasing, E-Rate-like programs) but operates at significantly greater scale.
• Battelle for Kids: National nonprofit that partners with schools and districts on leadership development, educator effectiveness, and student success — overlapping with SHESC's professional development and leadership support services, but at national scale.

Regional players

• Cooperative Educational Service Agencies (CESA): Wisconsin's network of Cooperative Educational Service Agencies that serve school districts with shared services, professional development, and cooperative purchasing. Operates a similar cooperative model but serves a different state.

Others

• Edmentum: Education technology company whose online courseware SHESC resells for credit recovery, test prep, and career readiness. Adjacent as a partner/vendor whose products SHESC distributes to member districts.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smoky-hill-education-svc-cntr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Smoky Hill Education Svc Cntr