What The Traveling School does

The Traveling School (TTS) is a private nonprofit educational organization founded in 2000 and headquartered in Bozeman, Montana. It operates a single core product: a 105-day (15-week) place-based semester program for high school students (10th-12th grade), marketed primarily to girls and gender-expansive youth. Cohorts of approximately 15 students travel together through one of three regional itineraries — Southern Africa (Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, Mozambique), South America (Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Central America including Guatemala and Nicaragua), or the Western US (Montana, Utah, Arizona, Colorado) — completing internally authored coursework in Honors Literature, Statistics, Science, Global Studies, and History/Politics tied to the geographies visited.

The operating model is field-intensive and human-driven. Curriculum is delivered by Traveling School staff including an Executive Director (Jennifer Royall) and Academic Dean (Aunge Thomas), supplemented by operational partnerships with outfitters and community organizations such as Montana Wilderness School, Groundwork Farm, and Gorongosa National Park. The technology stack is minimal: a WordPress-based public website, web-based application forms, and standard email/phone admissions support. There are no mobile applications, APIs, or AI components; the program explicitly markets a tech-free environment.

Revenue is generated through per-semester tuition payments from individual families and donations supporting scholarships and operations. The organization holds Candid (GuideStar) Platinum Transparency 2024 certification, indicating formal nonprofit financial disclosure. Go-to-market is community-led: alumnae referrals, blog content, social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), open houses, and school presentations. As of the most recent source data, the organization is not actively accepting applications and states it is 'exploring bold new possibilities for our next chapter.'

Name

The Traveling School

Legal name

The Traveling School

Website

https://travelingschool.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Traveling School is a Bozeman, Montana-based nonprofit running 105-day place-based semester programs for high school students (primarily girls and gender-expansive youth) traveling through Southern Africa, South America, or the Western US, with internally authored curriculum and tuition- and donation-funded operations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Experiential Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Secondary School Exchange Programs (Academic Year/Semester) (EDAIAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Short-Term Secondary Immersion & Cultural Exchange Trips (EDAIAHAD), School Group & Curriculum-Led Trips (THAKAGAB)

Keywords

• Experiential high school programs
• Place-based education
• Study abroad programs
• Semester abroad high school
• Experiential learning programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Bozeman

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Semester Program Tuition: The organization generates revenue primarily through tuition fees for its semester programs. Students/families pay for participation in the immersive travel-based educational semester programs.
2. Donations and Charitable Giving: As a non-profit educational organization, The Traveling School accepts donations to support scholarships and program operations. The organization received Platinum Transparency recognition from Candid (GuideStar) for financial transparency.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Traveling School operates place-based, experiential traveling semester high school programs where students travel internationally for approximately 15 weeks (105 days) while completing academic coursework in Literature, Science, Global Studies, and History & Politics. The program serves high school students (10th–12th grade), with cohorts of roughly 15 students per semester traveling through South America, Southern Africa, or the Western US and earning transferable academic credit.

Product overview

The Traveling School is a single, unified experiential education program offering a semester-based high school alternative where students spend 15 weeks traveling through South America, Southern Africa, or the Western US while completing academic coursework. The program includes TTS-created curriculum (Literature, Science, Global Studies, History/Politics), college readiness support, an alumni network, a public blog, merchandise store, and scholarship funding. The core product is the semester program itself, with complementary services supporting students before, during, and after their travel experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Traveling School Semester Program A 15-week (105-day) place-based, experiential high school semester program where students travel through South America, Southern Africa, or the Western US while completing transferable academic coursework. Small cohorts of approximately 15 students live out of backpacks, engage with local communities, and study Honors Literature and Composition, Honors Statistics, Science, Global Studies, and History & Politics with themes such as migration, climate change, indigeneity, race, and power. The program is designed for high school students (10th–12th grade), primarily girls and gender-expansive students.
• TTS-Branded Merchandise

Quantifiable outcome

• 93% of girls' school graduates say they were offered greater leadership opportunities than co-educated peers (research cited from Goodman Research Group)
• +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

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Montana Wilderness SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMontana Wilderness School serves as outfitters and guides for The Traveling School's expedition programs, including ten-day canoe trips on the Missouri River. They provide logistical support, equipment, and wilderness expertise for TTS students.
• Groundwork FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGroundwork Farm in Paonia, Colorado hosts TTS students for farm immersion experiences including seed processing, food systems education, local agriculture, and sustainable farming practices. Students learn about food sovereignty, seed diversity, and Colorado River water rights.
• Arivaca Action CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated in the border town of Arivaca, Arizona, this center provides accommodation and serves as a base for learning about border issues and migration topics during the Western US program.
• People Helping People in the Border ZoneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal activist organization that helps community members support migrants in the border zone. TTS students meet with this group to learn about border community issues and humanitarian efforts.
• Sierra Club Borderlands ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerErick Meza from the Sierra Club Borderlands Program provides educational sessions on U.S. immigration policy and its impact on humans, wildlife, and the environment at the Mexico-U.S. border.
• Gorongosa National ParkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGorongosa National Park in central Mozambique is a conservation and community development hub. The park's Girls' Clubs program aligns with TTS's mission and offers opportunities for student learning about conservation, community development, and gender empowerment.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Experiment in International Living (World Learning): Part of World Learning, The Experiment runs high school summer and semester homestay and cultural exchange programs in 25+ countries — overlapping directly with TTS's international cultural-immersion offering.
• Rustic Pathways: Rustic Pathways designs high school community-service and travel programs in dozens of countries, with strong alumni networks and a similar 'transformative travel' value proposition aimed at college-bound teens.
• Where There Be Dragons: Dragons runs experiential, place-based semester and summer programs for high school students in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, emphasizing cultural immersion and community engagement — directly comparable to TTS's curriculum and pedagogy.
• Verto Education: Verto offers semester-abroad programs for incoming college students combining travel, coursework, and college credit, targeting a slightly later life stage but with a structurally similar experiential-education model.
• Global Citizen Year: Global Citizen Year runs gap-year and bridge-year programs for high school graduates focused on immersive cross-cultural experience and leadership development — a closely adjacent model targeting the same demographic.
• School Year Abroad (SYA): SYA offers semester- and year-long study abroad programs for high school students across multiple countries, with academically rigorous curriculum transferable to home schools. It is the closest direct competitor to TTS's semester-school model for secondary students.

Broad incumbents

• Outward Bound: Outward Bound provides wilderness-based experiential education programs across the U.S. and internationally for adolescents and adults — overlapping on outdoor/adventure pedagogy and leadership outcomes.
• CAPA International Education: CAPA runs global education programs for high school and college students with broader scale and a wider portfolio of city-based study programs, making it a broader incumbent in the study-abroad space.
• National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS): NOLS is a long-established leader in wilderness education, offering semester and expedition courses for high-school-aged students with similar outdoor-skills and leadership-development outcomes.
• CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange): CIEE operates one of the largest high school and college study-abroad portfolios globally, with high school summer and semester programs in dozens of countries — a broad incumbent competing for similar students and families.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCPH74J2aBqLfERAgWmazScQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/thetravelingschool
• Instagraminstagram.com/thetravelingschool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-traveling-school

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 The Traveling School