High School Democrats of America

What High School Democrats of America does

High School Democrats of America (HSDA) is a student-led, non-profit political organization founded on December 2, 2005, in Phoenix, Arizona, that serves as the official high school arm of the Democratic Party. Originally established as the High School Caucus of the Young Democrats of America (YDAHSC), HSDA became independent from YDA in June 2014. The organization mobilizes high school-aged students across all 50 U.S. states through a tiered grassroots structure of local chapters (school-affiliated or community-based), semi-independent state organizations, regional directorates, and 12 identity-based national caucuses spanning Black, MENA, Latino, LGBTQ+, Muslim, AANHPI, Jewish, Hindu, Women's, First-Gen, Disabled Persons, and Indigenous communities. In 2019, HSDA was granted two voting seats on the Democratic National Committee, and in 2025 it was elevated to a seat on the DNC Executive Committee, the highest party position it has held.

HSDA's core service offerings include national events and programming (speaker events with Congressmembers, lobby days, annual Summit dating to 2012), the newly launched The Progressive Teen (TPT) biweekly publication introduced in 2026, identity-based caucuses, legislative and policy task forces (Climate Change, Economic Justice, Education, Immigration), and a national Summit. The organization is governed by a student National Executive Board led by National Chair Zayed Kadir and National Vice Chair Milan Van Dam, supported by a Data Director, Communications Director, Development Director, Multimedia Directors, and regional directorates. There is no proprietary technology product; the platform stack is built on third-party SaaS tools: Slack for community coordination, ActionNetwork for membership signup and local chapter registration, and Givebutter for donation processing.

HSDA's revenue model is entirely donation-based with publicly disclosed tiered donations of $10 (membership), $25 (chapter support), $40 (online accounts), and $1,000 (annual summit hosting), processed through Givebutter. The organization does not disclose revenue, does not have venture funding, and operates with a low-cost student-staffed model. Marketing and demand generation are driven by Slack, Instagram, The Progressive Teen content, ActionNetwork forms, and national events. The target customer segment is high school students aligned with progressive Democratic values seeking political organizing, leadership development, and an inclusive community; a secondary persona is young progressives broadly seeking structured civic engagement.

Name

High School Democrats of America

Legal name

High School Democrats of America

Website

https://hsdems.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Short description

High School Democrats of America is the official high school arm of the Democratic Party, organizing student-led chapters in all 50 U.S. states through local chapters, state organizations, identity-based caucuses, national events, and the Progressive Teen publication.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Political Youth Organizing

NAICS

Political Organizations (813940), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Student Organizations & Club Administration (EDALAHAB)

Keywords

• Youth political organizing
• Civic engagement
• Democratic party activism
• Student leadership
• Grassroots campaigns

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: Individual donations from supporters to fund membership organizing, local and state chapter support, online accounts, and annual summit hosting.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

High School Democrats of America (HSDA) is a student-led nonprofit political organization that mobilizes high school students to organize and elect Democrats. It operates a three-tier grassroots structure (local chapters, state organizations, and national programming) across all 50 states, hosts identity-based national caucuses, runs speaker events and an annual National Summit, and publishes The Progressive Teen, a national biweekly publication by student writers.

Product overview

High School Democrats of America is a political youth organizing platform offering a website-based service for student Democrats. The organization provides a publication product (The Progressive Teen), national events programming, and a network of local and state chapters for grassroots organizing. Additionally, the organization supports 12 identity-based national caucuses for advocacy and community building.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Progressive Teen (TPT): HSDA's national publication that dives into complex issues facing the nation through the perspective of high schoolers within the Democratic Party. It serves as a platform for young Democrats to share their voices, perspectives, and stories.

Products and services

• The Progressive Teen (TPT) HSDA's official national publication written by and for high school students. Features op-eds on policy, analysis of current events, and creative pieces on civic life, published biweekly by a team of student writers and editors.
• National Events and Programming

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Democratic National Committee (DNC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019HSDA is the official high school arm of the Democratic Party. In 2019, granted two voting seats on the DNC. In 2025, achieved highest position with a seat on the DNC Executive Committee, making Zayed Kadir the youngest individual to serve in that capacity.
• Young Democrats of America (YDA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2014Prior to 2014, HSDA existed as the High School Caucus of YDA (YDAHSC). After breaking off and re-founding as HSDA in June 2014, the two organizations maintain a close partnership.
• College Democrats of America (CDA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHSDA works alongside its college counterpart CDA to propose progressive reforms within the Democratic Party, representing youth idealism across age groups.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Turning Point USA: Conservative youth political organization with high school and college chapters; HSDA's mirror on the right side of the partisan spectrum. Directly comparable model of youth-led, partisan, chapter-based organizing with national events.
• College Democrats of America: College-level counterpart and named HSDA partner; same Democratic Party youth organizing model targeted at the next age tier up (college students). Direct overlap in mission, governance, and DNC-affiliated structure.
• Young Democrats of America: HSDA's predecessor organization — YDAHSC broke off from YDA in 2014 and re-founded as HSDA. Same partisan affiliation and DNC integration, but serving the young-adult (post-college) age segment.
• Young Americans for Liberty: Libertarian youth political organization with high school and college chapter networks; comparable grassroots chapter model and partisan youth organizing structure, although ideologically distinct.

Broad incumbents

• Rock the Vote: Long-standing youth voter registration and civic engagement nonprofit; overlaps with HSDA on the youth civic engagement mission but operates as a nonpartisan incumbent rather than a partisan organization.
• Democratic National Committee: Parent/affiliated national party body that granted HSDA voting seats and Executive Committee representation; HSDA is structurally integrated into DNC's youth outreach strategy.

Emerging players

• NextGen America: Progressive youth political organization focused on voter mobilization and climate advocacy among 18–35 year olds; overlaps with HSDA on the Democratic-aligned youth civic engagement mission but targets an older age segment.
• March For Our Lives: Youth-led gun violence prevention organization; comparable student-led activist model with national reach and chapter structure, though single-issue rather than partisan.
• Sunrise Movement: Youth climate activism organization with hub-based organizing and progressive issue advocacy; comparable youth-led organizing infrastructure but focused on a single progressive issue area.

Regional players

• NAACP Youth & College Division: Identity-based youth civic engagement arm of a civil rights organization; comparable model of identity-affiliated youth leadership development, though focused on civil rights rather than partisan organizing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@hsda
• Instagraminstagram.com/highschoolda
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/high-school-democrats-of-america

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about High School Democrats of America