Smart Schools
Smart Schools is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit online private school in Gilbert, Arizona, delivering middle school and adult high school diploma programs via the Edgenuity platform, with physical HUB Resource Centers and Arizona ESA funding as its primary revenue and distribution model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersGilbert, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Smart Schools does
Smart Schools is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit online private school headquartered in Gilbert, Arizona, founded in 2011 and operating as part of Graduation Solutions LLC. It serves two primary learner populations: middle school students and adults seeking to recover or complete a high school diploma. The school operates fully online through the third-party Edgenuity instructional platform and supplements that online delivery with a network of physical HUB Resource Centers located across Arizona communities, which provide in-person tutoring, testing, and enrollment support. It is dually accredited by the Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS) and Accreditation International.
The business model is a hybrid of tuition, government funding, and donations. Standard adult learners pay approximately $99 per month in self-pay tuition. A second, higher-priced tier at approximately $500 per month is reimbursed through Arizona's Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program administered by the Arizona Department of Education, making Smart Schools an approved ESA vendor. The organization also solicits tax-deductible donations as a 501(c)(3) entity, supplementing tuition with philanthropic contributions.
Distribution and growth channels include direct-to-consumer online enrollment, community and employer referrals through a workforce-development partnership with Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC), and a recently launched international line of business (Smart Schools International) targeting adult credential recovery outside the United States. Adjacent offerings include credit recovery and summer school programs that broaden the addressable learner base beyond the core adult diploma cohort.
Smart Schools firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Smart Schools
- Legal name
- Smart Schools
- Website
- https://smartschoolsusa.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Smart Schools is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit online private school in Gilbert, Arizona, delivering middle school and adult high school diploma programs via the Edgenuity platform, with physical HUB Resource Centers and Arizona ESA funding as its primary revenue and distribution model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Smart Schools industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Secondary Education
- NAICS
- Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Private/Independent Online K–12 Schools (EDAJADAC)
Keywords
Where Smart Schools is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Gilbert
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Smart Schools business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Tuition - Standard Enrollment: Monthly subscription-based tuition for online high school and middle school programs. Students pay a flat monthly rate with no additional fees and can take 1-2 classes at a time with unlimited course completions.
- Tuition - ESA Students: Arizona ESA students are billed at $500/month, quarterly at $1,500, which is fully covered by the state's Empowerment Scholarship Account funding.
- Donations: Smart Schools accepts charitable donations as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Tax Identification Number: 47-4110902.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Standard High School/Middle School - $99/month |
| Subscription | Monthly | High School Spanish - $99 al mes |
| Subscription | Annual | ESA Middle School - $500/month |
| Other | Monthly | International Program - Varies |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Smart Schools product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Smart Schools is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that provides online adult high school, middle school, and international diploma programs. It delivers accredited secondary education through a self-paced, asynchronous online learning model and supports students with credit recovery, summer school, and community-based learning hubs.
Product overview
Smart Schools is a nonprofit private online school offering a unified online education platform for grades 6-12. The core offering consists of Online Middle School and Online Adult High School programs, with additional products including Credit Recovery & Summer School, Smart Schools International for international students, The HUB Resource Centers providing in-person support services, and ESA Support for Arizona students. All programs utilize the Edgenuity learning platform and share common features including self-paced courses, 24/7 online access, instructor and academic advisor support, and accredited diploma outcomes. The HUB centers provide supplementary in-person resources while the ESA program helps students secure Arizona state funding to cover tuition costs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- The HUB: In-person resource centers providing students with academic support, WiFi access, computer access, tutoring, food pantry, hot meals, clothing closet, hygiene products, workforce assistance, life coaching, CPR classes, and transportation services.
Products and services
- Online Adult High School An accredited online high school diploma program designed for adult learners, offering self-paced coursework that fits around work and family schedules.
- Online Middle School An online middle school program for students needing flexible, asynchronous middle school coursework to progress academically and earn credits.
- Credit Recovery & Summer School A credit recovery and summer school program that allows students to retake failed courses or accelerate progress toward graduation through flexible online coursework.
- Smart Schools International An international diploma program delivering accredited American online high school coursework to learners outside the United States.
- The HUB Resource Centers Community-based learning hubs that pair online coursework with in-person mentoring, academic support, and a physical place to learn for students enrolled in Smart Schools.
- ESA Support Services A support service for Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) holders, helping families use ESA funds to enroll in and pay for Smart Schools online diploma programs.
Quantifiable outcome
- 97% of Smart School alumni stated they were satisfied with the online high school diploma program
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Smart Schools
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Smart Schools technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Smart Schools partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Graduation Solutions LLCcoreSmart Schools is an entity of Graduation Solutions LLC, a private school operator. Smart Schools exists as part of this organizational structure to help students complete their high school education and graduate.
- EdgenuitycoreSmart Schools uses the Edgenuity learning platform, described as award-winning. The platform is mobile-friendly, interactive, and provides on-demand video-based instruction. Edgenuity's MyPath and other tools support personalized learning.
- Arizona Department of EducationcoreThe Arizona Department of Education administers the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program. Smart Schools participates as an approved vendor where ESA funds can be used for tuition. Applications can take up to 30 days to process.
- Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC)coreCPLC runs Workforce program enrollment events at The HUB. They provide case management, tuition support, gas cards, rent assistance, and childcare help for qualifying Smart Schools students. Also offers Medical Assistant program with $3,000 scholarships.
- Various Nonprofits and Local OrganizationsminorSmart Schools partners with multiple nonprofits and local organizations to provide a hub of community services at HUB locations. Services include food pantry, hot meals, clothing closet, laundry facilities, hygiene products, workforce assistance, life coaching, CPR classes, and transportation.
- Dream CenterminorThe Dream Center provides a secure environment where students like Alejandro Tirado can prioritize their education. The center offers a discipleship program that encourages enrollment in Smart Schools.
- Middle States Association Commission on Elementary and Secondary SchoolscoreAccreditation body that has accredited Smart Schools. MSA-CESS accreditation ensures the school delivers quality education meeting highest quality standards nationally and internationally.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Smart Schools competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bridgeway Academy: Bridgeway Academy is an accredited private online K-12 school offering homeschool and online diploma programs. It is a direct competitor in the private independent online K-12 category, sharing Smart Schools' focus on flexible, accredited instruction for non-traditional learners.
- Excel High School: Excel High School is a fully accredited online high school offering self-paced diploma and individual course programs for teens and adults nationwide. It competes head-to-head with Smart Schools on flexible, accredited online diploma delivery at a similar monthly price point.
- Penn Foster: Penn Foster is a direct competitor offering accredited online high school diploma and career certificate programs for adult learners and at-risk youth. It targets the same self-paced adult completion and workforce upskilling segments as Smart Schools, with comparable B2B employer and workforce channel partnerships.
- James Madison High School: James Madison High School is an accredited online high school offering self-paced diploma programs for adults and teens. It is a direct competitor in the same accredited online adult high school category as Smart Schools, with comparable enrollment mechanics.
- Graduation Alliance: Graduation Alliance partners with school districts, states, and workforce programs to provide dropout recovery, credit recovery, and adult high school completion services. It is a direct peer competing in the alternative diploma and dropout recovery space that Smart Schools serves through its academic partnerships channel.
- National High School: National High School is an accredited online high school targeting adult learners and credit recovery students with flexible, self-paced courses. It competes directly with Smart Schools in the adult completion and alternative diploma category.
- Ashworth College: Ashworth College offers accredited online high school diploma, career diploma, and degree programs to adult learners. It is a direct peer competing for the same self-directed adult education market as Smart Schools, with similar self-paced enrollment and tuition models.
Others
- Imagine Learning (Edgenuity): Imagine Learning (parent of Edgenuity) provides the online curriculum platform that Smart Schools licenses as its core delivery infrastructure. It is a technology partner and infrastructure provider — not a direct competitor — but its roadmap and pricing decisions materially affect Smart Schools' product capabilities.
Regional players
- Connections Academy (Arizona): Arizona Connections Academy is a tuition-free public online charter school serving K-12 students statewide. It is a regional peer offering fully online education in Arizona, directly competing with Smart Schools for the same Arizona-based online learners, including those eligible for ESA funding.
Broad incumbents
- Stride Inc. Stride (formerly K12 Inc.) is the largest publicly traded online K-12 education provider, offering tuition-free online public schools and private online programs. It is a broad incumbent that overlaps with Smart Schools across online K-12 and adult alternative education but operates at significantly greater scale across multiple states.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Smart Schools social profiles
Digital presenceSmart Schools financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Smart Schools leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Smart Schools funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Smart Schools M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Smart Schools
What does Smart Schools do?
Smart Schools is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that provides online adult high school, middle school, and international diploma programs. It delivers accredited secondary education through a self-paced, asynchronous online learning model and supports students with credit recovery, summer school, and community-based learning hubs.
Is Smart Schools a public or private company?
Smart Schools is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Smart Schools founded?
Smart Schools was founded in 2011. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Smart Schools based?
Smart Schools is headquartered in Gilbert, United States, in the North America region.
How does Smart Schools make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Tuition - Standard Enrollment is the primary driver. The others are tuition - ESA Students and donations.
Who are Smart Schools's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bridgeway Academy, Excel High School, Penn Foster, James Madison High School, Graduation Alliance, National High School and Ashworth College. Imagine Learning (Edgenuity) is listed as an others. Connections Academy (Arizona) is listed as a regional player. Stride Inc. is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Smart Schools have an API?
No public API is recorded for Smart Schools.
What industry is Smart Schools in?
Smart Schools's product category is Online Secondary Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJADAC, Private/Independent Online K–12 Schools. Its NAICS code is 611110 and its SIC code is 8200.