Smart Schools

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.

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

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

• Online adult education
• High school diploma
• Credit recovery
• International diploma programs
• Distance learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Gilbert

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Donations: Smart Schools accepts charitable donations as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Tax Identification Number: 47-4110902.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core 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

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Graduation Solutions LLCcoreOthersSmart 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.
• EdgenuitycoreTechnology or IntegrationSmart 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 EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 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)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCPLC 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 OrganizationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmart 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 CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 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 SchoolscoreOthersAccreditation 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

Direct 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

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PL5aZDwIjYhtuX7QLP_x63GWdoxVeO44IW
• Facebookfacebook.com/smartschoolsusa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smart-schools-usa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Smart Schools