educational service unit 5

What educational service unit 5 does

Educational Service Unit 5 (ESU 5) is a Nebraska state-designated public educational service agency headquartered in Beatrice, Nebraska, providing regional support services to 10 public school districts across 3,011 square miles in southeast Nebraska. The organization employs 59 staff and serves approximately 5,108 students and 453 teachers, delivering a portfolio of eight service categories: Alternative Education & Credit Recovery, Distance Learning, Early Childhood, FIVE Academy, Mental Health Services, Professional Development & School Improvement, Special Education, and Technology Services.

The Technology Services division is the most operationally sophisticated arm, operating a PRTG-based LAN monitoring platform that oversees 200+ devices across member districts and hosting PowerSchool student information system infrastructure for over 20,000 students across 45+ districts through the Nebraska PowerSchool Cooperative. Additional technology capabilities include VMware server management, firewall and content filter administration, wireless access deployment, fileserver hosting, and E-Rate filing assistance. The Southeast Nebraska Distance Learning Consortium (SNDLC) extends Zoom-based video conferencing support to districts in ESU 3, ESU 5, and ESU 6 areas.

ESU 5 operates on a hybrid public funding model: a core set of "supported services" is delivered to member districts at no charge, funded through state appropriations and cooperative arrangements, while "fee-based services" including fileserver hosting, on-site technology support, and E-Rate management are billed to participating districts on a usage basis. The organization has no disclosed revenue figures, no private ownership or venture funding, and is governed by a board representing member districts in coordination with the Nebraska Department of Education. Strategic direction is set within the constraints of state educational policy and member district needs rather than market-driven expansion.

Name

educational service unit 5

Legal name

Educational Service Unit No 5

Website

https://esu5.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Educational Service Unit 5 is a Nebraska state-designated public educational service agency headquartered in Beatrice that delivers technology, special education, mental health, and professional development services to 10 member school districts serving approximately 5,100 students across southeast Nebraska.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Support Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

District Student Services Administration (Special Ed, Counseling, Health) (EDADABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Specialized Programs & Classrooms (Autism, Emotional/Behavioral, Intellectual/Developmental, Multi-Disability) (EDAJAKAH)

Keywords

• Educational support services
• Special education services
• Distance learning consortium
• School technology services
• Professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

Beatrice

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Supported Services: Wide variety of services provided to all ten school districts at no charge to the district, including basic technical support, LAN monitoring, wireless access management, and PowerSchool support
2. Fee-Based Services: Fee-based technology services to participating districts including fileserver hosting, on-site district technology support, network services support, and Erate management

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Educational Service Unit 5 is a Nebraska state-designated regional educational service agency that delivers special education, mental health, technology, distance learning, early childhood, alternative education, and professional development services to 10 public school districts in southeast Nebraska. Its Technology Services division provides LAN monitoring of 200+ devices, PowerSchool hosting for 20,000+ students, Zoom-based distance learning via the SNDLC consortium, and Erate filing management. Supported services are offered at no charge to member districts, while advanced technology services are billed on a managed-services basis.

Product overview

Educational Service Unit 5 is a regional educational service provider serving Southeast Nebraska that offers a portfolio of educational services to ten member school districts. The organization provides eight core service areas: Alternative Education & Credit Recovery, Distance Learning, Early Childhood programs, FIVE Academy, Mental Health Services, Professional Development & School Improvement, Special Education, and Technology Services. These services are offered at no charge to districts for supported services, with fee-based options for additional technology infrastructure. The Technology Services division supports district systems including network infrastructure, server hosting, and student information systems, while Mental Health Services provides psychoeducational assessments and behavioral interventions. Special Education encompasses speech pathology, occupational therapy, and physical therapy services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Alternative Education & Credit Recovery Alternative education programs and credit recovery options for students who need alternative pathways to complete their education, delivered to member school districts in southeast Nebraska.
• Distance Learning Distance learning and video conferencing support for member school districts through the Southeast Nebraska Distance Learning Consortium (SNDLC), using Zoom for mobile and classroom conferencing in ESU 3, ESU 5, and ESU 6 areas.
• Early Childhood Early childhood education services and intervention resources to support young learners and their families across member districts.
• FIVE Academy An academy offering specialized educational programs for students within the ESU 5 service area.
• Mental Health Services Mental health and behavioral health support for PK-12 students, including psychoeducational assessments and behavioral interventions delivered by school psychologists.
• Professional Development & School Improvement Professional development opportunities and school improvement support for educators and administrators across member districts.
• Special Education Special education services including speech pathology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and psychological services for PK-12th grade students in member districts.
• Technology Services Comprehensive technology support for member districts including LAN monitoring (200+ devices via PRTG), firewall/content filter management, wireless access implementation, VMware management, PowerSchool hosted services, fileserver hosting, on-site district support, and Erate filing services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves 5,108 students and 453 teachers across 3,011 square miles
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Nebraska PowerSchool CooperativecoreTechnology or IntegrationESU 5 assists the Nebraska PowerSchool Cooperative in supporting over 45 districts' PowerSchool data. The IT department monitors and manages the server infrastructure hosting data for over 20,000 students.
• Southeast Nebraska Distance Learning Consortium (SNDLC)coreTechnology or IntegrationSNDLC supports districts in ESU 3 and ESU 5 areas, as well as two districts within ESU 6, for video conferencing needs through Zoom, and provides Erate program support services.
• Nebraska Department of EducationcoreOthersESU 5 maintains official designation and operates in coordination with the Nebraska Department of Education
• E-Rate Program (USAC)coreOthersESU 5 provides Erate filing and management services, helping school districts access federal discounts for telecommunications and network infrastructure

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Educational Service Unit 6: Nebraska ESU 6 is a sister Educational Service Unit providing the same mandate-driven mix of special education, technology, and professional development services to school districts in southeast Nebraska, making it the most direct geographic and functional peer to ESU 5.
• Educational Service Unit 3: Nebraska ESU 3 provides analogous educational support services to districts in its region and is already a co-member with ESU 5 in the Southeast Nebraska Distance Learning Consortium, making it a directly comparable operating peer.
• Educational Service Unit 1: ESU 1 is another Nebraska Educational Service Unit delivering the same statutory mix of special education, technology infrastructure, and school improvement services to member districts, operating under the same state mandate.
• Educational Service Unit 4: ESU 4 is a Nebraska regional Educational Service Unit offering special education, technology, and professional development services under the same state-designated framework as ESU 5.
• Educational Service Unit 7: ESU 7 is a comparable Nebraska Educational Service Unit serving member districts with special education, mental health, and technology services under the same statutory model.

Broad incumbents

• Erie 1 BOCES: Erie 1 BOCES is a New York Boards of Cooperative Educational Services organization, a state-level analog to Nebraska ESUs that pools special education, technology, and professional services across member school districts.
• Buckeye Educational Solutions: Ohio Educational Service Centers operate under a comparable mandate to Nebraska ESUs, delivering shared special education, technology, and professional development services to member districts at a regional level.

Others

• Capital Region BOCES: Capital Region BOCES in New York provides shared educational services to school districts including special education and technology support, paralleling the regional service unit model used by ESU 5.
• Nebraska Department of Education: The Nebraska Department of Education is the state regulatory authority that designates and oversees ESUs including ESU 5, and is the relevant ecosystem counterpart for funding, policy, and accountability context.
• PowerSchool: PowerSchool is the student information system vendor whose hosted infrastructure ESU 5 manages and supports for 45+ Nebraska districts, making it a key technology ecosystem partner rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/educational-service-unit-5

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 educational service unit 5