Education Acquisitions in 2024

Traverse Pointe Partners’ portfolio company Small Miracles has acquired Children’s Campus and Premier Children’s Center in Phoenix, Arizona. The add-on deal expands Small Miracles’ Arizona footprint (now 18 centers with enrollment capacity of over 2,400) and financial terms were not disclosed.

Hometown Ticketing, a Nexa Equity portfolio company, and Schoolfundr have merged to form a unified business operating as Hometown. The combined platform will provide event management, digital ticketing, fee-free fundraising and communications tools to serve over 17,000 schools, colleges and community organizations across the United States.

Clarion Capital Partners, in partnership with ballroom dance legend Gary Edwards and with financing and an equity co-investment from Stellus Capital Management, has acquired Arthur Murray International, Inc., a 112-year-old international franchisor of dance studios. Gary Edwards will serve as CEO as Clarion seeks to support the company’s next phase of growth following Philip S. Masters' long ownership and recent passing.

Raptor Technologies has acquired SmartPass, a digital hall pass and student accountability SaaS used by thousands of K–12 schools, to expand its school safety and operations product portfolio. The deal integrates SmartPass's hall-pass technology into Raptor's suite of safety solutions, with IKONA Partners advising SmartPass and Reach Capital and Goodwin Procter advising Raptor.

Charterhouse Capital Partners has agreed to acquire Metrodora, a Madrid-headquartered education group focused on healthcare and sports training, from Magnum Capital. Charterhouse will partner with Metrodora founder Jordi Roche, who will remain a significant investor, to accelerate the group's growth, consolidation and international expansion across Spain and Latin America.

Safe House Project has acquired Anti-Trafficking International (ATI) and will integrate ATI’s Just Ask Prevention Curriculum into its national prevention and survivor-care programs. The deal expands SHP’s prevention education capabilities and aims to broaden community-based training and resources to help prevent trafficking, identify victims, and support survivor healing across the United States.

Imagine Learning has acquired U.K.-based Pango Education, a London-founded generative AI platform for K-12 teachers. The acquisition will integrate Pango's AI-powered lesson-planning and assessment capabilities into Imagine Learning's curriculum portfolio to expand its curriculum-informed AI offerings and personalize instructional materials for millions of students.

Summit Professional Education has acquired the National Federation of Professional Trainers (NFPT), combining Summit’s tech-enabled continuing-education platform with NFPT’s NCCA‑accredited personal trainer certification programs. The deal will integrate NFPT’s certification offerings into Summit’s portfolio to deliver expanded specializations, mentorships, and career pathways across fitness and adjacent clinical care markets.

Nationwide Studios Inc. has acquired Pixami, Inc., a provider of online yearbook software serving the U.S., Canada and the U.K. Pixami will operate as a separate business unit within the Nationwide family to expand software capabilities, integrate personalized photo products across Nationwide’s portfolio, and support international growth with added development, marketing and sales resources.

Runway Growth Capital committed $23 million in growth capital to Snap! Mobile to accelerate product development and expand the company's digital fundraising platform for schools, teams, and extracurricular organizations. The funding will be used to scale Snap!'s Snap! Raise platform and broaden its customer base across K‑12 athletics and activity programs.

Emerald Publishing Limited has acquired Information Age Publishing (IAP), adding more than 2,600 books and six peer-reviewed journals to Emerald’s academic portfolio. The acquisition expands Emerald’s strengths in Education, Management and Psychology and significantly enhances its author footprint in North America.

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Suncoast and Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay have merged to create Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Tampa Bay, expanding after-school and youth services across Pinellas, Hillsborough, and Pasco counties. The combined organization will operate 42 locations, serve about 3,000 kids daily, and manage an annual operating budget of approximately $23 million to deepen programming and operational efficiency.

Aspen Publishing, a subsidiary of UWorld, has acquired full ownership of JD-Next, the law school preparation course and alternative admissions exam developed by University of Arizona researchers. The acquisition follows a year in which Aspen held an exclusive license to administer the program and will enable further investment, technology development, and expansion of JD-Next to additional law schools and students nationwide.

Banyan Software has acquired DualEnroll, an EdTech SaaS platform that automates and manages dual and concurrent enrollment for over 100 colleges, districts, and systems across the United States. Founder Janet Van Pelt is stepping back from operations and Banyan has named Scott Holmes as CEO to lead the business as part of Banyan's growing education technology portfolio.

Cordance, a Raleigh-based software company that acquires and accelerates vertically focused B2B SaaS businesses, made a strategic growth investment in Campus Kaizen. Campus Kaizen — an education software provider of case management and student housing solutions — will operate as an independently managed business unit within Cordance to expand Cordance's EdTech offerings and scale Campus Kaizen's products and services.

Investment funds managed by KKR, with participation from Dragoneer Investment Group, acquired Instructure Holdings, Inc. in an all-cash transaction at $23.60 per share, valuing the company at approximately $4.8 billion. Instructure will become privately held and remain headquartered in Salt Lake City as KKR supports product innovation, global expansion and continued investment in the Canvas and Parchment products.

Imagine Learning has acquired EarlyBird, a game-based dyslexia screener and early literacy assessment for PreK–Grade 3 students. The acquisition integrates EarlyBird's adaptive screening and real-time educator dashboard into Imagine Learning's assessment and intervention portfolio to strengthen early literacy identification and targeted instruction.

Red Iron Group, a Menlo Park-based private investment firm, has made a strategic growth investment in Charter Impact to provide long-term capital and operational support. The investment will help Charter Impact accelerate growth, broaden its technology-enabled services, and pursue potential strategic acquisitions while management (Co-CEOs Adam Kaeli and David Lueck) remain owners.

Five Star Technology Solutions has completed a merger with Empower Learning to combine their K-12 education technology, AV, managed services, and professional development offerings. The combined company will expand its geographic reach across the Midwest and deliver integrated EdTech solutions to schools and districts, strengthening capabilities in AV, managed services, data analytics, and cybersecurity.

H.I.G. Capital and Thoma Bravo signed a definitive agreement to acquire the brand and IT certification and training business and products of the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA). Following closing (expected in early 2025), the CompTIA training and certification business will operate as a for-profit company under H.I.G. and Thoma Bravo while the membership-based 501(c)(6) nonprofit association will be separated and continue its mission.

Level Data, a BV Investment Partners platform company, has acquired Red Cedar Solutions Group (Stepwell) and Cedar Labs to expand its K-12 data, interoperability and special-education compliance capabilities. Copper Run advised Level Data on the transactions, which strengthen the platform’s product offering for school districts and state education agencies across the United States.

Storal, a portfolio company of Graphite Capital, has acquired Children 1st Day Nurseries, adding regional nursery capacity to its group. The deal (supported by OakNorth financing) increases Storal's scale as it moves towards offering over 5,000 places across 53 nurseries in England.

Springshare, the Miami-based EdTech SaaS provider for libraries and educational institutions, has acquired CareerShift, a job-search and career-research software platform, from Student Playbook LLC. CareerShift will operate as an independent brand under Springshare, which plans to invest resources to expand the platform's reach across colleges, universities, and public libraries.

Jacobs Holding has agreed to acquire a majority stake in ILERNA, the leading Spanish online vocational education provider, from Skill & You (a portfolio company of IK Partners). The transaction is supported by a unitranche financing co-arranged by CVC Credit and CAPZA; ILERNA trains ~46,000 students, employs around 480 staff and will use the investment to expand its curriculum, technology and physical footprint across Spain.

Leeds Equity Partners has completed the acquisition of Archer Review and formed a new healthcare education and licensure platform. Archer Review is a provider of test-preparation solutions for high‑stakes medical exams (primarily NCLEX) and Leeds plans to expand its offerings across nursing and medical education.

Guidewell Education, a Boathouse Capital-backed platform, has acquired College MatchPoint to expand its college admissions counseling and related educational services nationwide. The deal strengthens Guidewell's capabilities in personalized college advising and marks the firm's fifth acquisition as it pursues growth in a fragmented education services market.

Levine Leichtman Capital Partners (LLCP) has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Schülerhilfe, the leading DACH tutoring operator, in partnership with CEO Dieter Werkhausen and the existing management team. Oakley Capital Fund III will exit its investment; the deal is subject to regulatory approval and aims to accelerate Schülerhilfe's growth, digital capabilities and service expansion across Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Trainocate, a global IT training provider, has acquired EnterOne, an EnterOne-based Reston, Virginia IT training specialist focused on Cisco, VMware, AWS and Microsoft technologies. The acquisition expands Trainocate’s footprint in North America and Latin America while enhancing its advanced-technology training capabilities, including AI and cloud offerings.

200x85 has acquired the USJDP Junior Prep Hockey Camp and the CCM Hockey Showcase from longtime owner and operator Mike Gempeler. The acquisitions expand 200x85's youth development and exposure offerings, with 200x85 planning to continue the Colorado Springs camp and expand the showcase series to multiple U.S. cities in 2025.

Coastline Academy, the nation's largest driving school, has acquired Cantor's Driving School California from owner Frank Cantor. The acquisition expands Coastline's presence in Southern California and aims to preserve Cantor's local legacy while modernizing and scaling driver education services through Coastline's tech-enabled platform.

Meteor Education, a Gainesville, Florida-based provider of collaborative learning environments, has acquired Advanced Technologies Consultants (ATC), a provider of Career and Technical Education (CTE) training, curriculum and equipment. The deal expands Meteor's offerings into post-secondary and workforce development markets and pairs ATC's industry-standard training systems with Meteor's learning-environment design capabilities.

Infinedi Partners' portfolio company CEA CAPA Education Abroad has acquired St. Mary's Institute for Educational Excellence (dba Atlantis). The acquisition adds Atlantis' experiential pre-health, pre-law and pre-consulting study-abroad and shadowing programs (serving ~2,500 students annually) to CEA CAPA's global study-abroad platform, expanding program capabilities for its university partners.

EducationDynamics (a Renovus Capital Partners portfolio company) has acquired the RW Jones Agency and Rankin Climate to expand its marketing, strategic communications and campus climate research capabilities for higher education clients. The acquired businesses will retain their brands and leadership teams while integrating with Eddy's enrollment management and marketing platform to deliver broader managed services to colleges and universities.

Emler Swim School has acquired AQUAfin Swim Schools; terms were not disclosed. Heritage Capital Group served as exclusive financial advisor to AQUAfin, which operates eight locations across Florida; the acquisition expands Emler’s footprint alongside its 60+ locations across 15 states.

UK-headquartered training provider 3t, backed by private equity firm Bluewater, has acquired GTSC—the largest energy training business in the Middle East—from Al Mansoori Specialized Engineering. The add-on acquisition brings over 100 GTSC employees and purpose-built training facilities in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt into 3t, strengthening its regional presence and training capabilities for safety-critical energy sectors.

Texthelp and n2y have completed a transformational merger to create a unified assistive-technology and special-education platform, and have named Craig Powell as CEO. Martin McKay will remain as Executive Chairman and investor Five Arrows played a key role in bringing the organizations together; a new combined brand will be announced in the future.

Vertu Capital has made a strategic growth investment in LumiQ Inc., a Toronto-based corporate education platform that delivers accredited professional development content to accounting and finance professionals. The investment is intended to support LumiQ's domestic and international expansion and accelerate product and customer growth.

KEV Group, backed by Serent Capital, has acquired California-based Gray Step Software, a provider of web-based accounting and fundraising solutions for K-12 student bodies, boosters, and PTAs. The add-on strengthens KEV's leadership in school activity fund management software across North America and expands its product portfolio and customer reach.

Wilson Language Training acquired Vivido, the instructional design and professional development firm founded by Dr. Bonnie Singer, to integrate Vivido’s writing and language training into Wilson’s evidence-based literacy curriculum. The deal expands Wilson’s professional development and assessment offerings for K-12 educators, strengthening its end-to-end reading and writing solutions.

Interplay Learning secured a growth investment from Goldman Sachs Alternatives and used part of the capital to acquire Industrial Training International (ITI). The transaction expands Interplay’s immersive skilled-trades training capability into crane and rigging/industrial training and adds Goldman Sachs representation to Interplay’s board.

BARBRI, the global leader in legal education, has acquired SkillBurst Interactive, a digital learning company serving law firms. The deal expands BARBRI's professional education portfolio by adding SkillBurst's multilingual, customizable e‑learning library and interactive training capabilities.

Summit Park has recapitalized Thrust Flight in partnership with Founder and CEO Patrick Arnzen, management, and aviation-focused investor AltitudeX Aviation. The recapitalization (Summit Park's fifth platform investment in Fund IV) provides capital to support Thrust's growth and geographic expansion of its Zero Time to Airline program across Texas; Fidus Capital provided debt financing.

Taito Learning has sold TypingTest.com to Sporcle. The acquisition brings Sporcle an established typing-assessment property with roughly 3 million monthly visitors and supports Sporcle's expansion of educational content while allowing Taito Learning to focus on its rebranded edtech curriculum and K-12 offerings.

TouchMath, a portfolio company of Leeds Equity Partners, has acquired Curriculum Advantage, Inc. (doing business as Classworks), a K-12 special education and tiered intervention platform. The deal expands TouchMath's digital capabilities by integrating Classworks' academic screeners, progress monitoring, interventions and data analytics to broaden special education and tiered intervention offerings.

PSG, a Boston-based growth equity firm, announced strategic growth investments in education technology companies Verity IQ and Campus Ivy to expand their product capabilities and deepen integration across student information and financial aid solutions. Financial terms were not disclosed; the capital will be used to enrich features, strengthen integrations, and accelerate growth across career, community, trade, and higher education markets.

Savvas Learning Company has acquired Pointful Education to expand its K-12 career and technical education (CTE) and online course offerings. The deal brings Pointful’s catalog of ~55 career-focused digital courses into Savvas’s portfolio to accelerate development of technical, certification-aligned courses for middle and high school students.

OneGoal announced the acquisition of DecidED, a free online college cost comparison tool developed by the nonprofit Moneythink. The tool will be integrated into OneGoal’s postsecondary advising offerings to help students, families and advisors compare college costs, financial aid and fit factors to improve affordability and reduce stopouts.

360training.com, Inc., a PE-backed leader in online regulated training, has acquired Compliance Training Online (CTO) to expand its environmental safety and OSHA course offerings. The acquisition integrates CTO's compliance course library and management tools into 360training's platform to broaden capabilities and support customers across industries and government organizations.

TA Associates has made a majority investment in AlephYa Education, a Dubai‑based pan‑GCC K‑12 school operator, to support the company’s next phase of expansion across the Gulf Cooperation Council. Existing investors Gulf Investment Corporation and Ominvest will retain meaningful stakes while Ashmore Investment Saudi Arabia will fully exit; financial terms were not disclosed.

Regent LP has acquired Scantron from Transom Capital Group. The transaction gives Regent a platform in education technology and assessment solutions, enabling investment in Scantron’s digital assessment, analytics and service offerings to accelerate product and market expansion.