Education Acquisitions in Florida

Small Miracles, a portfolio company of Chicago-based private equity firm Traverse Pointe Partners, has acquired Gingerbread Schools, Inc., a three-location early learning provider in the Tampa–St. Petersburg, Florida market. Vision Point Capital served as sell-side advisor; the acquisition expands Small Miracles' Florida footprint and increases its total enrollment capacity to more than 2,600 children across its network.

Ellucian has completed the acquisition of Anthology's Student Information Systems (SIS) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) business, having been the successful bidder in Anthology's Chapter 11 process. The deal transfers more than 260 Anthology SIS and ERP customers to Ellucian and is intended to provide continuity for customers while expanding Ellucian's higher-education product and services ecosystem.

Edcetera, the Eden Capital‑backed provider of career education, has acquired Pulse Radiology Institute (PRI), an online school offering an Associate of Science in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The acquisition combines PRI’s degree programs with Pulse Radiology’s didactic and clinical placement services, enabling Edcetera to expand into degree‑granting allied health programs and introduce new offerings such as an RN to BSN pathway.

The Kimberton Group, led by Mason Christensen and Duncan Hamilton, has acquired Quality Maritime Training, a U.S. Coast Guard–approved maritime training school based in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. The purchase expands The Kimberton Group's maritime training portfolio and adds advanced-level courses and certifications, strengthening its presence in the Southeast U.S.

Funds managed by Harvest Partners have completed a majority acquisition of The Learning Experience (TLE) from Golden Gate Capital. TLE's management team will remain significant owners and Golden Gate will retain a minority stake; Harvest will provide capital and strategic support to accelerate TLE's growth and geographic expansion.

CMVC (CompuMed Vocational Careers) has acquired Orlando Medical Institute (OMI), adding a new Orlando campus and integrating EMT, Paramedic, and an Associate Degree in Emergency Medical Services into its program portfolio. The acquisition expands CMVC's geographic footprint across Florida and strengthens its capability to train emergency medical professionals to meet growing workforce demand.

American Healthcare Institute (AmHealth), in partnership with SALT Venture Partners, has acquired Faith Academy, a Tampa-based vocational school offering LPN and Home Health Aide programs. The acquisition expands AmHealth’s affordable healthcare training footprint and preserves Faith Academy’s workforce-focused programs while supporting broader student access and improved licensure outcomes.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Tustawi, a Nairobi-based online and mobile training provider, has acquired Castnet Learning, Inc., the St. Petersburg, Florida–based developer of the Hello PLATO WhatsApp AI learning system. The acquisition brings Castnet's conversational AI learning capabilities into Tustawi's low-code AI learning platform to accelerate product capability expansion and broaden Tustawi's offering to corporate customers immediately.

The Kimberton Group founders Mason Christensen and Duncan Hamilton have acquired Sea School, a U.S. Coast Guard‑approved maritime training institution founded in 1977 and headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida. The purchase from owner Jean Wahl transfers ownership to the new holding company leadership, who plan to continue the Sea School name and pursue growth while preserving the school's legacy in USCG licensing and maritime education.

Safeware, Inc. has acquired Hazard3, a specialist emergency response training provider founded in 2020, and is integrating the business to form a new Safeware Training division. The acquisition expands Safeware's capabilities in training emergency responders, military units, and federal organizations and positions the company to offer a broader range of training services beyond emergency response.

Xalles Holdings Inc. has acquired University Consultants of America, Inc. (UCA), making UCA a wholly owned subsidiary and creating a new Education business group within Xalles. UCA — a Tampa-based education consulting firm founded by Robert LeVine — reported roughly $1.0M in 2022 revenue and $250K in profit; Xalles said the acquisition will support international expansion and broader growth initiatives.

Axcel Learning, a professional education platform backed by Alpine Investors, has partnered with Dion Training, an Orlando-based IT certification exam preparation company. The deal brings Dion Training onto Axcel's platform as an add-on to expand its test-prep and IT/cybersecurity training capabilities; terms were not disclosed.

BPEA Private Equity Fund VIII, an affiliated fund of BPEA EQT, will acquire IMG Academy from Endeavor Group Holdings for an enterprise value of USD 1.25 billion. The transaction is being completed in partnership with portfolio company Nord Anglia Education, which plans to integrate IMG Academy's sports-focused curriculum across its global school network and support IMG's international expansion, particularly into Asia.

Parchment has acquired Quottly, a provider of course and program sharing, transfer articulation, and dual enrollment software, to integrate Quottly's solutions into Parchment's transcript exchange network. The acquisition aims to reduce credit-loss for transferring students and expand Parchment's capabilities for course discovery, transfer equivalencies, and guided student pathways across higher-education institutions.

Bain Capital Double Impact has completed a growth investment in Meteor Education, acquiring the company from Saw Mill Capital. The investment will support Meteor's geographic expansion, capability growth (including the acquisition of Blankenship Associates), and continued investment in modern K-12 learning environments while management remains a significant owner.

Shamrock Capital has made an additional growth capital investment in Skillable, the hands-on enterprise learning platform, to support the company's expansion into the enterprise learning and talent market. The funding accompanies leadership hires including Danny Abdo as Chief Operations Officer and follows Shamrock's initial investment in Skillable in March 2021.

Rockbridge Growth Equity has made a strategic growth investment in The Nest Schools, a premium early childhood education operator that runs 36 centers across Ohio, North Carolina, Texas, Florida and Virginia. The company's co-founders Gerry Pastor and Jane Porterfield will remain in leadership as Rockbridge provides capital and operational support to scale the business; financial terms were not disclosed. The Nest employs more than 600 team members and serves over 3,000 children, with plans to expand into new markets.

XanEdu has formed Scholarus Learning, a portfolio of education services companies, and — with financial partner Frontenac — acquired PLC Associates, a provider of training, measurement and advisory materials for K‑12 leaders. The acquisition expands Scholarus Learning’s suite of K‑12 products and professional services alongside its existing businesses (XanEdu, Education Elements and Tripod), strengthening capabilities in data collection, professional development and curriculum support.

360training, an Austin-based online regulatory and compliance training platform, has acquired TIPSalcohol.com, the leading reseller affiliate for TIPS alcohol safety training. The acquisition expands 360training’s alcohol safety training portfolio and gives TIPSalcohol customers direct access to 360training’s technical and customer support to increase accessibility of TIPS online courses.

3STEP Sports has acquired Wildfire Volleyball Academy, a nationally recognized youth volleyball club based in Davie, Florida. The acquisition adds Wildfire's training programs and 28 teams to 3STEP's volleyball division as part of the company's ongoing buildout of its national youth sports platform.

Cordance has acquired Strategic Planning Online LLC (SPOL), a provider of integrated strategic management software for higher education institutions. The deal will combine SPOL's platform and team with Cordance's operational expertise and financial resources to scale SPOL's product and expand its reach in the higher education market.

Early Learning Academies (also referenced as Learning Academies) has acquired Kids Discovery International, a five-location early childhood education operator in the Florida Panhandle. The sellers were founders Wraith and Lisa Drake; Founders Advisors acted as exclusive financial advisor to Kids Discovery on the June 2022 transaction to expand Early Learning Academies' national footprint.

Children of America, an early childhood education operator based in Delray Beach, Florida, has acquired Oceanside Academy, a long-standing 20,000 sq. ft. preschool in Jupiter, Florida. The acquisition expands Children of America's footprint in the Palm Beach County market and will include planned capital improvements and program integration under the COA curriculum.

PSI Talent Management has acquired Solvably, a collaborative problem-solving eLearning platform, and Digital Skills Lab (dlab), an auto-grading digital skills assessment solution, from MassiveU. The acquisition brings collaborative learning and real-time skills assessment capabilities into PSI’s AIM Learning System to enhance its digital learning and workforce development offerings.

Prairie Capital VII, LP (Prairie Capital) completed a recapitalization of Conscious Discipline, partnering with founder Dr. Becky Bailey and management to support the company's next phase of growth. Prairie will provide company-building capital to accelerate sales, marketing, technology, product development and to pursue add-on acquisitions within the social-emotional learning (SEL) and education market.

i9 Sports, a Tampa-based franchisor of multi-sport youth leagues, has been acquired by Youth Enrichment Brands, a platform company backed by Roark Capital. The deal marks an add-on acquisition to the Youth Enrichment Brands platform as LNC Partners exits its investment; i9 Sports' management will remain in place to support continued growth across its nationwide footprint.

Accelerate Learning, maker of the STEMscopes K‑12 STEM curriculum, has acquired Study Edge, the company behind the Math Nation math curriculum and tutoring platform. The purchase expands Accelerate Learning's digital math offerings and learner-focused technology capabilities for K‑12 schools and districts nationwide.

CeriFi, a portfolio company of Leeds Equity Partners, has acquired Fast Forward Academy, a provider of tax and accounting exam preparation and continuing education courses. The acquisition expands CeriFi’s financial education and certification product suite and further positions CeriFi to serve students and professionals across the financial services industry; terms were not disclosed.

Modern Campus, a PE-backed modern learner engagement platform, has acquired Presence, a campus engagement and learning platform for higher education institutions. The add-on—backed by The Riverside Company—expands Modern Campus's product suite and customer footprint, and founder Reuben Pressman joins Modern Campus's executive team.

Leeds Equity Partners has made a significant investment in Genius SIS, a cloud-based student information and training management software provider. The undisclosed transaction creates Genius as the third platform for Leeds Equity Partners VII and aims to accelerate product development and expand the company's K‑12, higher education and corporate training offerings.

Modern Campus has acquired DIGARC, the provider of academic catalog, curriculum management, scheduling and student pathfinder software, in an add-on transaction to the Modern Campus platform. The Riverside Company remains the majority shareholder of Modern Campus while Serent Capital has made a minority investment in the combined company to support continued product integration and growth across higher education.

Growth Street Partners has made a minority growth equity investment in PikMyKid, a Tampa-based K‑12 dismissal management SaaS platform. The capital will be used to expand the team, product and go-to-market efforts to accelerate adoption of PikMyKid's school safety and dismissal solutions.

Los Angeles-based Shamrock Capital made a strategic growth investment in Learn on Demand Systems (now rebranded as Skillable), a provider of cloud-based virtual lab environments for IT training. The capital will be used to drive product enhancements, expand offerings, and accelerate growth with enterprise technology customers; terms were not disclosed.

Teachers of Tomorrow, a portfolio company of Gauge Capital, has acquired The Learning Liaisons, a provider of teacher certification exam preparation through interactive video courses and workshops. The acquisition expands Teachers of Tomorrow’s teacher services portfolio and broadens its test-preparation offerings for teacher candidates across the United States.

Boathouse Capital–backed ACI Learning has acquired ITProTV to expand its audit, cybersecurity and IT learning offerings. ACI Learning will integrate ITProTV’s people, content/IP, production capabilities and customer contracts while retaining the ITProTV brand, increasing the combined platform’s reach to more than 250,000 professionals globally.

Finalsite, a provider of K-12 websites and digital communications software, has acquired the Blackboard K-12 Community Engagement division from Anthology. The acquisition combines complementary website, marketing, and communications solutions (including Blackboard Web Community Manager, Connect, Reach, Mass Notifications, and the Mobile Communications App) to expand Finalsite's K-12 product portfolio and global client base.

Navigate360, a full-spectrum safety preparedness and response company headquartered in Richfield, Ohio, has acquired School Check IN, a Florida-based provider of visitor management software for K-12 schools. The acquisition integrates School Check IN's visitor screening technology (used by 2,500+ schools) into Navigate360's safety suite to expand its K-12 safety offerings and enhance visitor management, screening, and regulatory compliance capabilities.

Veritas Capital and Leeds Equity Partners announced the combination of Campus Management, Campus Labs, and iModules into a single company rebranded as Anthology. The new higher-education technology platform is headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, serves more than 2,100 institutions across 30+ countries, and has nearly 1,400 employees worldwide.

Ridgemont Equity Partners acquired American Safety Council (ASC), a leading provider of online safety, driver and vocational certification training based in Orlando, Florida. The transaction (financial terms undisclosed) was financed by Benefit Street Partners, AB Private Credit Investors and Churchill Asset Management; the deal follows ASC's growth under prior owner Falfurrias Capital Partners and positions Ridgemont to invest in ASC's content, technology and M&A-driven growth.

Satori Capital has made an investment in Accelerated Learning Solutions (ALS), a Orlando-based operator of dropout prevention and recovery programs that runs 19 programs across Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia serving nearly 6,000 students. Satori said it will accelerate ALS's growth by opening new schools and expanding its footprint to serve more at-risk students through long-term contracts with school districts.

Veritas Capital has acquired Campus Management and Edcentric from Leeds Equity Partners, with Leeds remaining as an investor alongside Veritas. The transaction brings together two mission-critical higher-education software platforms — Campus Management's cloud-based SIS/CRM/ERP solutions and Edcentric's institutional effectiveness and engagement SaaS products — to support expanded investment and product development for colleges and universities.

O2B Kids, a portfolio company of Spire Capital, has acquired Home Away From Home (HAFH), a Palm Beach, Florida-based early education provider operating five schools (with a sixth planned). The deal expands O2B Kids' footprint in Florida to 20 schools and will allow O2B to enhance HAFH's enrichment curriculum and program offerings.

Growth Catalyst Partners has invested in TrueFire and JamPlay to form TrueFire Studios, an alliance combining their online video lesson libraries, mobile and desktop apps, and patented learning tools. The investment (with individual investor Bob Carrigan also participating) provides equity capital to advance technology, expand content production and marketing, and build a leading global destination for online music education.

O2B Kids, a Spire Capital-backed early education platform, has acquired The Village Academy, a three-facility early education operator in St. Augustine, Florida that serves over 400 children. The acquisition expands O2B Kids' Florida footprint from nine to twelve locations and will allow O2B Kids to leverage its operating experience to enhance The Village Academy's programs and offerings.