Stride, Inc. is a for-profit education management organization (EMO). In this sector, Stride does not operate physical schools, but provides online curriculum to homeschooled children and other schools. Stride was the largest EMO in the US in 2011–2012. Stride's for-profit rival EdisonLearning has also moved away from physical schoolhouses to virtual offerings.
To states and districts as a homeschooling alternative to brick-and-mortar schools
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To parents individually as a private, online, homeschooling alternative
In 2015, 526 virtual schools in the United States enrolled 278,511 students. During the pandemic, enrollment in virtual schools nearly doubled. In the 2019–2020 school year, there were 477 virtual schools with 332,379 students in the U.S. In the 2021–2022 school year, there were 726 virtual schools in the U.S. enrolling 643,930 students.
Charter management
Stride competes with non-profit educational organizations known as charter management organizations (CMOs) that typically run brick-and-mortar schools. Other large non-profits are Imagine Schools (55 schools), KIPP (209 schools), and Cosmos. Multi-state EMOs and CMOs control about a third of the charter school market. K12 provides to online non-profit CMOs including Agora and Insight in Pennsylvania. The company manages state-funded virtual charter schools and hybrid schools in twenty-nine U.S. states and the District of Columbia. In 2015, Stride was CMO (and charter holder) for schools enrolling 44,559 students.
Branding
Stride, Inc. offers itself through a variety of brands.
State and district sponsored homeschooling
Stride develops identities for specific opportunities. In Union County, Tennessee, it has operated Tennessee Virtual Academy since 2011. In Pennsylvania, it operates Insight Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School.
Stride previously operated Hoosier Academy Virtual Charter School, an online K–12 charter school in Indiana started in 2009 that enrolled 3,681 students in the 2015–2016 school year. The school suffered from six successive years of "F" ratings, which nearly resulted in its closure in 2016. Later, the school was closed on June 30, 2018, after the school board voted not to renew the charter.
Private online K–12 schools
Stride, Inc. operates three online private schools: K12 Private Academy, George Washington University Online High School, and the Keystone School. In 2011, The George Washington University partnered with Stride to offer a full-time online private school accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools.
Career learning
Stride, Inc. offers career and technical education programs at public schools, called Destinations Career Academies and Programs to students in grades 9–12.
In 2020, Stride expanded into the adult learning space with the acquisition of data science and software engineering bootcamp Galvanize. With the companies rebrand in November 2020, it was announced that they would acquire Tech Elevator, a computer coding bootcamp, and MedCerts, an online healthcare career training program.
Learning Solutions
In April 2014, Stride, Inc. established wholly owned subsidiary, Fuel Education. Fuel Education operated as a separate legal entity from Stride, Inc., and houses different personalized learning programs. The subsidiary has since rebranded as Learning Solutions.
