Spring Education Group (SEG), is an American private education company based in Campbell, California and West Chester, Pennsylvania.[1] It operates a network of over 200 schools across 19 U.S. states, including early childhood education centers, K–12 private schools, and an online school.[2] It includes Stratford School, Chesterbrook Academy, Merryhill School, BASIS Independent Schools, LePort Montessori, and Laurel Springs School.[3]
History
Spring Education Group was formed by combining Stratford School, LePort Montessori Schools, Nobel Learning Communities, and Basis Schools in 2017 and 2018.[4]
At the time, Nobel had 25,000 students at 190 schools in 19 states and provided education for students 6 weeks through high school. It was founded in 1983 and purchased by Investcorp and Bahrain's Mumtalakat Holding Company (from Leeds Equity Partners) in 2015.[4][5]
Stratford Schools operated preschool through 8th grade schools in California. Stratford was previously owned by Warburg Pincus, a private equity group. SEG bought it for $500 million in a leveraged buyout using $220 million in loans from Macquarie Group.[6]
In 2018, SEG acquired LePort Montessori, which operated preschool through 8th grade Montessori schools in Southern California.[7]
In 2018, SEG also purchased 200+ schools including Chesterbrook Academy, Merryhill School, Discovery Isle Child Development Center, Enchanted Care Learning Center, Camelback Desert Schools, Southern Highlands Preparatory School, The Honor Roll School, and other small, regional brands.[8][9][10]
In 2019, SEG purchased the BASIS Independent Schools which operate preschool through 12th grade schools.[11][12] A group of 190 parents from BASIS submitted a letter expressing concerns regarding the schools’ ownership by a China-based private equity firm.[13]
On March 20, 2020, a worker at Touchstone Preschool in Hillsboro, Oregon, operated by SEG, tested positive for COVID-19. The preschool was closed for a deep cleaning and planned to remain closed for 14 days.[14]
After 34 years in operation, a Merryhill preschool permanently closed for economic reasons in May 2020 in Modesto, California. Its financial standing had been made worse due to COVID-19 closures. It had leased space from Tenet Healthcare.[15]
In September 2023, Florida governor Ron DeSantis announced the termination of voucher program eligibility for four private schools owned by Spring Education Group. The decision was based on concerns about the schools' ownership by Primavera Capital Group, a Chinese investment firm, and its CEO Fred Hu.[18][19][20][21] Fred Hu denied any membership in the CCP.[21]
In 2025, several Spring-affiliated schools received A and A+ overall ratings from Niche, a school review platform, including BASIS Independent Brooklyn,[28] Merryhill School in Milpitas, California,[29] Stratford School in Palo Alto, California,[30] and Chesterbrook Academy in Cary, North Carolina.[31] Additionally, nine students from BASIS Independent Schools were recognized as candidates[32] for the 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, a national honor awarded based on academic achievement and other criteria established by the U.S. Department of Education.[33]
^"Investcorp Announces Sale of Nobel Learning Communities - Investcorp". Investcorp. 1 August 2018. Archived from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020. Investcorp, a leading global provider and manager of alternative investments, today announced it has completed the sale of Nobel Learning Communities, one of the leading providers of private education in the United States (from pre-school up to high school), to Spring Education Group, the leading PreK-12 private school operator in the United States and portfolio company of Primavera Capital Group, a leading Asia-based investment firm. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 1984, Nobel Learning operates a network of over 190 private schools across 19 states in the United States. The company also has an accredited online private school, Laurel Springs, that offers college preparatory programs to students from over 80 countries worldwide. With over 25,000 students, Nobel Learning is one of the largest private school operators in North America.
^"Investcorp acquires Nobel Learning Communities, a network of 176 schools in the US - Investcorp". Investcorp. 30 March 2015. Archived from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020. Founded in 1984, Nobel Learning operates a network of 176 schools across 18 states. The company also has an accredited online private school that offers college preparatory programs to students from over 55 countries worldwide. With approximately 5,000 teachers and staff and 25,000 students, Nobel Learning is one of the largest private operators in the U.S. Investcorp is joined in the acquisition by its co-investors and partners, Mumtalakat, the investment arm of the Kingdom of Bahrain.
^Alexa J. Henry (7 August 2018). "K-12 Dealmaking: Imagine Learning, Spring Education, Procare Make Acquisitions". Edweek. Archived from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020. Investcorp Sells Nobel Learning Communities: Investcorp, a provider and manager of alternative investments, completed the sale of Nobel Learning Communities, a provider of private education in the United States, to Spring Education Group, a preK-12 private school operator in the United States and portfolio company of Primavera Capital Group, an Asia-based investment firm. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
^"In the News: Parents Voice Concern Over Sale of Basis Independent Schools - Education Next". Education Next. 3 June 2019. Archived from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020. Last month, BASIS Independent Schools was sold to a company backed by a China-based investment firm. (The sale does not affect the charter schools.) Leslie Brody of the Wall Street Journal reports that families at the private BASIS Independent School in New York City have written a letter to the company expressing concern about what this sale will mean for their school.
