ESS Announces Acquisition of HeyTutor, Expanding K-12 Workforce Solutions with Tutoring and Academic Intervention Services

Backed by The Vistria Group, ESS continues to broaden its platform to help school districts address workforce and student support needs.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- ESS, a leading provider of K-12 workforce solutions backed by The Vistria Group, today announced the acquisition of HeyTutor, a technology-enabled provider of in-person tutoring, paraprofessional management, and academic intervention services for school districts across the United States. The strategic acquisition strengthens ESS's capacity to address urgent K-12 learning gaps and evolving student support needs by integrating HeyTutor's data-driven tutoring platform into ESS's workforce portfolio. The addition also enhances ESS's full-spectrum solution for school districts grappling with post-pandemic educational challenges and workforce shortages. Currently, ESS serves more than 1,200 districts nationwide serving more than 8 million students on a daily basis.

"As school districts continue to seek innovative ways to address learning loss and support student achievement, we believe the combination of ESS and HeyTutor creates a powerful platform to serve those evolving needs," said Buddy Helton, Chief Executive Officer of ESS. "HeyTutor has built an impressive reputation for delivering measurable outcomes for students while helping districts navigate recruiting, workforce management, and program administration challenges. We are excited to welcome Jennifer and the entire HeyTutor team to ESS."

How HeyTutor Enhances ESS's Offerings

Founded as an education-focused platform serving K-12 districts, HeyTutor has developed a differentiated model that combines in-person instructional support with technology-enabled workforce management, curriculum delivery, and student progress monitoring. Specifically, it works with school districts to provide high-dosage tutoring, bilingual tutoring, paraprofessional support, and other educational services. Its integration into ESS's ecosystem advances ESS's growth strategy of expanding into adjacent workforce solutions to match the needs of districts across the full spectrum of the workforce.

• Standards-Aligned Intervention Curriculum: Delivers comprehensive, customizable K-12 Math and English Language Arts (ELA) lessons aligned to state standards, with ELA content grounded in the Science of Reading (phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency) and Math content targeting critical skill gaps — deployed through in-person, high-dosage tutoring or districts' own in-house programs.
• Proprietary Technology Platform & Data Analytics: Provides real-time, student-level and program-wide insights into progress and program effectiveness from day one, enabling data-driven, adaptive intervention strategies aligned to a district's Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports (MTSS) framework.
• Efficient Program Management: Supports scalable, trackable tutoring and intervention programs — including one-on-one and small-group formats — that reduce administrative burden for districts while closing learning gaps.

The acquisition also deepens ESS's presence in California, a key growth market for the company, while expanding HeyTutor's ability to reach school districts across ESS's well-established network in states nationwide.

Jennifer Sheffield, Chief Executive Officer of HeyTutor, will continue to lead the business and work closely with ESS management to accelerate growth and integration efforts.

"We are thrilled to join ESS and leverage the company's national district relationships, operational expertise, and shared commitment to educational outcomes," said Sheffield. "Both organizations are united by a mission to help schools better support students. Together, we will be able to offer districts a broader suite of services, expand our reach, and create even greater value for educators, students, and school communities."

Key Capabilities for School Districts

The combined ESS and HeyTutor offering provides a powerful, expanded suite of services tailored to the diverse needs of K-12 school districts.

• Expanded Workforce Solutions:
  • Substitute Teacher Management
  • Clinician Placement & Management
  • Virtual Teacher Solutions
  • Virtual Special Education Case Management
  • Paraprofessional Management
  • High-Dosage Tutoring
  • Bilingual Tutoring
  • Academic Intervention Services
• Comprehensive Student Support: Addresses learning loss and promotes student achievement through targeted, evidence-based interventions.
• Technology-Driven Efficiency: Uses proprietary platforms for seamless recruitment, scheduling, compliance, and performance tracking.
• National Reach: Capitalizes on ESS's national footprint combined with HeyTutor's established presence to serve districts across multiple states.

"Since partnering with ESS, we've supported the company's evolution from a leading substitute teacher management provider into a comprehensive K-12 workforce solutions platform," said Phil Alphonse, Senior Partner and Co-Head of Knowledge & Learning Solutions at The Vistria Group, ESS's investment partner. "Consistent with our investment thesis, the acquisition of HeyTutor is a natural next step in that strategy, adding capabilities that help districts address learning gaps while expanding the solutions ESS can deliver."

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

About ESS

ESS is a leading provider of managed workforce solutions to K-12 school districts, providing substitute teacher, clinician, virtual teacher, and school support management. The Company employs 100,000+ professionals across 1,200+ school systems nationwide. To learn more about ESS, visit https://ess.com/.

About HeyTutor

HeyTutor is a technology-enabled provider of in-person tutoring, academic intervention, paraprofessional management, and student support services for K-12 school districts. The company delivers high-dosage tutoring and workforce solutions through a network of educators supported by proprietary technology, data analytics, and student outcome reporting capabilities. To learn more about HeyTutor, visit https://heytutor.com/.

About The Vistria Group

The Vistria Group is building a new kind of private investment firm that seeks to deliver both financial returns and societal impact. It invests in essential industries like healthcare, knowledge & learning solutions, financial services and housing that deliver value for investors as well as communities, employees, and consumers. With $18 billion in AUM, The Vistria Group looks deeper by working as a true partner, drawing on its deep sector knowledge, operational expertise, unique network, diverse team, and impact orientation to achieve transformational growth. For more information, please visit vistria.com.

SOURCE ESS