Best Education Companies in Chicago, United States
The 248 best Education companies in Chicago, United States in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: University of Illinois at Chicago.
Our analysis of 96 Education companies
$11.9b in tracked funding; 98% of the stack-profiled cohort runs cloud-native; funding activity peaked in 2025.
Ranked: Best Education companies in Chicago
| # | Company | Disclosed funding | Last round | Stage | Employees | Tech stack | Web popularity | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Illinois at Chicago University offering multiple courses and degrees across diversified streams 62Tech top 9%Funding top 29%Growth top 35%Talent bottom 49% All 8 signals ▾Techtop 9% Fundingtop 29% Growthtop 35% Talentbottom 49% Productbottom 41% Customersbottom 39% Globalbottom 32% Marketbottom 31% Tech: 230 technologies across 7/8 capability areas · Cloud: Akamai, Amazon Alb Funding: Raised $26.5M across 12 rounds · 12 rounds over 1 yrs (12.0/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 62/100 | $26M | 5 mo ago | Funding Raised | 31 | WordPressMySQLMariaDB+36 | Top 500k | — |
| 2 | Sxu Edu University provides undergraduate and graduate education, alumni engagement, and related support services | $16M | 8 mo ago | Funding Raised | — | Omni CMSApple iCloud MailMicrosoft 365+28 | Top 1M | — |
| 3 | TeleTeachers Online platform offering e-learning services 29Funding top 38%Talent bottom 49%Market bottom 42%Global bottom 29% All 4 signals ▾Fundingtop 38% Talentbottom 49% Marketbottom 42% Globalbottom 29% Funding: Raised $4.3M across 3 rounds · 3 rounds over 6 yrs (0.5/yr) Talent: 1 named leader on record · 1 C-suite/founder profile curated rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 29/100 | $4M | 8 mo ago | Series A | 28 | — | — | — |
| 4 | Illinois Institute of Technology Provider of STEM-focused undergraduate and graduate educational programs and research | $2M | 5 mo ago | Funding Raised | 6,725 | DrupalPHPVarnish+30 | Top 500k | — |
| 5 | INC Schools Network supporting and advocating for charter public schools | $2M | 189 mo ago | Funding Raised | 37 | WordPressMySQLPHP+29 | Top 10M | 1 award |
| 6 | Eastwest Provider of post-secondary education and vocational training programs for adult learners | $1M | 188 mo ago | Funding Raised | — | WordPress Block EditorBeaver BuilderWordPress+24 | Top 5M | — |
| 7 | CASEL Provider of academic, social, and emotional based learning programs | $1M | 68 mo ago | Early Stage | 79 | WordPressMySQLPHP+24 | Top 1M | — |
| 8 | Discovery Partners Institute Provider of educational programs for K-12 students and professionals | $1M | 69 mo ago | Early Stage | 189 | — | — | 1 internship |
| 9 | Namastecharterschool Exact Match Operator of a K-8 public charter school | $597K | 190 mo ago | Funding Raised | 69 | BreakdanceWordPressMySQL+29 | Top 10M | — |
| 10 | Chicago Collegiate Non-profit organization focusing on children development | $215K | — | Funding Raised | 42 | WordPress Block EditorElementorBeaver Builder+26 | Top 5M | — |
| 11 | Marwen Provider of tuition-free visual arts and college access programs for youth | $213K | 173 mo ago | Funding Raised | 110 | WordPress Block EditorWordPressApple iCloud Mail+23 | Top 5M | 1 internship · 1 award |
| 12 | Fonseca Martial Arts Provider of martial arts instruction for all ages and abilities in multiple locations | $150K | 117 mo ago | Seed | 13 | WordPressMySQLPHP+19 | Top 10M | — |
| 13 | Silver Star Protection Provides consulting, training, security and risk management services | $150K | 128 mo ago | Seed | 20 | WordPress Block EditorElementorWordPress+30 | Top 10M | 1 job opening |
| 14 | Saic Provider of arts courses | $129K | 217 mo ago | Funding Raised | 2,355 | DrupalMariaDBPHP+33 | Top 1M | — |
| 15 | Digeduc | $111K | 77 mo ago | Funding Raised | — | — | — | — |
| 16 | Ultimate Ninjas Operator of a kids gymnasium created to provide fitness courses to children | $100K | 108 mo ago | Seed | 20 | WordPressApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+28 | Top 5M | — |
Top 12 Education companies in Chicago
#1
Funding Raised · Chicago, Illinois · founded 1965 · 31 employees$26.5Mraised▾
University offering multiple courses and degrees across diversified streams
- Dec 2025Grant (prize money)$2.5M
- Dec 2025Grant (prize money)$390K
- Dec 2025Grant (prize money)$64.2K
- Dec 2025Grant (prize money)$1.5M
#2
Funding Raised · Chicago, Illinois · founded 1993$16.1Mraised▾
University provides undergraduate and graduate education, alumni engagement, and related support services. It offers academic programs across various disciplines, fostering student success through resources and support. The university cultivates a community for alumni through events, networking, and opportunities for continued involvement. It facilitates giving programs to support university initiatives, scholarships, and student resources.
- Sep 2025Grant (prize money)$4M
- 2023Grant (prize money)$106.9K
- 2020Grant (prize money)—
- 2019Grant (prize money)—
#3
Series A · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2019 · 28 employees$4.3Mraised▾
Online platform offering e-learning services. It is a behavioral health platform offering teletherapy services to schools and organizations serving vulnerable students and youth.
- Oct 2025Series A$1.3M
- Nov 2022Series A$1.5M
- Jul 2020Series A$2.8M
#4
Funding Raised · Chicago, Illinois · founded 1890 · 6725 employees$2.5Mraised▾
Provider of STEM-focused undergraduate and graduate educational programs and research. It offers various degree options designed to prepare individuals for careers. The institution provides access to experiential opportunities, including research and internships. It maintains a commitment to diversity and inclusion in its educational environment.
- Dec 2025Grant (prize money)$2.5M
#5
Early Stage · Chicago, Illinois · founded 1994 · 79 employees$1Mraised▾
Provider of academic, social, and emotional based learning programs
- Oct 2020Unattributed$1M
- May 2015Grant (prize money)$396.8K
#6
Early Stage · Chicago, Illinois · founded 1996 · 189 employees$1Mraised▾
The Discovery Partners Institute entices people to jumpstart their tech careers or companies in Chicago. Led by the University of Illinois System in partnership with local and global research universities, we do three things centered around economic development: tech talent development for high-demand tech jobs; applied research and development; and building a stronger tech ecosystem. DPI prepares students and workers to step into high-demand tech jobs. It also builds research teams and matches them with new funding.
- Aug 2020Unattributed$1M
#7
Funding Raised · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2003 · 37 employees$1.7Mraised▾
Network supporting and advocating for charter public schools. It provides resources and advocacy to strengthen charter schools, influencing education policy. The network offers support for school development, membership services including job boards and vendor resources, and compiles resources to help families navigate the education system. It also engages in legislative and political processes to advance charter school interests.
- Aug 2010Grant (prize money)$1.7M
#8
Funding Raised · Chicago, Illinois · founded 1996$1.4Mraised▾
Provider of post-secondary education and vocational training programs for adult learners
- Sep 2010Grant (prize money)$399.9K
- Jul 2009Grant (prize money)$199.7K
- Sep 2008Grant (prize money)$772K
#9
Funding Raised · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2004 · 69 employees$597.2Kraised▾
Operator of a K-8 public charter school. It offers a dual-language program in Spanish and English. The school integrates health and wellness programming with academic rigor. A comprehensive approach to education is employed, incorporating strong modeling, regular assessments, group instruction, and student choice. The curriculum aims to foster academic excellence and holistic well-being. Support services are provided for students and families.
- Jul 2010Grant (prize money)$298.6K
- Jun 2008Grant (prize money)$298.6K
#10
Funding Raised · Chicago, Illinois · founded 1987 · 110 employees$213Kraised▾
Provider of tuition-free visual arts and college access programs for youth. It offers opportunities for young people to explore artistic expression and develop portfolios. The organization provides resources and guidance to support students pursuing higher education. It aims to foster creativity and empower the next generation of artists.
- Dec 2011Grant (prize money)$38K
- Jun 2011Grant (prize money)$55K
- Jun 2010Grant (prize money)$60K
- Jun 2009Grant (prize money)$35K
#11
Funding Raised · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2012 · 42 employees$215Kraised▾
Chicago Collegiate is a non-profit organization which focuses on the development of children. It helps children in the improvement of their academic skills, intellectual habits, and character traits.
- Grant (prize money)$215K
#12
Funding Raised · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2009$110.6Kraised▾
- Jan 2020Grant (prize money)$110.6K
Funding & investor landscape
Notable founders
Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage
Share of Education coverage by sub-theme.
Regulatory-risk over time rising
Funding & growth over time
funding rising · growth rising
What Chicago researches in edtech
UIC, U of Chicago, and Chicago Public Schools drive mostly concern-toned edtech research (mean 0.31), focusing on online learning analytics and programming education with cautious optimism.
- University of Illinois Chicago14
- University of Chicago8
- Chicago Public Schools2
- Concordia University Chicago1
- Chicago State University1
Common questions
Riya reads income statements for fun. She covers the real money in a sector — revenue, growth, who actually earns — and never met a vague claim she didn't want a number for.