Educational Services of America

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, November 8, 2005
Educational Services of America (ESA) is pleased to announce that it has acquired Ombudsman Educational Services, the 30-year-old provider of alternative education for public school districts across the country. ESA provides highly individualized academic and behavioral services for students with a wide range of disabilities and learning styles, including reading and computation problems, ADHD, emotional and physical impairments, autism and Asperger’s Syndrome, through its K-12 schools and
postsecondary transition services.

Ombudsman was founded in 1975 by Lori Sweeney and her late husband, James Boyle, to provide assistance to school districts in serving high school and middle school students who have difficulty being successful in a traditional school setting. Ombudsman assists school districts in meeting NCLB performance expectations by decreasing the dropout rate, improving academic performance, increasing attendance rates, and turning at-risk students into high school graduates. In its thirty-year history, Ombudsman has served over 100,000 students and worked with approximately 250 school districts. Currently, Ombudsman operates 66 campuses in ten states and is accredited through the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation.

Ombudsman has offered school districts a highly successful partnership over the years, and this will continue under ESA’s ownership. Mark Claypool, President and CEO of ESA, said, “We are very excited to acquire Ombudsman. This is a proven model that provides an outstanding and cost effective option to school districts, but, most importantly, Ombudsman provides a solid education for its students. We fully intend to keep the program operating as its customers have come to expect on a high quality, high accountability basis.â€? Lori Sweeney expressed gratitude that Ombudsman’s long history of service to public schools will continue. Ms. Sweeney noted, “I’m happy to have found a company to whom I can trust the future of Ombudsman. I’m excited about ESA’s ability to continue and even accelerate the improvement that we have been making.â€?

Mr. Claypool believes that ESA and Ombudsman offer a very complementary menu of services for public schools. “It is my hope.â€? he stated, “that in the coming months, Ombudsman will be able to expand its breadth of services by drawing on ESA’s strengths in special education.â€?

Along with Ombudsman’s focus on at-risk students (ombudsman.com), ESA provides services for students with exceptionalities, particularly autism and Asperger’s Syndrome, in conjunctionwith local districts through its Spectrum Schools spectrumschools.com), private schools for students with exceptionalities through its Broach Schools and Atlantis Academies, and postsecondary transition services through College Living Experience (cleinc.net).

About ESA Educational Services of America, Inc. (ESA, www.esa-education.com) is an educational services company founded in 1999. Established on the core values of Academics, Structure, and Integrity, the company is dedicated to providing an educational advantage to all students regardless of their learning style or disability. ESA provides highly individualized academic and behavioral services for students with a wide variety of handicapping conditions including developmental disabilities, physical disabilities, and emotional disturbances. The company’s various schools offer programming tailored to students with special needs ranging from Attention Deficit Disorder to Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorders. Its mission is to provide excellent educational services for every student in a structured and nurturing environment. ESA currently operates 104 schools in 13 states enrolling approximately 6,000 students and employing some 1,500 teachers, administrators, and staff. The corporate office is in Nashville, Tennessee.