Aspire Acquires SD Associates in Vermont Deal
The acquisition brings four Vermont special education and therapeutic programs under Aspire Living & Learning, with financial terms undisclosed.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Special Education
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Aspire Living & Learning has acquired SD Associates, a Vermont provider of early childhood, school-based, vocational and therapeutic school services. Four Vermont programs have joined Aspire, and financial terms were not released.
Why it matters
The acquisition is intended to protect educational and behavioral services already reaching communities across Vermont. Nearly 1 in 5 Vermont students had an Individualized Education Program in 2023-24, a share that has grown even as overall enrollment has declined.
Vermont's overall student enrollment declined 6.4% from 2018-19 to 2023-24, while the share of students with Individualized Education Programs increased 7.5%. Nearly 1 in 5 Vermont students had an IEP in 2023-24, ranking the state seventh in the nation.
The players
Aspire Living & Learning
Aspire Living & Learning is a 45-year-old organization founded in Vermont that provides residential, educational and behavioral services.
SD Associates
SD Associates is a Vermont provider of early childhood, school-based, vocational and therapeutic school services that operates a year-round therapeutic school in southern Vermont.
The details
Aspire Living & Learning welcomed SD Associates' leadership and staff members to the organization. The four programs and their teams will remain in place after the acquisition, and Aspire will provide clinical expertise, workforce support, and quality and safety resources.
Timeline
November 2, 2026: Aspire announced the acquisition of SD Associates.
2018-19 to 2023-24: Vermont enrollment declined while the IEP share increased.
Roadmap
Vermont's IEP share rose 7.5% from 2018-19 to 2023-24 even as overall enrollment fell 6.4%, leaving a smaller student body with a growing proportion needing services. Consolidation of special education providers like this acquisition reflects how private operators are responding to that shifting demand within the state.
Families of students receiving Sparklers ABA services in northern Vermont, school-based services in Northern and Central Vermont, Alpine vocational programming, or the southern Vermont therapeutic school will continue with the same programs and teams. The acquisition is described as adding clinical expertise, workforce support and quality and safety resources to those services.
The takeaway
Nearly 1 in 5 Vermont students now has an IEP, so the stability of local special education providers matters to a growing share of families. Parents seeking services can check whether their local program is part of Aspire's expanded network.
Further reading
For more on the services involved, see Special Education coverage across Vermont.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Vermont Business Magazine.
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