Grand Canyon Education, Inc._November 5, 2025
0001434588false00014345882025-11-052025-11-05

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): November 5, 2025

Grand Canyon Education, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware

    

001-34211

    

20-3356009

(State or other Jurisdiction of

(Commission File Number)

(IRS Employer Identification No.)

Incorporation)

2600 W. Camelback Road

Phoenix, Arizona

85017

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (602) 247-4400

(Former name or former address if changed since last report.)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class

Trading Symbol(s)

Name of each exchange on which registered

Common Stock

LOPE

Nasdaq Global Select Market

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company  

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. 

Item 2.02. Results of Operations and Financial Condition.

On November 5, 2025, Grand Canyon Education, Inc. reported its results for the quarter ended September 30, 2025.  The press release dated November 5, 2025 is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this report.

Item 9.01. Consolidated Financial Statements and Exhibits.

99.1       Press Release dated November 5, 2025

104Cover Page Interactive Date File (imbedded within the Inline XBRL document)

EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No.

    

Description

99.1

Press Release dated November 5, 2025

104

Cover Page Interactive Date File (imbedded within the XBRL document)

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

GRAND CANYON EDUCATION, INC.

Date: November 5, 2025

By:

/s/ Daniel E. Bachus

Daniel E. Bachus

Chief Financial Officer

(Principal Financial Officer)

Exhibit 99.1

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Investor Relations Contact:

Daniel E. Bachus

Chief Financial Officer

Grand Canyon Education, Inc.

602-639-6648

[email protected]

GRAND CANYON EDUCATION, INC. REPORTS

THIRD QUARTER 2025 RESULTS

PHOENIX, AZ., November 5, 2025Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ: LOPE), (“GCE” or the “Company”), is a publicly traded education services company that currently provides services to 20 university partners. GCE provides a full array of support services in the post-secondary education sector and has developed significant technological solutions, infrastructure and operational processes to provide superior services in these areas on a large scale. GCE today announced financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2025.

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Grand Canyon Education, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2025 Results

For the three months ended September 30, 2025:

Service revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2025 was $261.1 million, an increase of $22.8 million, or 9.6%, as compared to service revenue of $238.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024. The increase year over year in service revenue was primarily due to an increase in partner enrollments of 7.9% to 138,073 at September 30, 2025 as compared to 127,977 at September 30, 2024. Revenue per student decreased slightly between years primarily due to contract modifications for some of our university partners in which the revenue share percentage was reduced in exchange for us no longer reimbursing these partners for certain faculty costs which had the effect of reducing revenue per student and a slight decline year over year in revenue per student for online students due to the continued mix shift to students that have a slightly lower net tuition rate. These decreases were partially offset by an additional day of revenue for the ground campus at Grand Canyon University (“GCU”), our most significant partner, due to the start date shifting one day of revenue from the fourth quarter to the third quarter in 2025 which had a $0.9 million impact as well as the service revenue per student for accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (“ABSN”) students at our off-campus classroom and laboratory sites generating a significantly higher revenue per student than we earn under our agreement with GCU as these agreements generally provide us with a higher revenue share percentage, the partners have higher tuition rates than GCU and the majority of our partners’ students take more credits on average per semester.
GCU enrollments increased to 132,486 at September 30, 2025, an increase of 7.7% over enrollments at September 30, 2024. University partner enrollments at our off-campus classroom and laboratory sites were 6,912, an increase of 17.4% over enrollments at September 30, 2024, which includes 1,325 and 913 GCU students at September 30, 2025 and 2024, respectively. Excluding sites closing in 2024 to new enrollments, total enrollments at our off-campus classroom and laboratory sites increased 19.3% between years. We opened six sites in the year ended December 31, 2024 and opened five new sites in the nine months ended September 30, 2025 while closing two sites at which we stopped recruiting new students in 2024 and merged two sites that were located in the same market bringing the total number of these off-campus sites to 47 at September 30, 2025, which has also positively impacted the enrollment growth. Enrollments for GCU ground students were 24,671 at September 30, 2025 up from 24,657 at September 30, 2024. GCU online enrollments were 107,815 at September 30, 2025, up from 98,345 at September 30, 2024, an increase of 9.6% between years.
Operating income for the three months ended September 30, 2025 was $18.0 million, a decrease of $30.2 million, or 62.6%, as compared to $48.2 million for the same period in 2024. The operating margin for the three months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024 was 6.9% and 20.2%, respectively. Operating income and operating margin were materially impacted in the third quarter of 2025 by a reserve for litigation settlement of $35.0 million related to the settlement of the qui tam lawsuit; lease termination, impairment and other in the amount of $2.4 million due to the Company executing its lease termination provision on an office lease and the impairment of two off-campus classroom and laboratory site leases as the teach out at those locations has completed; loss on disposal of assets of $0.4 million for assets; and $0.3 million of severance costs. Excluding these costs and the amortization of intangible assets of $2.1 million in both the three months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, adjusted operating income and adjusted operating margin were $58.2 million and 22.3%, respectively, for the three months ended September 30, 2025 compared to adjusted operating income and adjusted operating margin of $50.3 million and 21.1%, respectively for the three months ended September 30, 2024. The third quarter operating income and operating margin were positively impacted on a year over year basis by an additional day of ground traditional student revenue at GCU shifting from the fourth quarter to the third quarter, a $0.9 million impact, and contract modifications for some of our university partners in which the revenue share percentage was reduced in exchange for us no longer reimbursing the partner for certain faculty costs which had the effect of reducing operating expenses and revenue per student.
Income tax expense for the three months ended September 30, 2025 was $5.4 million, a decrease of $5.5 million, or 50.4%, as compared to income tax expense of $10.9 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024. The decrease in income tax expense is due to the decrease in income before taxes partially offset by a higher effective tax rate. Our effective tax rate was 24.9% during the three months ended September 30, 2025 compared to 20.8% during the three months ended September 30, 2024. The effective tax rate increased year over year due to the tax treatment of the litigation settlement recorded in the third quarter and changes in state income taxes partially offset by an increase in the contributions made in lieu of state income taxes from $4.5 million in the third quarter of 2024 to $5.0 million in the third quarter of 2025.

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Net income for the three months ended September 30, 2025 was $16.3 million, a decrease of $25.2 million, or 60.8% as compared to $41.5 million for the same period in 2024. As adjusted net income was $49.7 million and $43.2 million for the third quarters of 2025 and 2024, respectively.
Diluted net income per share was $0.58 and $1.42 for the third quarters of 2025 and 2024, respectively. As adjusted diluted net income per share was $1.78 and $1.48 for the third quarters of 2025 and 2024, respectively.
Adjusted EBITDA increased 14.4% to $75.9 million for the third quarter of 2025, compared to $66.3 million for the same period in 2024.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2025:

Service revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 was $798.0 million, an increase of $57.6 million, or 7.8%, as compared to service revenue of $740.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024. The increase year over year in service revenue was primarily due to an increase in partner enrollments of 7.9% to 138,073 at September 30, 2025 as compared to 127,977 at September 30, 2024. Revenue per student decreased slightly between years primarily due to the additional day for leap year in 2024 which added additional service revenue of $1.5 million as compared to the current year and contract modifications for some of our university partners in which the revenue share percentage was reduced in exchange for us no longer reimbursing these partners for certain faculty costs, both of which had the effect of reducing revenue per student and a slight decline year over year in revenue per student for online students due to the continued mix shift to students that have a slightly lower net tuition rate. These decreases were partially offset by an additional day of revenue for the ground campus at GCU due to the start date shifting one day of revenue from the fourth quarter to the third quarter in 2025 which had a $0.9 million impact and the service revenue per student for ABSN students at off-campus classroom and laboratory sites generating a significantly higher revenue per student than we earn under our agreement with GCU, as these agreements generally provide us with a higher revenue share percentage, the partners have higher tuition rates than GCU and the majority of our partners’ students take more credits on average per semester.
Operating income for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 was $157.8 million, a decrease of $17.6 million, or 10.0%, as compared to $175.4 million for the same period in 2024. The operating margin for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024 was 19.8% and 23.7%, respectively. Operating income and operating margin were materially impacted in the nine months ended September 30, 2025 by a reserve for litigation settlement of $35.0 million related to the settlement of the qui tam lawsuit; lease termination, impairment and other in the amount of $2.4 million due to the Company executing its lease termination provision on an office lease and the impairment of two off-campus classroom and laboratory site leases as the teach out at those locations has completed; loss on disposal of assets of $0.5 million; and $0.3 million of severance costs. Excluding these costs and the amortization of intangible assets of $6.3 million in both the nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, adjusted operating income and adjusted operating margin were $202.3 million and 25.4%, respectively, for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 compared to adjusted operating income and adjusted operating margin of $181.7 million and 24.5%, respectively for the nine months ended September 30, 2024. The operating income and operating margin for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 were positively impacted by an additional day of ground traditional student revenue at GCU shifting from the fourth quarter to the third quarter, a $0.9 million impact, and contract modifications for some of our university partners in which the revenue share percentage was reduced in exchange for us no longer reimbursing the partner for certain faculty costs which had the effect of reducing operating expenses and revenue per student and $1.1 million recorded in the second quarter related to an executive officer that resigned effective June 30, 2024, partially offset by the additional day for leap year in 2024 which added additional service revenue of $1.5 million as compared to the current year.
Income tax expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 was $38.6 million, a decrease of $4.4 million, or 10.2%, as compared to income tax expense of $43.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024. This decrease is primarily due to the decrease in our income before taxes between years. Our effective tax rate was 23.0% during the nine months ended September 30, 2025 compared to 23.0% during the nine months ended September 30, 2024. The effective tax rate was favorably impacted year over year primarily due to an increase in excess tax benefits of $2.7 million as compared to $1.5 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, respectively. The effective tax rate was also favorably impacted by an increase in contributions made in lieu of state income taxes to $5.0 million as compared to $4.5 million in the prior year. These increases were offset by a higher effective tax rate due to the tax treatment of the litigation settlement recorded in the third quarter and changes in state income taxes.

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Net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 was $129.4 million, a decrease of $15.0 million, or 10.3% as compared to $144.4 million for the same period in 2024. As adjusted net income was $166.1 million and $150.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, respectively.
Diluted net income per share was $4.60 and $4.91 for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, respectively. As adjusted diluted net income per share was $5.90 and $5.11 for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, respectively.
Adjusted EBITDA increased 9.8% to $245.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, compared to $223.4 million for the same period in 2024.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our liquidity position, as measured by cash and cash equivalents and investments decreased by $47.6 million between December 31, 2024 and September 30, 2025, which was largely attributable to cash expended for investing activities, capital expenditures and share repurchases exceeding our cash provided by operations during the nine months ended September 30, 2025. Our unrestricted cash and cash equivalents and investments were $277.0 million and $324.6 million at September 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively.

4


Grand Canyon Education, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2025 Results and Full Year Outlook 2025

2025 Outlook

Q4 2025:

Service revenue of between $305.0 million and $310.0 million;
Operating margin of between 35.1% and 35.8%;
Effective tax rate of 22.8%;
Diluted EPS of between $3.07 and $3.18; and
27.7 million diluted shares.

The diluted EPS guidance includes non-cash amortization of intangible assets net of taxes of $1.6 million, which equates to a $0.06 impact on diluted EPS. Thus, as adjusted, non-GAAP diluted income per share of between $3.13 and $3.24.

Full Year 2025:

Service revenue of between $1,103.0 million and $1,108.0 million;
Operating margin of between 24.0% and 24.3%;
Effective tax rate of 22.9%;
Diluted EPS between $7.66 and $7.77; and
28.0 million diluted shares.

The diluted EPS guidance includes non-cash amortization of intangible assets net of taxes of $6.6 million, $29.2 million reserve for litigation, $1.9 million for lease termination and impairment costs, $0.2 million for severance costs and $0.4 million for loss on disposal of assets, which equates to a $1.36 impact on diluted EPS. Thus, as adjusted, non-GAAP diluted income per share of between $9.02 and $9.13.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of federal securities laws which includes information relating to future events, future financial performance, strategies expectations, competitive environment, regulation, and availability of resources. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding: proposed new programs; whether regulatory, economic, or business developments or other matters may or may not have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations, or liquidity; projections, predictions, expectations, estimates, and forecasts as to our business, financial and operating results, and future economic performance; and management’s goals and objectives and other similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. Words such as “may,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates” and similar expressions, the negative of these expressions, as well as statements in future tense, identify forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by, which such performance or results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time those statements are made or management’s good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: (i) legal and regulatory actions taken against us related to our services business, or against our university partners that impact their businesses and that directly or indirectly reduce the service revenue we can earn under our master services agreements; (ii) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of any of the key university partner agreements; (iii) our ability to properly manage risks and challenges associated with strategic initiatives, including potential acquisitions or divestitures of, or investments in, new businesses, acquisitions of new properties and new university partners, and expansion of services provided to our existing university partners; (iv) our ability to comply with the extensive regulatory framework applicable to us either directly as a third-party service provider or indirectly through our university partners; (v) our ability to manage risks associated with epidemics, pandemics, or public health crises; (vi) our ability to manage risks resulting from system disruptions, interruptions, or outages associated with our technology platforms or those of third-party service providers; (vii) the ability of our university partners’ students to obtain federal Title IV funds, state financial aid, and private financing; (viii) potential damage to our reputation or other adverse effects as a result of negative publicity in the media, in the industry or in connection with governmental reports or investigations or otherwise; (ix) risks associated with changes in applicable federal and state laws and regulations and accrediting commission standards; (x) competition from other education service companies in our geographic region and market sector; (xi) our ability to hire and train new, and develop and train existing employees; (xii) the pace of growth of our

5


university partners’ enrollment and its effect on the pace of our own growth; (xiii) fluctuations in our revenues due to seasonality; (xiv) our ability to, on behalf of our university partners, convert prospective students to enrolled students and to retain active students to graduation; and (xv) other risks and uncertainties identified from time to time in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) by us, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, filed on February 19, 2025.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date the statements are made.  You should not put undue reliance on any forward-looking statements.  We assume no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions, or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information, except to the extent required by applicable securities laws.  If we do update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.  This press release should be read in conjunction with the information included in our other press releases, reports and other filings with the SEC.  Understanding the information contained in these filings is important in order to fully understand GCE’s reported financial results and our business outlook for future periods.

6


Grand Canyon Education, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2025 Results

Conference Call

Grand Canyon Education, Inc. will discuss its third quarter 2025 results and full year 2025 outlook during a conference call scheduled for today, November 5, 2025 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time (ET).

Live Conference Dial-In:

Those interested in participating in the question-and-answer session should follow the conference dial-in instructions below. Participants may register for the call here to receive the dial-in numbers and unique PIN to access the call seamlessly. Please dial in at least ten minutes prior to the start of the call.  Journalists are invited to listen only.

Webcast and Replay:

Investors, journalists and the general public may access a live webcast of this event at: Q3 2025 Grand Canyon Education Inc. Earnings Conference CallA webcast replay will be available approximately two hours following the conclusion of the call at the same link.

About Grand Canyon Education, Inc.

Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (“GCE”), incorporated in 2008, is a publicly traded education services company that currently provides services to 20 university partners. GCE is uniquely positioned in the education services industry in that its leadership has over 30 years of proven expertise in providing a full array of support services in the post-secondary education sector and has developed significant technological solutions, infrastructure and operational processes to provide superior services in these areas on a large scale. GCE provides services that support students, faculty and staff of partner institutions such as marketing, strategic enrollment management, counseling services, financial services, technology, technical support, compliance, human resources, classroom operations, content development, faculty recruitment and training, among others. For more information about GCE visit the Company's website at www.gce.com.

Grand Canyon Education, Inc., 2600 W. Camelback Road, Phoenix, AZ 85017, www.gce.com.

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7


Grand Canyon Education, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2025 Results

GRAND CANYON EDUCATION, INC.

Consolidated Income Statements

(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended

Nine Months Ended

September 30, 

September 30, 

    

2025

    

2024

    

2025

    

2024

(In thousands, except per share data)

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

Service revenue

$

261,142

$

238,291

$

797,951

$

740,429

Costs and expenses:

Technology and academic services

 

44,908

 

41,955

 

129,706

 

122,081

Counseling services and support

 

84,405

 

77,166

 

254,250

 

238,157

Marketing and communication

 

59,145

 

54,526

 

175,512

 

162,774

General and administrative

 

15,149

 

14,364

 

36,926

 

35,730

Reserve for litigation settlement

35,000

35,000

Lease termination, impairment and other

 

2,411

 

 

2,411

 

Amortization of intangible assets

 

2,105

 

2,105

 

6,315

 

6,315

Total costs and expenses

 

243,123

 

190,116

 

640,120

 

565,057

Operating income

 

18,019

 

48,175

 

157,831

 

175,372

Investment interest and other

 

3,637

 

4,154

 

10,244

 

11,991

Income before income taxes

 

21,656

 

52,329

 

168,075

 

187,363

Income tax expense

 

5,382

 

10,862

 

38,637

 

43,008

Net income

$

16,274

$

41,467

$

129,438

$

144,355

Earnings per share:

Basic income per share

$

0.59

$

1.43

$

4.62

$

4.94

Diluted income per share

$

0.58

$

1.42

$

4.60

$

4.91

Basic weighted average shares outstanding

 

27,740

 

29,003

 

28,002

 

29,248

Diluted weighted average shares outstanding

 

27,897

 

29,164

 

28,165

 

29,405

8


Grand Canyon Education, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2025 Results

GRAND CANYON EDUCATION, INC.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

As of September 30, 

As of December 31,

(In thousands, except par value)

    

2025

    

2024

ASSETS:

(Unaudited)

Current assets

 

  

 

  

Cash and cash equivalents

$

97,284

$

324,623

Investments

 

179,691

 

Accounts receivable, net

 

122,041

 

82,948

Income taxes receivable

 

22,679

 

490

Other current assets

 

12,299

 

11,915

Total current assets

 

433,994

 

419,976

Property and equipment, net

 

180,013

 

176,823

Right-of-use assets

 

99,871

 

99,541

Amortizable intangible assets, net

 

153,647

 

159,962

Goodwill

 

160,766

 

160,766

Other assets

 

4,501

 

1,357

Total assets

$

1,032,792

$

1,018,425

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY:

 

  

 

  

Current liabilities

 

  

 

  

Accounts payable

$

19,284

$

26,721

Accrued compensation and benefits

 

28,766

 

33,183

Accrued liabilities

 

70,539

 

29,620

Income taxes payable

 

144

 

8,559

Deferred revenue

 

3,801

 

Current portion of lease liability

 

14,204

 

12,883

Total current liabilities

 

136,738

 

110,966

Deferred income taxes, noncurrent

 

40,195

 

26,527

Other long-term liabilities

 

1,494

 

1,444

Lease liability, less current portion

96,324

95,635

Total liabilities

 

274,751

 

234,572

Commitments and contingencies

 

  

 

  

Stockholders’ equity

 

  

 

  

Preferred stock, $0.01 par value, 10,000 shares authorized; 0 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024

 

 

Common stock, $0.01 par value, 100,000 shares authorized; 54,178 and 54,090 shares issued and 28,004 and 28,858 shares outstanding at September 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively

 

542

 

541

Treasury stock, at cost, 26,174 and 25,232 shares of common stock at September 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively

 

(2,190,582)

 

(2,024,370)

Additional paid-in capital

 

347,146

 

336,736

Accumulated other comprehensive gain

 

551

 

Retained earnings

 

2,600,384

 

2,470,946

Total stockholders’ equity

 

758,041

 

783,853

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

$

1,032,792

$

1,018,425

9


Grand Canyon Education, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2025 Results

GRAND CANYON EDUCATION, INC.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(Unaudited)

Nine Months Ended

September 30, 

(In thousands)

2025

2024

Cash flows provided by operating activities:

Net income

    

$

129,438

    

$

144,355

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

 

 

  

Share-based compensation

 

10,411

 

10,855

Depreciation and amortization

 

23,323

 

20,707

Amortization of intangible assets

6,315

6,315

Deferred income taxes

 

13,497

 

(560)

Reserve for litigation settlement

35,000

Lease termination, impairment and other

2,411

Other, including fixed asset disposals

 

(444)

 

(743)

Changes in assets and liabilities:

 

 

  

Accounts receivable from university partners

 

(39,093)

 

(37,577)

Other assets

 

(3,218)

 

1,239

Right-of-use assets and lease liabilities

576

1,296

Accounts payable

 

(8,477)

 

10,710

Accrued liabilities

 

70

 

1,747

Income taxes receivable/payable

 

(30,604)

 

(10,623)

Deferred revenue

 

3,801

 

6,420

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

143,006

 

154,141

Cash flows (used in) provided by investing activities:

 

  

 

  

Capital expenditures

 

(27,225)

 

(27,501)

Additions of amortizable content

(47)

(227)

Purchase of equity investment

(1,000)

Loss on equity investment

500

Purchases of investments

 

(224,715)

 

(48,594)

Proceeds from sale or maturity of investments

 

46,872

 

147,619

Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities

 

(205,615)

 

71,297

Cash flows used in financing activities:

 

  

 

  

Repurchase of common shares and shares withheld in lieu of income taxes

 

(164,730)

 

(108,329)

Net cash used in financing activities

 

(164,730)

 

(108,329)

Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash

 

(227,339)

 

117,109

Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period

 

324,623

 

146,475

Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period

$

97,284

$

263,584

Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information

 

  

 

  

Cash paid for interest

$

$

4

Cash paid for income taxes

$

53,748

$

51,420

Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing activities

 

  

 

  

Purchases of property and equipment included in accounts payable

$

798

$

1,604

ROU Asset and Liability recognition

$

330

$

6,395

Excise tax on treasury stock repurchases

$

1,482

$

815

10


Grand Canyon Education, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2025 Results

GRAND CANYON EDUCATION, INC.

Adjusted EBITDA  (Non-GAAP Financial Measure)

Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income plus interest expense, less interest income and other gain (loss) recognized on investments, plus income tax expense, and plus depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), as adjusted for (i) contributions to private Arizona school tuition organizations in lieu of the payment of state income taxes; (ii) share-based compensation; and (iii) unusual charges or gains, such as litigation and regulatory reserves, impairment charges and asset write-offs, severance costs, and exit or lease termination costs. We present Adjusted EBITDA because we consider it to be an important supplemental measure of our operating performance. We also make certain compensation decisions based, in part, on our operating performance, as measured by Adjusted EBITDA. All of the adjustments made in our calculation of Adjusted EBITDA are adjustments to items that management does not consider to be reflective of our core operating performance. Management considers our core operating performance to be that which can be affected by our managers in any particular period through their management of the resources that affect our underlying revenue and profit generating operations during that period and does not consider the items for which we make adjustments (as listed above) to be reflective of our core performance.

We believe Adjusted EBITDA allows us to compare our current operating results with corresponding historical periods and with the operational performance of other companies in our industry because it does not give effect to potential differences caused by variations in capital structures (affecting relative interest expense, including the impact of write-offs of deferred financing costs when companies refinance their indebtedness), tax positions (such as the impact on periods or companies of changes in effective tax rates or net operating losses), the book amortization of intangibles (affecting relative amortization expense), and other items that we do not consider reflective of underlying operating performance. We also present Adjusted EBITDA because we believe it is frequently used by securities analysts, investors, and other interested parties as a measure of performance.

In evaluating Adjusted EBITDA, investors should be aware that in the future we may incur expenses similar to the adjustments described above. Our presentation of Adjusted EBITDA should not be construed as an inference that our future results will be unaffected by expenses that are unusual, non-routine, or non-recurring. Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool in that, among other things, it does not reflect:

cash expenditures for capital expenditures or contractual commitments;
changes in, or cash requirements for, our working capital requirements;
interest expense, or the cash required to replace assets that are being depreciated or amortized; and
the impact on our reported results of earnings or charges resulting from the items for which we make adjustments to our EBITDA, as described above and set forth in the table below.

In addition, other companies, including other companies in our industry, may calculate these measures differently than we do, limiting the usefulness of Adjusted EBITDA as a comparative measure. Because of these limitations, Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as a substitute for net income, operating income, or any other performance measure derived in accordance with and reported under GAAP, or as an alternative to cash flow from operating activities or as a measure of our liquidity. We compensate for these limitations by relying primarily on our GAAP results and only use Adjusted EBITDA as a supplemental performance measure.

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The following table provides a reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP measure for the periods indicated:

Three Months Ended

Nine Months Ended

September 30, 

September 30, 

    

2025

    

2024

    

2025

    

2024

 

(Unaudited, in thousands)

(Unaudited, in thousands)

Net income

$

16,274

$

41,467

$

129,438

$

144,355

Less: investment interest and other

 

(3,637)

 

(4,154)

 

(10,244)

 

(11,991)

Plus: income tax expense

 

5,382

 

10,862

 

38,637

 

43,008

Plus: amortization of intangible assets

2,105

2,105

6,315

6,315

Plus: depreciation and amortization

 

8,063

 

7,126

 

23,323

 

20,707

EBITDA

 

28,187

 

57,406

 

187,469

 

202,394

Plus: contributions in lieu of state income taxes

 

5,000

 

4,500

 

5,000

 

4,500

Plus: share-based compensation

3,293

3,375

10,411

10,855

Plus: litigation and regulatory costs

36,318

1,017

39,220

4,488

Plus: lease termination, impairment and other

2,411

2,411

Plus: severance costs

299

299

1,133

Plus: loss on fixed asset disposal

 

392

 

27

 

470

 

71

Adjusted EBITDA

$

75,900

$

66,325

$

245,280

$

223,441

Non-GAAP Net Income and Non-GAAP Diluted Income Per Share

The Company believes the presentation of non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP diluted income per share information that excludes amortization of intangible assets, reserve for litigation settlement, lease termination costs, impairments and other costs, severance costs and loss on disposal of fixed assets allows investors to develop a more meaningful understanding of the Company’s performance over time. Accordingly, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, the table below provides reconciliations of these non-GAAP items to GAAP net income and GAAP diluted income per share, respectively:

Three Months Ended

Nine Months Ended

September 30, 

September 30, 

    

2025

2024

    

2025

2024

(Unaudited, in thousands except per share data)

GAAP Net income

$

16,274

$

41,467

$

129,438

$

144,355

Amortization of intangible assets

 

2,105

 

2,105

 

6,315

 

6,315

Reserve for litigation settlement

35,000

35,000

Lease termination, impairment and other

2,411

2,411

Severance costs

 

299

 

 

299

 

1,133

Loss on disposal of fixed assets

392

27

470

71

Income tax effects of adjustments (1)

 

(6,796)

 

(443)

 

(7,848)

 

(1,726)

As Adjusted, Non-GAAP Net income

$

49,685

$

43,156

$

166,085

$

150,148

GAAP Diluted income per share

$

0.58

$

1.42

$

4.60

$

4.91

Amortization of intangible assets (2)

0.06

0.06

0.17

0.17

Reserve on litigation settlement (3)

1.05

-

1.05

-

Lease termination, impairment and other (4)

0.07

-

0.06

-

Severance costs (5)

0.01

-

0.01

0.03

Loss on disposal of fixed assets (6)

0.01

0.00

0.01

0.00

As Adjusted, Non-GAAP Diluted income per share

$

1.78

$

1.48

$

5.90

$

5.11


(1)The income tax effects of adjustments are based on the effective income tax rate applicable to adjusted (non-GAAP) results. The tax effect for the reserve for litigation was 16.49% for both the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025, due to non-deductible components.
(2)The amortization of acquired intangible assets per diluted share is net of an income tax benefit of $0.01 for both of the three months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, and net of an income tax benefit of $0.05 for both of the nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024.

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(3)The reserve for litigation settlement per diluted share is net of an income tax benefit of $0.21 and $0.20 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025, respectively.
(4)The lease termination, impairment and other per diluted share is net of an income tax benefit of $0.02 for both the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025.
(5)The severance costs per diluted share is net of an income tax benefit of nil for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025 and net of an income tax benefit of $0.01 for the nine months ended September 30, 2024.
(6)The loss on disposal of fixed assets per diluted share is net of an income tax benefit of nil for both the three months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024 and nil for both the nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024.

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