Outside the Classroom

Founded in 2000 by Brandon Busteed, Outside the Classroom was an educational technology company that provided online prevention courses for high school and college students. The company's flagship product, AlcoholEdu®, was designed to address high-risk drinking by educating students on the consequences of alcohol abuse, with the aim of reducing incidents of drunk driving, blackouts, and physical altercations. Another key offering included online courses on sexual assault prevention.

The courses utilized an adaptive learning model and were widely adopted, with millions of students completing them across hundreds of U.S. colleges and high schools. The business model centered on providing these digital education platforms to educational institutions. Outside the Classroom demonstrated high client retention, with a renewal rate exceeding 90% year-over-year for its AlcoholEdu® product.

In March 2011, the company was acquired by EverFi, a leading education technology platform focused on teaching critical life skills. The acquisition was intended to create a comprehensive K-16 education platform. Brandon Busteed, a Duke University graduate, continued to lead the alcohol prevention division after the acquisition before moving on to roles at Gallup, Kaplan, and founding BrandEd. EverFi itself was later acquired by Blackbaud in a $750 million deal in 2022, and subsequently, the EVERFI business was sold by Blackbaud to a private investment firm at the end of 2024.

Keywords: alcohol abuse prevention, sexual assault prevention, online education, higher education, student safety, edtech, AlcoholEdu, risk prevention, student wellness, prevention courses, digital learning, substance abuse education, campus safety, health education, adaptive learning, high school education, college students, e-learning, critical skills education, social impact education