Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes that appear in Item 8, Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplementary Data . In addition to historical information, the following discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect our plans, estimates and beliefs. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include those discussed below and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, particularly in Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and in Item 1A, Risk Factors .
Executive Overview
GCE is a publicly traded education services company dedicated to serving colleges and universities. GCE has developed significant technological solutions, infrastructure and operational processes to provide services to these institutions on a large scale. GCE’s most significant university partner is GCU, a comprehensive regionally accredited university that offers graduate and undergraduate degree programs, emphases and certificates across ten colleges both online, on ground at its campus in Phoenix, Arizona and at eight off-campus classroom and laboratory sites.
We also provide education services to numerous university partners across the United States. In the healthcare field, we work in partnership with universities and healthcare networks across the country, offering healthcare-related academic programs at off-campus classroom and laboratory sites located near healthcare providers and developing high-quality, career-ready graduates, who enter the workforce ready to meet the demands of the healthcare industry. In addition, we have provided certain services to a university partner to assist them in expanding their online graduate programs. As of December 31, 2024, GCE provides education services to 22 university partners across the United States.
We seek to add additional university partners and to introduce additional programs with both our existing partners and with new partners. We may engage with both new and existing university partners to offer healthcare programs, online only or hybrid programs, or, as is the case for our most significant partner, GCU, both healthcare and other programs. In addition, we have centralized a number of services that historically were provided separately to university partners of Orbis Education; therefore, we refer to all university partners as “GCE partners” or “our partners”. We do disclose significant information for GCU, such as enrollments, due to its size in comparison to our other university partners.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
The discussion of our financial condition and results of operations is based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP. During the preparation of these consolidated financial statements, we are required to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, costs and expenses, and related disclosures. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and assumptions, including those discussed below. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances. The results of our analysis form the basis for making assumptions about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions, and the impact of such differences may be material to our consolidated financial statements.
We believe that the following critical accounting policies involve our more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements:
Revenue recognition . GCE generates all of its revenue through services agreements with its university partners (“Services Agreements”), pursuant to which GCE provides integrated technology and academic services, marketing and communication services, and as applicable, certain back office services to its university partners in return for a percentage of tuition and fee revenue.
GCE’s Services Agreements have a single performance obligation, as the promises to provide the identified services are not distinct within the context of these agreements. The single performance obligation is delivered as our partners receive and consume benefits, which occurs ratably over a series of distinct service periods (daily or semester). Service revenue is recognized over time using the output method of measuring progress towards complete satisfaction of the single performance obligation. The output method provides a faithful depiction of the performance toward complete
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satisfaction of the performance obligation and can be tied to the time elapsed which is consumed evenly over the service period and is a direct measurement of the value provided to our partners. The service fees received from our partners over the term of the agreement are variable in nature in that they are dependent upon the number of students attending the university partner’s program and revenues generated from those students during the service period. Due to the variable nature of the consideration over the life of the service arrangement, GCE considered forming an expectation of the variable consideration to be received over the service life of this one performance obligation. However, since the performance obligation represents a series of distinct services, GCE recognizes the variable consideration that becomes known and billable because these fees relate to the distinct service period in which the fees are earned. GCE meets the criteria in ASC 606 Revenue from Contracts with Customers and exercises the practical expedient to not disclose the aggregate amount of the transaction price allocated to the single performance obligation that is unsatisfied as of the end of the reporting period. GCE does not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations because the directly allocable variable consideration is allocated entirely to a wholly unsatisfied promise to transfer a service that forms part of a single performance obligation. The service fees are calculated and settled per the terms of the Services Agreements and result in a settlement duration of less than one year for all partners. There are no refunds or return rights under the Services Agreements.
Income taxes . We recognize the amount of taxes payable or refundable for the current year and deferred tax assets and liabilities for future tax consequences of events that have been recognized in our consolidated financial statements or tax returns. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the temporary differences are expected to be realized. Our deferred tax assets are subject to periodic recoverability assessments. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount that more likely than not will be realized. Realization of the deferred tax assets is principally dependent upon achievement of projected future taxable income offset by deferred tax liabilities. We evaluate the realizability of the deferred tax assets annually. Since becoming a taxable corporation in August 2005, we have not recorded any valuation allowances to date on our deferred income tax assets. We evaluate and account for uncertain tax positions using a two-step approach. Recognition occurs when we conclude that a tax position based solely on its technical merits, is more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon examination. Measurement determines the amount of benefit that is greater than 50% likely to be realized upon the ultimate settlement with a taxing authority that has full knowledge of the facts. Derecognition of a tax position that was previously recognized occurs when we determine that a tax position no longer meets the more-likely-than-not threshold of being sustained upon examination. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, GCE has reserved approximately $14,626 and $13,631, respectively, for uncertain tax positions, including interest and penalties.
Results of Operations
For a discussion of the results of operations for fiscal year 2023 vs 2022, see “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 incorporated herein by reference.
The following table sets forth certain income statement data as a percentage of revenue for each of the periods indicated. Amortization of intangible assets have been excluded from the table below:
Year Ended December 31,
2024
2023
Costs and expenses
Technology and academic services
16.0
%
16.1
%
Counseling services and support
31.3
31.5
Marketing and communication
20.6
21.1
General and administrative
4.5
4.5
Year Ended December 31, 2024 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2023
Service revenue . Our service revenue for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $1,033.0 billion, an increase of $72.1 million, or 7.5%, as compared to service revenue of $960.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase year over year in service revenue was primarily due to an increase in GCU enrollments to 123,149 at December 31, 2024, an increase of 5.0% over enrollments at December 31, 2023. Partner enrollments totaled 127,155 at December 31, 2024 as compared to 121,250 at December 31, 2023. University partner enrollments at our off-campus classroom
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and laboratory sites were 4,919, an increase of 9.8% over enrollments at December 31, 2023, which includes 913 and 510 GCU students at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and an increase in revenue per student year over year. Excluding sites closing in 2024 to new enrollments, total enrollments at our off-campus classroom and laboratory sites increased 14.9% between years. The increase in revenue per student between years is primarily due to the s ervice 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. The increase in revenue per student in the year ended December 31, 2024 was also due to the additional day for leap year in 2024 which added additional service revenue of $1.5 million as compared to the prior year and we earned revenue in 2024 with a university partner in which we helped the partner develop an ABSN program under a cost plus arrangement. We will earn limited revenue with this partner going forward. 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 and the termination of one university partner contract at the end of the Spring 2024 semester had the effect of reducing revenue per student.
Partner enrollments totaled 127,155 at December 31, 2024 as compared to 121,250 at December 31, 2023. Although partner enrollments at our off-campus classroom and laboratory sites returned to year over year growth in 2024, some existing partners continue to experience reduced incoming cohort sizes which has slowed the growth. We believe the growth in the number of ABSN students continues to be negatively impacted by the strong job market as these students have historically been individuals with already completed bachelor’s degrees choosing to re-career into one of these health professions. To address this challenge, we have been working with our university partners to adjust their programs to allow students with the required education experience but without a completed bachelor’s degree to enter their programs. The majority of those partners that have made the adjustment to admit students without a completed bachelor’s degree had new enrollment growth on a year over year basis in the Summer and Fall 2024 semesters.
We opened five sites in the year ended December 31, 2023, six sites in the year ended December 31, 2024 and closed one site increasing the total number of these sites to 45 at December 31, 2024, which has also positively impacted the enrollment growth. Enrollments for GCU ground students were 24,552 at December 31, 2024 down from 25,209 at December 31, 2023 due to a small decline in traditional ground students year over year and the continued decline in professional studies students (working adults attending the university’s traditional campus at night), partially offset by an increase in ABSN students between years. GCU online enrollments were 98,597 at December 31, 2024, up from 92,070 at December 31, 2023, an increase of 7.1% between years.
Technology and academic services . Our technology and academic services expenses for the year ended December 31, 2024 were $165.1 million, an increase of $10.2 million, or 6.6%, as compared to technology and academic services expenses of $154.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. This increase was primarily due to increases in other technology and academic costs and in occupancy and depreciation of $8.3 million and $4.9 million, respectively, partially offset by a decrease in employee compensation and related expenses, including share-based compensation of $3.0 million. The increases in other technology and academic costs and occupancy and depreciation were primarily due to the costs associated with the increased number of off-campus classroom and laboratory sites to support our 22 university partners and their increased enrollment growth as well as an increase in curriculum cost reimbursement to our university partners. The decrease in employee compensation and related expenses is primarily due to decreased faculty reimbursements due to changes in our agreements with certain university partners whereby we no longer reimburse these partners for their faculty costs, partially offset by increased headcount to support our 22 university partners and their increased enrollment growth, tenure-based salary adjustments, benefit costs and the increased number of off-campus classroom and laboratory sites year over year. Our technology and academic services expenses as a percentage of revenue decreased by 0.1% to 16.0% for the year ended December 31, 2024, from 16.1% for the year ended December 31, 2023. This decrease was primarily due to the decreased faculty reimbursements between years partially offset by the growing curriculum cost reimbursement. We anticipate that technology and academic services expenses as a percentage of revenue will increase in the future as we open more off-site classroom and laboratory sites and the growing curriculum cost reimbursements although these increases might be offset by lower faculty reimbursements if more partners choose to adjust their contracts.
Counseling services and support . Our counseling services and support expenses for the year ended December 31, 2024 were $323.5 million, an increase of $21.2 million, or 7.0%, as compared to counseling services and support
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expenses of $302.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. This increase was primarily attributable to increases in employee compensation and related expenses including share-based compensation and benefits, in occupancy and depreciation costs and in other counseling services and support expenses of $18.0 million, $2.9 million and $0.3 million, respectively. The increases in employee compensation including share-based compensation and benefits were primarily due to increased headcount to support our university partners, and their planned increases in enrollment, tenure-based salary adjustments, benefit costs and the increased number of off-campus classroom and laboratory sites open year over year. The increase in occupancy and depreciation is primarily related to higher depreciation expense associated with our continued enhancements to technology infrastructure and internal-use software development. The increase in other counseling services and support expenses is primarily the result of increased travel costs for our 22 university partners. Our counseling services and support expenses as a percentage of revenue decreased 0.2% to 31.3% for the year ended December 31, 2024, from 31.5% for the year ended December 31, 2023 primarily due to our ability to leverage our counseling services and support expenses across an increasing revenue base. We anticipate that counseling services and support expense will increase in the future as we continue to invest to meet our partners’ needs although we might continue to have a decline in these costs as a percentage of revenue.
Marketing and communication . Our marketing and communication expenses for the year ended December 31, 2024 were $212.4 million, an increase of $9.6 million, or 4.7%, as compared to marketing and communication expenses of $202.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. This increase was primarily attributable to the increased cost to market our university partners’ programs and to the marketing of new university partners and new locations which resulted in increased advertising of $7.7 million, increased employee compensation, including share-based compensation and benefits of $1.1 million, an increase in other marketing and communication expenses of $0.5 million and an increase in occupancy and depreciation costs of $0.3 million. Our marketing and communication expenses as a percentage of revenue decreased by 0.5% to 20.6% for the year ended December 31, 2024, from 21.1% for the year ended December 31, 2023, primarily due to our ability to leverage our marketing and communication expenses across an increasing revenue base. We anticipate that marketing and communication expenses will increase in the future as we continue to invest to meet our partners’ needs although we might continue to have a decline in these costs as a percentage of revenue.
General and administrative . Our general and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2024 were $46.3 million, an increase of $3.1 million, or 7.1%, as compared to general and administrative expenses of $43.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. This increase was primarily attributable to an increase in professional fees including legal costs of $2.2 million, employee compensation, including share-based compensation and benefits of $1.4 million, which includes $1.1 million in severance costs recorded for an executive that resigned June 30, 2024, an increase in contributions in lieu of state income taxes of $1.0 million and increases in occupancy and depreciation costs of $0.2 million. These increases were partially offset by a decrease in other administrative expenses of $1.7 million primarily due to lower travel costs. Our general and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenue stayed flat at 4.5% for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 due to our ability to leverage our general and administrative expenses across an increasing revenue base partially offset by the severance costs and the increase in professional fees including legal costs. We anticipate that general and administrative expenses will increase in the future and these costs as a percentage of revenue might increase if legal costs continue to rise faster than our revenue growth rate.
Impairment and other. Impairment and other expenses of $1.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 primarily includes the write-off of an internal use software project that the Company had been attempting to develop for its other university partners that has been terminated and costs relating to exiting certain off-campus classroom and laboratory sites.
Amortization of intangible assets . Amortization of intangible assets for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 were $8.4 million for both periods. As a result of the Acquisition, certain identifiable intangible assets were created (primarily customer relationships) that will be amortized over their expected lives.
Investment interest and other . Investment interest and other for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $15.9 million, an increase of $5.4 million, as compared to $10.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 due to higher investment balances and higher returns on those balances.
Income tax expense . Income tax expense for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $65.1 million, an increase of $10.4 million, or 19.0%, as compared to income tax expense of $54.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. Our effective tax rate was 22.3% during the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to 21.1% during the year ended
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December 31, 2023. The effective tax rate increased year over year due to higher state income taxes. This was partially offset by an increase in excess tax benefits of $1.5 million as compared to $0.9 million in the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and a higher contribution in lieu of state income taxes of $4.5 million in 2024 compared to $3.5 million in 2023. The inclusion of excess tax benefits and deficiencies as a component of our income tax expense increases the volatility within our provision for income taxes as the amount of excess tax benefits or deficiencies from share-based compensation awards are dependent on our stock price at the date the restricted awards vest. Our restricted stock vests in March each year so any benefit or expense will primarily impact the first quarter each year.
Net income . Our net income for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $226.2 million, an increase of $21.2 million, or 10.4% as compared to $205.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, due to the factors discussed above.
Seasonality
Our service revenue and operating results normally fluctuate as a result of seasonal variations in our business, principally due to changes in our university partners’ enrollment. Our partners’ enrollment varies as a result of new enrollments, graduations, and student attrition. Service revenues in the summer months (May through August) are lower primarily due to the majority of GCU’s traditional ground students not attending courses during the summer months, which affects our results for our second and third fiscal quarters. Since a significant amount of our costs are fixed, the lower revenue resulting from the decreased summer enrollment has historically contributed to lower operating margins during those periods. Partially offsetting this summer effect has been the sequential quarterly increase in enrollments that has occurred as a result of the traditional fall school start. This increase in enrollments also has occurred in the first quarter, corresponding to calendar year matriculation. Thus, we experience higher net revenue in the fourth quarter due to its overlap with the semester encompassing the traditional fall school start and in the first quarter due to its overlap with the first semester of the calendar year. A portion of our expenses do not vary proportionately with these fluctuations in net revenue, resulting in higher operating income in the first and fourth quarters relative to other quarters. We expect quarterly fluctuation in operating results to continue as a result of these seasonal patterns.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of December 31,
(In thousands)
2024
2023
Cash, cash equivalents and investments
$
324,623
$
244,506
Overview
Our liquidity position, as measured by cash and cash equivalents and investments increased by $80.1 million between December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2024, which was largely attributable to cash flows from operations exceeding share repurchases, investment purchases, net of proceeds and capital expenditures during the year ended December 31, 2024 . Our unrestricted cash and cash equivalents and investments were $324.6 million and $244.5 million at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Based on our current level of operations and anticipated growth, we believe that our cash flow from operations and other sources of liquidity, including cash and cash equivalents and investments, will provide adequate funds for ongoing operations, planned capital expenditures, and working capital requirements for at least the next 24 months.
Cash Flows from Operating Activities
Year Ended December 31,
(In thousands)
2024
2023
Net cash provided by operating activities
$
289,958
$
243,662
The increase in cash generated from operating activities between the year ended December 31, 2023 and the year ended December 31, 2024 was primarily due to increased income and changes in working capital balances, primarily accounts payable and accrued liabilities. Accounts payable increased between December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2024 by $9.7 million compared to the decrease between December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2023 of $3.1 million due to the timing of vendor payments. Accrued liabilities increased by $4.3 million between December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2024 whereas it decreased by $2.0 million between December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2023 due to timing differences between the last pay period at the end of each fiscal year. We define working capital as the
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assets and liabilities, other than cash, generated through the Company’s primary operating activities. Changes in these balances are included in the changes in assets and liabilities presented in the consolidated statement of cash flows .
Cash Flows from Investing Activities
Year Ended December 31,
(In thousands)
2024
2023
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities
$
61,365
$
(80,472)
Investing activities provided $61.4 million of cash in the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to consuming $80.5 million in the year ended December 31, 2023.
Cash provided by or used in investing activities includes net investment activity. In the year ended December 31, 2024, proceeds from the sale of investments, net of purchases of available-for-sale securities were $99.0 million as the Company sold all its investments in the third quarter of 2024 and the proceeds were invested in cash and cash equivalents. In the year ended December 31, 2023, the purchase of available-for-sale securities, net of proceeds from the sale of investments were $35.0 million.
In the year ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 cash used in investing activities also included capital expenditures totaling $37.2 million and $44.5 million, respectively. Capital expenditures for both periods primarily consisted of leasehold improvements and equipment for new off-campus classroom and laboratory sites, as well as purchases of computer equipment, internal use software projects and furniture and equipment to support our increasing employee headcount. The Company incurs upfront expenses and capital expenditures prior to an off-campus classroom and laboratory site being opened. The Company intends to continue to spend approximately $30.0 million to $40.0 million per year for capital expenditures.
Cash Flows from Financing Activities
Year Ended December 31,
(In thousands)
2024
2023
Net cash used in financing activities
$
(173,175)
$
(137,124)
Financing activities consumed $173.2 million of cash in the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to $137.1 million in the year ended December 31, 2023.
During the year ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, $165.4 million and $130.8 million, respectively was used to purchase treasury stock in accordance with GCE’s share repurchase program. In 2024 and 2023, $7.8 million and $6.3 million, respectively, of cash was utilized to purchase common shares withheld in lieu of income taxes resulting from the vesting of restricted share awards. The Company intends to continue using a significant portion of its cash flows from operations to repurchase its shares.
Share Repurchase Program
On January 29, 2025, our Board of Directors increased the authorization under its existing stock repurchase program by $200.0 million, reflecting an aggregate authorization for share repurchases since the initiation of the program of $2,245.0 million. The current expiration date on the repurchase authorization by our Board of Directors is March 1, 2026. Repurchases occur at the Company’s discretion and the Company may modify, suspend or discontinue the repurchase authorization at any time.
Under our share repurchase authorization, we may purchase shares in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions, pursuant to the applicable SEC rules. The amount and timing of future share repurchases, if any, will be made as market and business conditions warrant.
Since 2011, we have repurchased 23.9 million shares of common stock at an aggregate cost of $1,945.4 million, which includes 1,141,678 shares of common stock at an aggregate cost of $165.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2024.
Contractual Obligations
Our contractual obligations primarily consist of capital expenditures primarily for new off-campus classroom and laboratory sites opening and continued spend on computer equipment, software licenses, internal software development and furniture and equipment to support our increasing employee headcount. See Note 6 - Leases , in Item 8,
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Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplementary Data. There are no other material contractual obligations or commitments for the Company.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements that have had or are reasonably likely to have a material current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures, or capital resources as of December 31, 2024.
Adjusted EBITDA (Non-GAAP Financial Measure)
In addition to our GAAP results, we use Adjusted EBITDA as a supplemental measure of our operating performance and as part of our compensation determinations. Adjusted EBITDA is not required by or presented in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to net income, operating income, or any other performance measure derived in accordance with GAAP, or as an alternative to cash flow from operating activities or as a measure of our liquidity.
Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income plus interest expense, less interest income and other gain (loss) recognized on investments, plus income tax expense, 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, and exit or lease termination costs. We present Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, 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 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 use Adjusted EBITDA only as a supplemental performance measure. For more information, see our consolidated financial statements and the notes to those consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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The following table reconciles net income to Adjusted EBITDA for the periods indicated:
Year Ended December 31,
2024
2023
Net income
$
226,234
$
204,985
Plus: interest expense
4
33
Less: investment interest and other
(15,920)
(10,452)
Plus: income tax expense
65,081
54,690
Plus: amortization of intangible assets
8,419
8,419
Plus: depreciation and amortization
28,135
23,554
EBITDA
311,953
281,229
Plus: contributions in lieu of state income taxes (a)
4,500
3,500
Plus: share-based compensation (b)
14,225
13,204
Plus: litigation and regulatory costs (c)
6,203
3,628
Plus: impairment and other (d)
1,897
—
Plus: loss on fixed asset disposal (e)
102
741
Plus: severance costs (f)
1,133
—
Adjusted EBITDA
$
340,013
$
302,302
(a) Represents contributions to various private Arizona school tuition organizations to assist with funding for education. In connection with such contributions made, we received a dollar-for-dollar state income tax credit, which resulted in a reduction in our effective income tax rate to 22.3% and 21.1% for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Had these contributions not been made, our effective tax rate would have been 23.5% and 22.1% for 2024 and 2023, respectively. Such contributions are viewed by our management to be made in lieu of payments of state income taxes and are therefore excluded from evaluation of our core operating performance.
(b) Reflects share-based compensation expense.
(c) Reflects primarily regulatory litigation.
(d) Reflects primarily the write-off of an internal use software project and costs related to exiting from off-campus classroom and laboratory sites.
(e) Represent loss on fixed asset disposals.
(f) Represents severance costs related to an executive that resigned effective June 30, 2024.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies , in Item 8, Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.