Nature of Business	12 Months Ended
Nature of Business	Dec. 31, 2022
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Nature of Business	Nature of the Business American Public Education, Inc., or APEI, which together with its subsidiaries is referred to as the “Company,” is a provider of online and campus-based postsecondary education and, with the acquisition of Graduate School USA, career learning to students through the following subsidiary institutions: •American Public University System, Inc., or APUS, provides online postsecondary education directed primarily at the needs of the military, military-affiliated, public service and service-minded communities through American Military University, or AMU, and American Public University, or APU. APUS is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, or HLC. •Rasmussen College, LLC, which is referred to herein as Rasmussen University, or RU, a nursing- and health sciences-focused institution, provides postsecondary education to students at its 22 campuses across six states and online. The Company completed the acquisition of RU, or the Rasmussen Acquisition, on September 1, 2021, or the RU Closing Date. Please refer to “Note 3. Acquisition Activity” in these Consolidated Financial Statements for more information on this acquisition. The Consolidated Financial Statements do not include the operating results or financial position of RU for any periods prior to the Closing Date. RU is institutionally accredited by HLC. •National Education Seminars, Inc., which is referred to herein as Hondros College of Nursing, or HCN, provides nursing education to students enrolled at six campuses in Ohio, one campus in Indianapolis, Indiana, and, beginning in October 2022, one campus in Detroit, Michigan, to serve the needs of the nursing and healthcare communities. HCN is institutionally accredited by the Accrediting Bureau for Health Education Schools, or ABHES. •American Public Training LLC, which is referred to herein as Graduate School USA, or GSUSA, provides career learning and leadership training in-person and online to the federal workforce. The Company completed the acquisition of substantially all the assets of GSUSA, or the GSUSA Acquisition, on January 1, 2022, or the GSUSA Closing Date. Please refer to “Note 3. Acquisition Activity” in these Consolidated Financial Statements for more information on this acquisition. The Consolidated Financial Statements do not include the operating results or financial position of GSUSA for any periods prior to the GSUSA Closing Date. GSUSA is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training, or ACCET. GSUSA operates as a stand-alone subsidiary of APEI but does not meet the quantitative thresholds to qualify as a reportable segment. Therefore, GSUSA’s results are combined and presented within “Corporate and Other”. Please refer to “Note 14. Segment Information” for more information on the Company’s reporting segments. The Company’s subsidiary institutions are licensed or otherwise authorized by state authorities to offer postsecondary education programs to the extent the institutions believe such licenses or authorizations are required, and APUS, RU, and HCN are certified by the United States Department of Education, or ED, to participate in student financial aid programs authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, or Title IV programs. During the third quarter of 2021, the Company revised its reportable segments, as discussed further in “Note 14. Segment Information”. Prior period segment disclosures have been restated to conform to the current period presentation. The Company’s operations are organized into the following three reportable segments: •American Public University System Segment, or APUS Segment. This segment reflects the operational activities of APUS. •Rasmussen University Segment, or RU Segment. This segment reflects the operational activities of RU. •Hondros College of Nursing Segment, or HCN Segment. This segment reflects the operational activities of HCN. Adjustments to reconcile segment results to the Consolidated Financial Statements are included in “Corporate and Other”. These adjustments include unallocated corporate activity and eliminations, which generally were previously reported within the APEI Segment, and effective January 1, 2022, the operational activities of GSUSA.