Nature of the Business	12 Months Ended
Nature of the Business	Dec. 31, 2025
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Nature of the 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 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, veterans, extended military families, and other 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 18 campuses in five states, and online. 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 eight campuses in three states. 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. On July 25, 2025, or the GSUSA Sale Date, APEI completed the sale of its membership interest in GSUSA; therefore, the Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2025, no longer includes the accounts of GSUSA. The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements include the operations of GSUSA through the GSUSA Sale Date in Corporate and Other. Please refer to “Note 2. Significant Accounting Policies” for more information on APEI’s sale of its membership interest in GSUSA. The Company’s subsidiary institutions are licensed or otherwise authorized by state authorities to offer education programs to the extent the institutions believe such licenses or authorizations are required, and APUS, RU, and HCN are certified by the U.S. 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. The Company’s operations for the periods covered by this Annual Report 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, and, prior to the GSUSA Sale Date, the operational activities of GSUSA. Prior to the GSUSA Sale Date, GSUSA operated as a stand-alone subsidiary of APEI but did not meet the quantitative thresholds to qualify as a reportable segment and did not have other requisite characteristics as a reportable segment. Therefore, GSUSA’s results prior to the GSUSA Sale Date were combined with and presented within Corporate and Other. Please refer to “Note 15. Segment Information” for more information on the Company’s reporting segments.