Publishing for the PreK-12 Market, 2023-2024


Attention: There is an updated edition available for this report.

Publishing for the PreK-12 Market, 2023-2024


Simba Information, in its just released Publishing for the PreK-12 Market, 2023-2024 report, found that total sales of instructional materials reached $9.9 billion in 2022, up 6.3% from $9.31 billion in 2021. The report determined that this market growth can be attributed to continued replenishment of classroom materials due to return to classrooms after lengthy lockdown breaks; the increased need for addition materials to address learning loss; more robust local budgets due to increased state and local tax collection; growing state budgets that represent an increased efforts to reverse poor educational results; continued ESSER funding from the federal level to address learning loss and pandemic-related issues; and the return to practices that were put on hold during the pandemic such as state testing). Simba believes that post-pandemic trends will impact sales through 2024 due to federal ESSER funding being completely utilized.

Simba’s Publishing for the PreK-12 Market, 2023-2024 report, also found that the share of total sales in digital materials in the PreK-12 instructional materials neared 70% during the lockdown in 2020. The share has since pulled back with digital material sales accounting for 61% of total sales in both 2021 and 2022 despite total dollar sales continuing to grow. Simba attributed the regression in digital sales to a continued comfort level with print materials in the classroom, a rebellion against too much screen time, and an awareness of the pedagogical value of print and physical materials.

Simba Information’s Publishing for the PreK-12 Market, 2023-2024 report details the enrollment trends and demographics of the PreK-12 market, K-12 policy and budget needs, market size, and provides a competitive analysis of public providers of instructional materials including selected company profiles. The data and findings are based on Simba’s internal research and analysis of official data drawn from a wide range of expert timely sources, including main data from the US Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, along with information from state education departments, local school districts, and state legislative bodies. The report also includes information from Simba’s nationwide research that is conducted on an ongoing basis throughout the year, combined with company presentations and public documents.

Publishing for the PreK-12 Market, 2023-2024 covers the following major categories outlining and impacting the market:
  • PreK-12 enrollment trends
  • PreK-12 demographics
  • K-12 policy trends
  • K-12 budget trends
  • Market size
  • Competitive market analysis
Publishing for the PreK-12 Market, 2023-2024 contains detailed company profiles covering 14 large and/or public providers of PreK-12 instructional materials.

Key companies profiled include:
  • Boxlight
  • Cambium Learning
  • Cengage
  • Discovery Education
  • Goodheart-Wilcox
  • Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  • Kahoot!
  • McGraw Hill
  • Pearson
  • PowerSchool
  • Renaissance Learning
  • Savvas Learning Company
  • Scholastic Corporation
  • Stride
Publishers and investment professionals can trust Simba Information's Publishing for the PreK-12 Market, 2023-2024 to provide the inside intelligence needed to evaluate the changes and needs effecting the products, sales, segment, and marketing of PreK-12 instructional materials.

Publishing for the PreK-12 Market, 2023-2024 is an essential tool for publishing executives, M&A advisors, market analysts, and industry consultants who need to understand the current drivers impacting PreK-12 instructional material sales, both recent past, present, and forecast into the next few years

Simba has the knowledge base and perspective gained from more than 20 years’ covering this market and the rapid changes in technology, the economy, mergers, partnerships, and public policy that affect it.


  • Introduction and Methodology
    • Methodology
  • Enrollment & Demographics
    • Post-Lockdown Enrollments Lag
      • Pandemic-Led Impacts
      • Longer-Term Trends
      • Permanent Impacts
    • The Public School Landscape
      • Table Enrollment in Public K-12 Schools by Level, Fall 2019 to Fall 2023 (in thousands)
      • Enrollment Trends Vary By State
        • Table Change in Public School Enrollments by State, 2021-2022 versus 2020-2021 School Years
      • State Estimates for 2022-2023
      • Variations by District
      • Impacts by Race and Ethnicity
        • Table Enrollment in Public Schools by Level and Race/Ethnicity, Fall 2021 (in thousands)
    • General Population Trends
      • Birth Rates
        • Table Change in Number of Births by Race/Ethnicity, 2021
      • Youth Population
        • Table Resident US Population Under 18 Years and Percentage of Population, by State, 2022
        • Table Number of Children Under 18 in the US, by Age, 2020-2022 and Projected 2023-2029 (in millions)
      • Population Trends by State
        • Table Change in Population by State, 2020-2022
    • Number of Public Schools
      • Table Number of Public K-12 Schools by Type and Charter, Magnet, and Virtual Status, 2020-21 through 2021-22
    • Alternatives to Public Schools
      • School Choice
    • Private Schools See Pandemic Coattails
      • Catholic Schools Stay Strong
        • Table Catholic School Enrollment and Number of Schools, 2022-2023
        • Table Catholic School Enrollment Trends, Fall 2018 to Fall 2022
    • Charter Schools
      • Table Number of Charter Students and Schools, 2018-2019 Through 2020-2021
      • Table States with the Largest Charter School Enrollment as a Share of Total School Enrollments, 2020-2021
    • Home Schooling
      • Table Number of Students Home-Educated, 2019-2022
    • Virtual Schooling
      • Table Number of US Virtual Schools, Enrollment, and Share of Enrollment, 2019-2020
    • Graduation Rates and Dual Enrollment
      • Table Public High School Graduates, by Region, 2019-2020 through 2022-2023 (P)
      • Dual Enrollment
    • Poverty and Homelessness
      • Table Percentage Distribution of Enrollment in Public Schools, by Family Poverty Rate of 5- to 17-Year-Olds Living in the District, 2019-2020
      • Homelessness and Education
        • Table Homeless Students (Undergrad, 3- to 5-year-olds, and K-12), 2017-2018 through 2019-2020 (in thousands)
        • Table Homeless Students Enrolled, by Select Age Levels, 2017-2018 to 2019-2020
    • Continued Rise of the English Learner Population
      • Table Trends in English-Language Learner Enrollment, 2000-2001 to 2019-2020
      • Table English-learner Students Enrolled in Public K-12 Schools by Grade, Fall 2019
      • Table English-learner Students Enrolled in Public K-12 Schools by Home Language, Fall 2019
      • Table English-learner Students Enrolled in Public K-12 Schools by Race/Ethnicity and Disability, Fall 2019
      • Table Percentage of Public School Students Who Are English Learners by State, 2019-2020
    • Special Education Enrollments Decline Slightly
      • Table Children Served Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part B, by Type of Disability, 2020-2021 (in thousands)
    • Universal PreK Programs Continue To Grow
      • Table Percentage of 3- to 5-Year-Old Children Enrolled in School, by Gender and Race/Ethnicity, 2019-2020 versus 2020-2021 School Years
      • Table Availability of Public PreK Programs by State, February 2023
    • Students on the Move
      • Table Foreign-Born Immigration and Student Immigration, 2013-2022 (in thousands)
      • Table Annual Population Change, July 1, 2021 to July 1, 2022
      • Exchange Programs
        • Table Top States for K-12 Schools Certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program by State, 2021
      • Undocumented Students
        • Table Estimated Population of K-12 Undocumented Students by State, 2021
    • Even Post-Pandemic, Room for Improvement in Connectivity
      • Table Progress Toward FCC School Connectivity Goals, 2015-2022
      • Table Percentage of Districts Meeting FCC-Recommended Bandwidth of 1 Mbps Per Student by State, 2021-2022
  • Budget & Policy
    • Federal Funding Remains Strong In Advance of ESSER Cliff
      • Congressional Appropriations Target Federal Priorities
        • Table Department of Education Fiscal Year 2024 President’s Budget, Selected K-12 Programs (thousand $)
      • Appropriations by State Vary Dramatically
        • Table Department of Education Grants to Local Educational Agencies, 2022-2024E (thousand $)
      • Looking Ahead to 2023
        • Table Federal On-Budget Funds for K-12 Education, by Agency, 2020-2021 (thousand $)
      • Preparing for the ESSER Funding Cliff
      • K-12 Spending By Funding Source
        • Table Summary of Public Elementary-Secondary School System Revenues, FY2021 (thousand $)
        • Table Summary of Public Elementary-Secondary School System Expenditures, FY2021 (thousand $)
        • Table Summary of Public Elementary-Secondary School System Revenues and Expenditures by State, FY2021 (thousand $)
    • Uncertainty Impacts State Budget Forecasts
      • States Announce Funding Increases
      • Examining Funding Formulas
    • Curriculum Restrictions and Book Bans
      • Curriculum Restrictions
      • Book Bans in Libraries and Classrooms
    • School Choice and Parental Rights
      • Parental Rights in the Classroom
    • Policy Dictates Subject Matter
      • Computer Science
      • Career and Technical Education
      • The Science of Reading
      • Dual-Language Programs
      • PreK and Early Learning
      • Media Literacy
      • Social-Emotional Learning: Embraced Despite Divisions
        • Table State Progress on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development, 2021 (number of states)
    • Social Issues at the Forefront
      • Gun Violence Incidents on the Rise
      • Mental Health Is an Ongoing Concern
      • Inclusivity vs. Fairness: Title IX and Transgender Students
      • Other Social Issues Having an Impact on K-12 Education
    • Teacher Staffing and Pay
    • Cybersecurity, Privacy, and Connectivity
      • The Cybersecurity Threat
  • PreK-12 Instructional Materials Market Size
    • Total Sales of Instructional Materials
      • Sales by Segment
        • Table Sales of Instructional Materials Into PreK-12 Schools, by Segment, 2020-2022 ($ in millions)
        • Table Market Share, Sales of Instructional Materials Into PreK-12 Schools, by Segment, 2020-2022
      • Pandemic Fallout
      • Move to Digital Slows Post-Pandemic
        • Table Share of Instructional Materials, Print vs. Digital, 2020-2022
    • Looking Ahead
      • Table Forecasted Sales of Instructional Materials Into PreK-12 Schools, by Segment, 2023-2026 ($ in millions)
      • Category Trends Continue
        • Table Market Share, Forecasted Sales of Instructional Materials Into PreK-12 Schools, by Segment, 2023-2026
      • Digital Materials Steady at Just Under Two-Thirds of Market
        • Table Forecasted Share of Instructional Materials, Print vs. Digital, 2023-2026
  • Competitive Analysis
    • Operational Trends in 2022-2023
      • Trends and Challenges Face Educators and Vendors
      • How Companies Have Responded to the Trends
    • PreK-12 Companies’ Financial Performance in 2022 and Early 2023
      • Table PreK-12 Performance Index Most Recently Reported Fiscal Years
      • Growth Drivers to Watch
      • Goodheart-Willcox Delays Reporting
      • Looking Ahead to Fiscal 2023
        • Table PreK-12 Performance Index, Latest Partial Fiscal Year (% change)
      • PreK-12 Market Outperforms Publishing as a Whole
    • Stock Price Trends in 2022-2023
      • The Year 2023: First Half
        • Table Public Education Company Stock Index, January 2022-June 2023 (opening & closing prices and % change)
      • Robust Stock Issuance and Repurchase Activity
      • Trend Toward Private Ownership Continues
      • SPACs and IPOs Cool
    • M&A Activity in 2022 and First Half of 2023
      • M&A Activity in PreK-12 Education Steady in 2022
        • Table M&A Activity Involving Suppliers of PreK-12 Educational Solutions, 2022
      • Industry Trends Drive Acquisition Activity
      • First Half of 2023 Shows a Slowing of M&A Activity
        • Table M&A Activity Involving Suppliers of PreK-12 Educational Solutions, First Seven Months of Calendar Year 2023
    • Interest from Private Equity Slows
      • Table Selected Private Equity Investments in PreK-12 Education, 2022
      • More Slowing in First Half of 2023
        • Table Selected Private Equity Investments in PreK-12 Education, First Half of Calendar Year 2023
      • Private Equity Portfolios Maintain Education Holdings
        • Table Selected Private Equity Investors in PreK-12 Education, 2023
  • Company Profiles
    • Boxlight
    • Cambium Learning
    • Cengage
    • Discovery Education
    • Goodheart-Willcox
    • Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
    • Kahoot!
    • McGraw Hill
    • Pearson
    • PowerSchool
    • Renaissance Learning
    • Savvas Learning Company
    • Scholastic Corporation
    • Stride
  • Conclusion

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