The global digital education market reached $111 billion, reflecting a rapid shift from print to platform delivery. In U.S. classrooms, 62% of K–12 teachers say their district provides a digital curriculum, while a RAND survey finds educators spend a median of 1 to 2 hours per week adapting digital materials for student needs. Those two pressures help connect how spending, adoption, and instructional practice move together across education publishing.
Key Takeaways
- 1.46 million K–12 teachers were employed in the United States in 2021 (National Center for Education Statistics, NCES).
- 24.1 million children and students were in public K–12 schools in the United States in 2019–20 (NCES).
- In a 2022 survey, 62% of U.S. K–12 teachers said their district provides a digital curriculum (ISTE/CoSN).
- 2.2% of U.S. consumers’ expenditures were allocated to “Education and vocational services” in 2022 (BEA PCE share by function).
- $1.7 billion in publisher revenues in the U.S. for K–12 and higher ed textbook and instructional materials (estimated by Bowker/WIPO/market summaries in Bowker’s publishing industry analysis for 2022).
- Textbook and course material prices increased 6.9% from 2012 to 2022 in the U.S. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI data for textbooks and school supplies).
- $21.7 billion in U.S. K–12 education materials was spent in 2021 (industry summary reported by Publishers Weekly referencing market data).
- 4.8% of total U.S. GDP was spent on education in 2022 (OECD Education at a Glance provides comparable data).
- OECD reported that 6.1% of GDP was spent on education on average across OECD countries in 2022 (Education at a Glance 2023).
- Teachers spent a median of 1–2 hours per week adapting content to meet student needs using digital resources (RAND teacher survey results published on RAND.org).
- In a 2014 RAND review, 47% of students using online learning improved their learning outcomes relative to those not using it (RAND meta-analysis citing effect size evidence).
- In a 2010 meta-analysis of educational technology interventions, students gained 0.33 standard deviations on average compared with controls (University of Kentucky / Cheung et al., as cited in a published paper).
- The U.S. textbook market declined by 3.2% in 2023 due to continued digital shift (Publishers Weekly market coverage).
- UNESCO reported that 60% of countries have AI-related education or digital policy work in progress (UNESCO AI and education report).
- In 2021, 58% of educators reported using digital materials to support instruction at least weekly (RAND educator survey, reported on RAND.org).
Teachers, students, and publishers are rapidly shifting to digital learning as U.S. education spending keeps rising.
Related reading
01 · Category
Workforce & Schools4 stats
01
1.46 million K–12 teachers were employed in the United States in 2021 (National Center for Education Statistics, NCES).
02
24.1 million children and students were in public K–12 schools in the United States in 2019–20 (NCES).
03
In a 2022 survey, 62% of U.S. K–12 teachers said their district provides a digital curriculum (ISTE/CoSN).
04
In the U.S., the student-to-teacher ratio was 14.1 in 2019–20 (NCES).
Interpretation
Workforce & Schools Interpretation
With 1.46 million K–12 teachers serving 24.1 million public school students, the U.S. workforce faces high demand alongside a strong push toward tech since 62% of teachers report their districts provide digital curricula.
02 · Category
Cost Analysis5 stats
01
2.2% of U.S. consumers’ expenditures were allocated to “Education and vocational services” in 2022 (BEA PCE share by function).
02
$1.7 billion in publisher revenues in the U.S. for K–12 and higher ed textbook and instructional materials (estimated by Bowker/WIPO/market summaries in Bowker’s publishing industry analysis for 2022).
03
Textbook and course material prices increased 6.9% from 2012 to 2022 in the U.S. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI data for textbooks and school supplies).
04
In 2024, the U.S. CPI for “textbooks and other school supplies” increased by 1.7% year-over-year (BLS CPI-U category data).
05
In the U.S., education expenditures per student in public elementary and secondary schools were $14,098in 2021 (NCES).
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
In the Cost Analysis lens, U.S. education-related costs remain on an upward path, with textbook and course material prices rising 6.9% from 2012 to 2022 and the 2024 CPI for textbooks and other school supplies still up 1.7% year over year, even as public elementary and secondary spending is $14,098 per student in 2021.
03 · Category
Market Size6 stats
01
$21.7 billion in U.S. K–12 education materials was spent in 2021 (industry summary reported by Publishers Weekly referencing market data).
02
4.8% of total U.S. GDP was spent on education in 2022 (OECD Education at a Glance provides comparable data).
03
OECD reported that 6.1% of GDP was spent on education on average across OECD countries in 2022 (Education at a Glance 2023).
04
In 2022, the global digital education market was valued at $111 billion (Fortune Business Insights).
05
The global K–12 education market is expected to reach $1,421.2 billion by 2028 (MarketsandMarkets).
06
North America accounted for 33% of the global e-learning market in 2022 (Fortune Business Insights).
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
Market size is expanding in both traditional and digital segments, with $21.7 billion spent on US K–12 education materials in 2021 while the global digital education market reached $111 billion in 2022 and is projected to drive larger opportunities such as the global K–12 market reaching $1,421.2 billion by 2028.
More related reading
04 · Category
Performance Metrics4 stats
01
Teachers spent a median of 1–2 hours per week adapting content to meet student needs using digital resources (RAND teacher survey results published on RAND.org).
02
In a 2014 RAND review, 47% of students using online learning improved their learning outcomes relative to those not using it (RAND meta-analysis citing effect size evidence).
03
In a 2010 meta-analysis of educational technology interventions, students gained 0.33 standard deviations on average compared with controls (University of Kentucky / Cheung et al., as cited in a published paper).
04
A 2016–2018 pilot study found students using open textbooks had higher pass rates by about 6% compared to traditional textbook cohorts (peer-reviewed publication by Colvard et al.).
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Across performance metrics, digital and open education resources consistently show measurable gains, with 47% of students improving when using online learning and open textbooks raising pass rates by about 6%, while technology interventions average an improvement of 0.33 standard deviations over controls.
05 · Category
Industry Trends2 stats
01
The U.S. textbook market declined by 3.2% in 2023 due to continued digital shift (Publishers Weekly market coverage).
02
UNESCO reported that 60% of countries have AI-related education or digital policy work in progress (UNESCO AI and education report).
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
In 2023, the U.S. textbook market fell 3.2% as publishers accelerated the digital shift, and UNESCO’s finding that 60% of countries are working on AI-related education or digital policy shows the industry trends are moving toward technology driven learning strategies.
06 · Category
User Adoption4 stats
01
In 2021, 58% of educators reported using digital materials to support instruction at least weekly (RAND educator survey, reported on RAND.org).
02
OpenStax reported serving 49 million learners worldwide in 2023 (OpenStax annual report metrics).
03
OER Commons recorded 6.4 million learners and 33 million resource views in 2022 (OER Commons annual report, accessible).
04
In OECD countries, 41% of students reported that they never or hardly ever use digital devices for schoolwork (PISA data).
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
User adoption of educational digital content is clearly uneven but growing, with 58% of educators using digital materials weekly in 2021 and platforms like OpenStax reaching 49 million learners in 2023 and OER Commons drawing 6.4 million learners in 2022, even as OECD data shows 41% of students never or hardly ever use digital devices for schoolwork.
report visual · Key figures
U.S. textbook and school-supplies inflation (recent years)
Textbook and school-supplies prices have continued to rise, reflecting ongoing cost pressure amid the shift toward digital learning.
6.9%
Textbook and course material prices increased 6.9% from 2012 to 2022 in the U.S. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI da
1.7%
In 2024, the U.S. CPI for “textbooks and other school supplies” increased by 1.7% year-over-year (BLS CPI-U category dat
1.46
1.46 million K–12 teachers were employed in the United States in 2021 (National Center for Education Statistics, NCES).
source-verifiedbls.gov · nces.ed.gov2024
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Marcus Afolabi. (2026, February 13). Educational Publishing Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/educational-publishing-industry-statistics
MLA
Marcus Afolabi. "Educational Publishing Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/educational-publishing-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Marcus Afolabi. 2026. "Educational Publishing Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/educational-publishing-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
25 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+10 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)