K–12 Supplemental Materials Market 2025–2027 Report

Report Overview

Digital adoption, targeted intervention needs, and increased interest in adaptable, cross-subject resources will drive growth.

Key themes covered in this report:

• expiration of ESSER funding
• curriculum fragmentation due to political shifts
• proliferation of teacher-generated content
• AI Integration and Digital Ecosystems

K–12 Supplemental Materials Market 2025–2027 provides a comprehensive analysis of the growing importance of supplemental instructional materials in U.S. schools. Once considered optional additions, these resources are now essential to supporting differentiated instruction, intervention programs, and district-level strategic goals. The report draws on proprietary market forecasts, educator surveys, procurement data, and product segmentation to deliver a detailed, actionable overview of the $4.73 billion market.

Simba identifies eight primary product categories: print supplements, manipulatives, digital applications, courseware, trade books, classroom magazines, video resources, and hands-on kits. These tools account for nearly half of all instructional material purchases and are widely used to support remediation, enrichment, and culturally responsive teaching. Their flexible design allows educators to tailor content to individual learner needs, increasing both reach and relevance across grade levels.

As ESSER funding phases out, districts are shifting toward sustainable procurement models. The report highlights how vendors are responding with solutions focused on return on investment, ease of integration, and adaptive capabilities. Artificial intelligence plays a central role, enabling real-time instructional adjustments, data-informed planning, and multilingual content access. These features support both personalization and standards alignment.
The movement toward comprehensive digital ecosystems that integrate assessment, content delivery, teacher support, and professional development has gained momentum, driven by educator demand and administrative efficiency goals. Adoption decisions are increasingly influenced by support for hybrid instruction, services for English learners, and alignment with high-quality instructional material (HQIM) standards.

Simba projects a 2.7% compound annual growth rate through 2027, with digital and AI-driven platforms leading expansion. The report illustrates how policy changes, funding constraints, equity initiatives, and evolving classroom needs are redefining the role of supplemental materials in K–12 education.

K-12 Supplemental Materials Market Report Details

Companies Profiled in the Report

K–12 Supplemental Materials Market Segmentation and Scope

The supplemental materials market is defined to include print and digital products used alongside core curriculum. These materials encompass intervention tools, skills practice programs, manipulatives, classroom magazines, trade books, reading and math supplements, digital platforms, OER, and teacher-generated content used at scale. This report excludes full basal programs unless identified as blended core/supplemental packages.

Forecast Model and Data Sources Market sizing and projections for 2022 through 2027 are based on Simba’s proprietary forecast model, which incorporates:

• Publisher-reported revenue by format, subject, and grade band
• Public financial filings and investor updates
• Interviews with providers, district leaders, and platform developers
• Survey findings from Simba’s 2023 panel of 327 curriculum and procurement leaders
• Adoption cycle tracking across core and supplemental markets
• Procurement data shared by regional service agencies and cooperative buyers
• Historical data reflects revenue patterns from 2015 onward, with a focus on growth trajectories pre- and post-pandemic.

K–12 Supplemental Materials Market Report Methodology 

This report leverages Simba Information’s established methodology for analyzing and forecasting the US K–12 instructional materials market, with a specific focus on supplemental resources. The approach combines quantitative modeling, qualitative market analysis, and policy contextualization to capture both the measurable and evolving dynamics of supplemental instructional content.

Policy and Procurement Context

District and state-level procurement trends were triangulated using:

• Adoption lists and instructional guidance from 22 states
• State Board of Education policy changes (2022–2025)
• DOE and Census Bureau fiscal projections
• Reports from the Center for Education Market Dynamics and Edunomics Lab
• ESSER allocation and expenditure tracking through 2024

The 2025 edition places added emphasis on the expiration of ESSER III, the evolving role of state-level mandates, and the emergence of politically motivated curriculum restrictions. These policy factors are considered alongside economic drivers, including inflation-related cost pressures, teacher turnover, and edtech platform consolidation.

Evaluation Framework 

To evaluate the quality and instructional relevance of supplemental resources, Simba considered the following factors:

• Format diversity and platform accessibility
• Embedded assessment and reporting capabilities
• Alignment to state and national standards (e.g., CCSS, NGSS, TEKS)
• Evidence of equity-centered or culturally responsive pedagogy
• Use of AI, adaptive learning, or data-driven personalization

All forecasts are presented in US dollars and reflect publisher revenues before district-level implementation costs. Figures are rounded for clarity and may not reflect margin-level detail. Market share breakdowns are categorized by product type and delivery model to reflect district adoption behavior.

Print Versus Digital Supplements

The future of K-12 materials looks like a mix of printed and digital. In the survey conducted by Bay View Analytics on 1,377 K-12 teachers in April 2024, over half (57%) believed students learn better from print than digital resources. Only 7% disagreed. 

Although the utilization of digital materials in a classroom rose during the pandemic, teachers still prefer using print materials in their practice. While showing a preference for print, numerous teachers recognize digital materials have some benefits: 70% agreed digital materials allow students greater flexibility. Only 11% thought otherwise. Many teachers reported working on the best ways to combine the two formats to support their pupils’ learning.

As technology has matured over the past years, the benefits of digital materials has increased, including more learning options and better integration and quality due to more peer reviews. They allow for increased student participation and streamline and enable personalized interactions. However, they also have some drawbacks. Some teachers have complained about the quality of digital materials. They also worry that confusing interfaces, increased distraction in classrooms, and greater chances of students cheating could negatively impact the student learning process.