2021 National Instructional Materials Adoption Scorecard and 2022 Outlook


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

2021 National Instructional Materials Adoption Scorecard and 2022 Outlook:

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The 2021-2022 instructional materials adoption season was a year of recovery for the publishing market, as most districts made decisions in accordance with the traditional academic schedule. While this provided some relief to publishers, there remain challenges. Subscriptions for bundled materials and services continue to decline, creating many questions about how providers will be able to compete against other high-growth subscription models in K–12 education. Additionally, given increasing state influence over local decisions through recent measures such as local control and non-compliance policies, publishers face challenges when it comes to sales projections for upcoming years.

The adoption opportunities in 2021 and results from major adoptions in 2022 are provided in Simba Information's recently released 2021 National Instructional Materials Adoption Scorecard and 2022 Outlook.

This report outlines the largest adoption opportunities for K-12 publishers in 2021, provides an overview of the instructional materials adoption process and selected results in Texas, California, North Carolina, and Florida, and includes the annual Publisher Scorecard and a calendar of scheduled adoptions from 2022-2025.

The 2021 National Instructional Materials Adoption Scorecard and 2022 Outlook contains separate chapters covering the 2020-2021 adoption cycle, the 2021-2022 adoption results including sales data and scorecard, and an outlook that includes:

  • Florida’s adoption of Social Studies materials 2022-2023
  • Texas’ launch of math and literacy framework development grant 2022-2023
  • Texas’ decision to rewrite its K-12 social studies curriculum 2022-2023
  • 2022-2025 adoption schedule information for the 18 states that Simba tracks for major adoptions
Publishers and education professionals can trust 2021 National Instructional Materials Adoption Scorecard and 2022 Outlook to provide the inside intelligence needed to evaluate market growth, understand trends affecting the K-12 publishing market, and size up the competition.
    Examples of key findings include:
  • Participation in instructional materials adoptions continues to be a path to penetration in the K-12 school market.
  • Reading and math continue to be the largest revenue generators. Participating in statewide adoptions in those subjects remain key sales strategies for small and large instructional materials providers.
  • Participating in statewide adoptions in STEM/STEAM is a growing area in the market for small and large instructional materials providers. While traditional publishers maintain their dominance in core adoptions, rising technology-based providers such as QuaverEd have joined the ranks as major competitors.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the adoption process in 2020—particularly fulfillment—but did not crash it. Most reviews and decisions continued apace virtually allowing 2021 adoptions to take place as scheduled.
Simba’s 2021 National Instructional Materials Adoption Scorecard and 2022 Outlook is an essential tool for publishing executives, M&A advisors, market analysts, and industry consultants who need to understand the business strategies driving the K-12 publishing market.


  • Methodology
  • Executive Summary
  • Introduction and Trends
    • Guaranteed Demand
    • 18 States Form Core of Instructional Materials Adoptions
      • Table Instructional Materials Adoption States
      • Adoption Cycles
  • 2021-2022 State Adoption Year Results
    • Texas K-12 ELA Adoption
      • Table Texas Pre K-4 English Language Arts Adoption Sales, 2021-2022 ($ total sales; ranked by total share)
    • California Schools Adopt K-8 World Languages
      • Table Ten K-8 World Languages Programs Adopted by California, 2021-2022 (listed by publisher)
      • Table California K-8 World Languages Adoption Sales, 2021-2022 ($ total sales; ranked by total share)
    • Florida Adopts K-12 ELA and Mathematics Materials
      • Table Florida K-12 Mathematics Adoption Sales, 2021-2022 ($ total sales)
    • North Carolina Adopts 9-12 Mathematics and CTE
      • Table NC 9-12 Mathematics and CTE Adoption Sales, 2021-2022 ($ total sales; ranked by total share)
    • Top 2021 Publisher Adoption Scorecard
      • Table Simba’s Adoption Publisher Scorecard, 2021-2022, ($ in 000 and rounded; ranked by total share)
    • Takeaways from 2021 Adoptions
  • Looking Ahead to 2022-2023 Adoption Year and Beyond
    • Florida to Adopt Social Studies Materials 2022-2023
      • Table Florida 2022-2023 K-12 Social Studies Adoption Bid List (listed by grade level subject)
    • Texas Launches Math and Literacy Framework Development Grant and Rewrites Social Studies Curriculum
      • Benefits of the Grant
    • Tennessee to Address Adoption and Implementation Cycles
      • Table Tennessee 2022-2023 Mathematics Adoption Bid List
    • Upcoming Adoption Opportunities for Publishers
      • Table State K-12 Instructional Materials Adoption Schedule, Purchase Years 2022-2025

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