Scholastic’s current senior leadership includes Peter Warwick as President and CEO, Iole Lucchese as Chair of the Board and President of Scholastic Entertainment, Haji Glover as CFO, Jeffrey Mathews as Chief Growth Officer and President of Scholastic Education, and Sasha Quinton as President of the Children’s Book Group.2

Foundation and early years

Scholastic traces its origins to 1920, when Maurice R. Robinson published The Western Pennsylvania Scholastic from a sewing room in his parents’ home in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania. The original publication was only four pages long and was aimed at students and schools. It subsequently expanded into a national student publication.1

Robinson’s idea was based on a simple principle: children would be more interested in reading if the material was written specifically for them and connected with their lives and education. That philosophy became an important part of Scholastic’s identity.

In 1923, Robinson established the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, initially recognizing student writers. The program expanded to visual art in 1927 and eventually became one of the most prominent long-running programs recognizing young creative talent in the United States. Alumni have included figures such as Truman Capote, Sylvia Plath, Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oates, Andy Warhol and Ken Burns.1

In 1926, Scholastic published its first book, Saplings, a collection of student writing connected to the awards program.1

Expansion into children’s books

A major turning point came in 1948, when Scholastic entered the school-based children’s book business through the launch of the Teen Age Book Club, later developing into Scholastic Book Clubs. The model allowed students to purchase inexpensive books through their classrooms while giving teachers access to free books and classroom materials.1

This teacher-centered distribution model became one of Scholastic’s defining characteristics.

Instead of relying exclusively on traditional bookstores, Scholastic developed direct relationships with schools and teachers. This eventually enabled the company to build two particularly recognizable channels:

• Scholastic Book Clubs
• Scholastic Book Fairs

These channels helped make Scholastic a familiar part of childhood in the United States and later in other countries, including Singapore.

Scholastic remained strongly associated with the Robinson family for much of its history.

Maurice Robinson founded the company in 1920. His son, Richard “Dick” Robinson, joined Scholastic in 1962 and eventually became its long-serving chairman, president and CEO. Under Dick Robinson, Scholastic expanded substantially into children’s publishing, education, technology, international markets and entertainment.1

Dick Robinson played a particularly important role in transforming Scholastic from a magazine publisher into a diversified children’s-content company.

His philosophy emphasized the idea that books and stories could help children develop imagination, curiosity, critical thinking and empathy.1

Scholastic’s modern business is much broader than simply publishing children’s books. Its operations can be understood through four major areas.

Children’s books

Children’s book publishing is at the heart of Scholastic’s business.

The company publishes and distributes:

• Picture books
• Early readers
• Chapter books
• Middle-grade fiction
• Young-adult fiction
• Graphic novels
• Nonfiction
• Educational books
• Audiobooks
• Series and franchise-based books

Scholastic has published or distributed numerous internationally recognizable children’s franchises and series, including Harry Potter, Goosebumps, Clifford the Big Red Dog, The Baby-Sitters Club, Captain Underpants, Dog Man, The Hunger Games, Wings of Fire, Amulet, and many others. Scholastic’s official trademark list includes hundreds of brands and titles associated with its publishing business.1

The company describes itself as the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books.2

Book Clubs and Book Fairs

Perhaps no part of Scholastic is more closely associated with American schools than its Book Clubs and Book Fairs.

Scholastic Book Clubs

The Book Club system allows teachers to distribute catalogs or online selections to students. Families can purchase books, while schools and teachers can receive books and other resources through the program.

The concept dates back to 1948 and was built around Scholastic’s existing relationships with teachers and schools.1

Scholastic Book Fairs

Scholastic Book Fairs bring temporary bookstores directly into schools. Students and families can browse and purchase children’s books, often with the school receiving benefits or resources from the event.

Book Fairs have become one of Scholastic’s most important distribution channels. In fiscal 2026, the company’s Book Fair revenue increased despite weakness in some other areas of its business.2

Scholastic has maintained a major presence in classrooms through magazines and digital classroom publications.

Its magazine portfolio covers different ages and subjects, including current events, science, language arts, social studies and other educational topics.

As of the company’s current Scholastic Magazines+ offering, Scholastic provides 31 classroom magazines covering different grade levels and subject areas, combining print publications with videos, activities and digital resources.3

Historically important titles have included publications such as:

• Scholastic News
• Junior Scholastic
• Science Spin
• Storyworks
• Dynamath
• Scope

This part of the business reflects Scholastic’s original identity as a publisher creating material specifically for students.

Scholastic also operates a substantial education business serving schools, teachers and districts.

Its education products include:

• Literacy programs
• Classroom libraries
• Reading programs
• Instructional materials
• Professional learning
• Digital learning resources
• Assessment and reading-management tools
• Supplemental curriculum materials

The company has historically positioned literacy as the central theme connecting its educational products.

In January 2026, Scholastic appointed Jeffrey Mathews as President of Scholastic Education, describing the division’s focus as helping schools and educators ensure that children reach their potential through literacy and evidence-based learning experiences.2

Education has also been one of the more challenging areas for Scholastic financially in recent years, with changes in school and district spending affecting demand for supplemental instructional materials.2

Scholastic has increasingly expanded beyond books into film, television and digital entertainment.

The basic strategy is to turn successful children’s books and characters into broader entertainment franchises. This can create a cycle in which a book generates a television or film adaptation, which in turn introduces the characters to new audiences and can stimulate interest in the original books.

Examples include adaptations of:

• Goosebumps
• Clifford the Big Red Dog
• The Magic School Bus
• Eva the Owlet
• Other Scholastic-owned children’s properties

The live-action Goosebumps series premiered on Disney+ in 2023, while Eva the Owlet, based on Scholastic’s Owl Diaries books, premiered on Apple TV+.1

One of Scholastic’s most significant recent strategic moves was its investment in 9 Story Media Group.

In June 2024, Scholastic completed a transaction acquiring 100% of the economic interest in 9 Story while retaining a minority of its voting rights. The transaction was valued at approximately CAD$250 million (about US$182 million) at closing.1

9 Story is a major creator, producer and distributor of children’s television and digital content. Its businesses include Brown Bag Films, an animation studio associated with programs such as Doc McStuffins, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Octonauts, Wild Kratts and The Magic School Bus Rides Again.2

The acquisition strengthened Scholastic’s strategy of developing intellectual property across multiple formats — essentially moving from:

book → television/film → licensing → merchandising → new audiences → books

Scholastic has described this concept as its “360-degree content creation strategy.”1

Scholastic’s portfolio includes a large number of recognizable children’s properties.

Some of its best-known associations include:

Literature and book franchises

• Harry Potter
• The Hunger Games
• Goosebumps
• Captain Underpants
• Dog Man
• Clifford the Big Red Dog
• The Baby-Sitters Club
• Wings of Fire
• Amulet
• Heartstopper
• Magic School Bus
• Owl Diaries
• Dear America

The precise ownership and licensing arrangements differ from franchise to franchise; Scholastic does not necessarily own every property it publishes or distributes.

Its official trademark portfolio demonstrates the enormous breadth of the Scholastic publishing catalog.1

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are one of the company’s oldest institutions.

Founded in 1923, the program gives young people opportunities to have their creative writing and artwork recognized. Over its long history, the program has helped identify and showcase young artists and writers who later became prominent in literature, art, film and other creative fields.1

The awards are therefore somewhat different from Scholastic’s commercial publishing operations: they function as a long-running cultural and educational initiative focused on encouraging young people’s creativity.

Although Scholastic is strongly identified with American schools, it is an international company.

Scholastic has operations in countries and territories including:

• United States
• Canada
• United Kingdom
• Australia
• New Zealand
• India
• Malaysia
• Singapore
• Hong Kong
• China
• Indonesia
• Philippines
• Thailand
• Taiwan

The company also sells products internationally through export operations, reaching approximately 130 international locations according to its fiscal 2025 annual report.2

International operations allow Scholastic’s books and educational materials to reach children outside the United States, although product catalogs and educational programs can vary considerably by country.

Scholastic is a publicly traded corporation, listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker SCHL.1

Its major operating areas are currently organized around:

1. Children’s Book Publishing and Distribution
2. Education
3. Entertainment
4. International

These segments reflect Scholastic’s transformation from a traditional publishing company into a diversified children’s-content and education business.2

For fiscal year 2026, which ended May 31, 2026, Scholastic reported:

Revenue declined approximately 3% from fiscal 2025, while adjusted EBITDA increased 4%. Scholastic said its fiscal 2027 outlook called for approximately 2–4% revenue growth and adjusted EBITDA of approximately US$135–145 million.2

The figures illustrate an important point about Scholastic: although people often think of it primarily as a children’s-book publisher, it is a billion-dollar diversified media and education corporation with multiple revenue streams.

Scholastic’s business model is distinctive because it combines content creation with direct access to schools and families.

A conventional publisher might primarily depend on bookstores, retailers and online marketplaces. Scholastic has those channels too, but it also has proprietary school-based channels.

Its ecosystem can be simplified as:

Authors and creators
↓
Scholastic publishing
↓
Books, magazines, educational materials and digital content
↓
Schools + teachers + Book Clubs + Book Fairs + retailers
↓
Children and families

Entertainment adds another pathway:

Book/IP
↓
TV / film / digital content
↓
Licensing and merchandise
↓
New audiences
↓
Renewed interest in books

This integrated model is one of Scholastic’s principal competitive advantages.

Scholastic occupies an unusual position in children’s culture because its brand is associated not only with individual books but with the experience of discovering books at school.

For many children, Scholastic can be connected with memories such as:

• Receiving a Scholastic Book Club flyer in class
• Choosing books from a Book Fair
• Reading Scholastic News
• Building a classroom library
• Discovering Harry Potter, Goosebumps, Captain Underpants or other major children’s series
• Watching a television adaptation of a Scholastic property
• Participating in reading or writing programs

This school-centered relationship has helped make Scholastic one of the most recognizable children’s publishing brands in the English-speaking world.

The name Scholastic communicates an association with education, schools and learning. However, the modern brand is broader than traditional educational publishing.

It effectively combines three identities:

Educational brand

Scholastic provides teachers and schools with instructional materials, magazines, literacy programs and classroom resources.

Children’s publishing brand

It publishes and distributes entertainment-oriented books that children read for pleasure.

Children’s media brand

Through Scholastic Entertainment and 9 Story Media Group, the company develops children’s stories and characters for television, film, digital platforms and licensing.

This combination is central to Scholastic’s modern strategy.

In the 2020s, Scholastic has increasingly emphasized its intellectual property and its ability to use the same children’s stories across different media.

The 9 Story acquisition in 2024 was particularly important because it expanded Scholastic’s ability to participate in the entire lifecycle of children’s content, from developing intellectual property to producing, distributing and licensing screen content.1

In fiscal 2026, the company also undertook a broader transformation of its governance, organization, strategy and balance sheet. Management described the company’s principal strengths as its trusted brand, children’s intellectual property, school-based distribution channels and long-standing relationships with educators and families.2

Scholastic is particularly influential in English-language children’s literature because of the enormous reach of its publishing and school distribution systems.

Its influence is not limited to books that carry the Scholastic name on their covers. Through publishing, distribution, licensing and classroom channels, Scholastic has helped introduce generations of children to authors, characters and stories that have subsequently become major cultural franchises.

The company has also played an important role in bringing books into schools at a relatively accessible price, making reading materials available directly to children and families.

After more than a century, Scholastic’s original mission remains recognizable: encouraging children to read, learn and develop their creativity.

What began in 1920 as a four-page student publication has become a multinational corporation spanning children’s books, education, school distribution, digital learning and entertainment.1

Its historical development can be summarized as:

1920 — Student magazine
↓
1923 — Art & Writing Awards
↓
1926 — First book
↓
1948 — Book Clubs
↓
School magazines and educational publishing
↓
Children’s book publishing and major franchises
↓
Book Fairs and school distribution
↓
Digital education and media
↓
2024 — 9 Story Media Group
↓
2026 — Global children’s publishing, education and entertainment company

In this sense, Scholastic is more than a conventional book publisher. It is an integrated children’s literacy and media company whose central competitive advantage is its connection between stories, schools, families and children.

• Children’s literature
• Educational publishing
• Book publishing
• Scholastic Book Fairs
• Scholastic Book Clubs
• Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
• Scholastic Entertainment
• 9 Story Media Group
• Children’s television
• Literacy education

1. History
2. Investor FAQs | Scholastic Corporation
3. About Scholastic Magazines+