First in the State of the Market Report 2018 Series Presents an Overview
of U.S. School Landscape

SHELTON, Conn. – April 11, 2018 – Providing new and veteran education marketers with insights into the $700 billion K-12 education market, MDR, a division of Dun & Bradstreet, today unveiled The K-12 Education Landscape, the first of four in the State of the K-12 Market Report 2018 series. This report presents an overview of the K-12 education market, including demographic data, highlights on federally funded education programs, information on school spending, and a discussion about the ways that schools engage in business. The information in the 72-page report is fueled by MDR’s national K-12 education database.

Recognizing that education is big business, the report concludes that it is critical for marketers and education product providers to understand the districts they aim to serve. For example, while large districts have the greatest money-making potential, they also bring the greatest challenges when marketing to them. Small and medium sized districts have unique needs and can often be the perfect fit for a new product or service.

“Education is a very complex market and to be successful it is crucial that education marketers reach out to both influencers and final decision-makers,” said education researcher Anne Wujcik, the author of the report. “The insights provided in this report will help people and organizations new to the school market to gain a baseline picture of its structure and dynamics as well as provide more experienced education marketers with quick access to topline data, federal grant priorities, annual spending, and other information to support their efforts.”

The report reminds education solution providers that most of any school’s budget is spent on fixed costs, with salaries and benefits accounting for nearly 90 percent leaving roughly 10 percent to cover all instructional spending. Gathering information on district spending for all instructional materials from state departments of education, MDR calculated the average U.S. spending to be $263 per pupil.

Another report finding is that pilot programs are key to successful marketing of education products and it is crucial that pilot schools closely match the demographics of potential customers in terms of size, student characteristics, and the current level of achievement. The report also points out that with their smaller size and more flexible working environments charter schools are potentially good partners for piloting new products and conducting effectiveness research.

The next report in the State of the K-12 Mark 2018 series will focus on technology and be released in June with the others following in September and December.

About MDR

MDR is a full-service school and community engagement partner. A division of Dun & Bradstreet, MDR is a different kind of integrated marketing services agency that combines rich data with unique digital, creative, and branding capabilities.  We’ve been connecting brands through data and marketing services to educators, youth and parents for nearly 50 years.  Reach targeted audiences through our database and digital communities SchoolData, WeAreTeachers, WeAreParents and School Leaders Now. For more information, visit mdreducation.com.