Education Overview
Early assessments of COVID-19 education impacts are significant across the educational landscape.
At the K-12 level, recent data suggest a 4–5-month lag in progress in English and Math, with larger gaps in underserved communities. College enrollments continue to decline at the highest rate in a decade – 7x worse than the decline last year. This gap in educational progress will have a tremendous impact on outcomes down the line, costing the US economy up to $125 billion annually as this generation enters the workforce.
The need
Even before the pandemic, the challenge was enormous. Companies estimate that by 2024 approximately 40% of all workers will require reskilling of up to six months to keep pace with technology adaptation, yet 21% of all adults are illiterate or functionally illiterate and 12.2% of low-income households have no access to technology for learning.
The benefits of a quality education extend beyond an individual and contribute directly to the prosperity of our communities. With higher education comes greater civic engagement, higher wages, and decreased incarceration rates. Education also directly contributes to individual and community health, with studies finding that remaining life expectancy at age 25 is about a decade shorter for people without a high school degree compared with those who have completed college.
UNITED STATES AVERAGE LIFE EXPECTANCY AT AGE 25 BY EDUCATION LEVEL
VISTRIA INVESTS IN SOLUTIONS THAT SCALE
We invest in education companies with proven success delivering high-quality, age- and career-relevant content, and services to help institutions, teachers, and students advance.
Vistria’s investment themes address societal needs. Current areas of focus include:
CAREER ENABLEMENT
Offerings that more effectively connect high school students to postsecondary education and career paths
ENRICHMENT & PATHWAYS
Supplemental enrichment programs provided to elementary and secondary students (i.e. after-school tutoring programs, leadership and sport camps, study abroad programs, U.S. based programs for international students)
DIGITAL CURRICULUM
Digital assessments and curriculum used by K-12 schools and educators to support need for flexible, online solutions
SCALING QUALITY, ACCESS, & OUTCOMES
Vistria portfolio companies are helping to close the access and achievement gaps, address COVID-19 learning loss and contribute to a more equitable U.S. education system.
STUDENTS SERVED
20,611,200
(24% increase from 2020)
PRIMARILY PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION SUPPORTED
60+
K-12 SCHOOL DISTRICTS SERVED
