AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Proximity Learning Inc., the pioneering provider of synchronous virtual instruction for K-12 education, saw a 67% increase in total U.S. school districts served from the 2022-2023 to 2023-2024 school year. The company is preparing for further growth in the 2024-2025 school year—underscoring synchronous virtual learning as a viable solution for school districts impacted by the ongoing teacher shortage.
As the 2024-2025 school year begins, Proximity Learning projects:
- A 20% increase in total districts using Proximity Learning's virtual learning solutions this year, representing steady demand for virtual teachers throughout the country.
- It will deploy about 1,000 virtual teachers to more than 5,300 classrooms throughout the country.
- Its virtual teachers will mainly serve high schools (55%), followed by middle schools (35%) and elementary schools (10%).
- Math, Spanish, science and English teachers remain the most in-demand positions followed by special education and bilingual teachers (consistent with the 2023-2024 school year).
“Proximity Learning is a proven, valuable partner to school districts,” said Evan Erdberg, president and founder of Proximity Learning and author of “#TeachersServeToo.” “While the increasing demand for virtual, synchronous teachers is representative of the ongoing teacher shortage, it also illustrates virtual learning’s power to provide students with a holistic education. Students everywhere deserve access to the highest-quality teachers. Our certified, creative and passionate educators are proud to serve millions of students nationwide.”
Hundreds of districts—including Manor Independent School District in Texas, Portsmouth Public Schools in Virginia, KIPP Public Schools Northern California and Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools (KCKPS)—will deploy Proximity Learning teachers in the upcoming school year.
“We understand that we’re in a different time… and technology allows us to be more innovative than what we’ve experienced before,” said Dr. Jarius Jones, associate superintendent of human resources at KCKPS, in an interview with FOX4 News Kansas City. In a separate interview with KCTV 5, he added, “We’ve looked at our numbers to see the comparison of our scholars who are being taught physically in the room with an educator who is certified and with one who is learning from Proximity. There is no differentiation. They’ve been able to maintain the same academic achievement as we’ve had.”
Proximity Learning’s year-over-year growth was also recognized in the 2024 Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America. Proximity Learning’s three-year growth rate of 267% landed them the No. 1,952 spot. The listing follows Proximity Learning’s recent acquisition of Coursemojo’s virtual learning book of business.
To find out more about how Proximity Learning is empowering school districts and improving the learning experience, visit www.proxlearn.com.
About Proximity Learning Inc.
Established in 2009, Proximity Learning Inc., an Education Solutions Services company, has pioneered using web conferencing technology to stream certified teachers into a classroom when a teacher could not be found locally. Students are able to see, learn and interact with a teacher "live" each day from within their school classrooms. This PLI model directly addresses the acute and growing teacher shortage crisis plaguing school districts across the U.S. To learn more, visit www.proxlearn.com.
