Nearpod
Nearpod is a K-12 and higher-education interactive instructional delivery platform enabling teachers to create, deliver, and assess engaging lessons with formative assessment, gamification, and VR. A wholly-owned Renaissance Learning subsidiary, it operates on a freemium-plus-site-license model serving 160+ countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersDania, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Nearpod does
Nearpod is a K-12 and higher-education instructional delivery platform that enables teachers to create, deliver, and assess interactive lessons in real time across in-person, hybrid, and remote settings. The cloud-based platform combines lesson authoring, formative assessment, interactive video, gamification activities, VR field trips, and a curated library of 22,000+ standards-aligned lessons, videos, and activities. It supports both Live Participation and Student-Paced modes within the same lesson and exposes these capabilities through native integrations with the major K-12 and higher-ed learning management systems — Canvas, Schoology, Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, and Blackboard — plus SSO and rostering, which anchor institutional adoption. In December 2024 the company launched AI Create, a generative-AI authoring feature that produces interactive lessons and multiple-choice formative assessments on demand, alongside AI literacy lessons co-developed with Common Sense Education.
The business operates a freemium-plus-tiered subscription model: a free Silver tier drives individual-teacher adoption and word-of-mouth growth, while Gold, Platinum, and quote-based site/district licenses monetize institutional expansion. Specialized program add-ons — Nearpod Math (now bundled with Freckle), Nearpod Social Studies, Nearpod English Learners, and the Nearpod 21st Century Readiness Program (AI literacy, digital citizenship, SEL, financial literacy) — create additional vertical attach opportunities. Federal funding eligibility under Title I, II, III, and IV is a key procurement lever for U.S. K-12 districts.
Since its February 2021 acquisition by Renaissance Learning, Inc., Nearpod has operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary within a larger edtech portfolio that also includes Flocabulary. Headcount is reported at 251–500 employees, the platform reaches educators in 160+ countries, and named institutional customers include Los Angeles Unified, Alief ISD, Texas A&M, Penn State, Boise State, and Mount Wachusett Community College. Distribution combines self-serve sign-up, enterprise field sales, LMS-embedded discovery, and a network of international resellers.
Nearpod firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Nearpod
- Legal name
- Renaissance Learning, Inc.
- Website
- https://nearpod.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Nearpod is a K-12 and higher-education interactive instructional delivery platform enabling teachers to create, deliver, and assess engaging lessons with formative assessment, gamification, and VR. A wholly-owned Renaissance Learning subsidiary, it operates on a freemium-plus-site-license model serving 160+ countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Nearpod industry classification
Industry- Product category
- K-12 Educational Technology Software
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Curriculum, Lesson Planning & Instructional Content Platforms (EDAJAMAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Adaptive Learning & Personalized Instruction Software (EDAJAMAE), Virtual Test Prep & Online Supplemental Instruction (K–12) (EDAJADAI)
Keywords
Where Nearpod is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dania
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Nearpod business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription Licensing (Tiers): Nearpod operates a tiered subscription model with Silver (free), Gold, and Platinum tiers offering increasing feature sets. Free tier provides basic lesson delivery and limited library access to drive adoption, while paid tiers unlock advanced features, larger content libraries, and administrative tools.
- Site/District Licensing: School and district-wide site licenses providing unlimited teacher accounts, centralized administration, dedicated support, training, and premium content access. Pricing is quote-based and often funded through Title I, II, III, and IV federal programs.
- Program Add-ons: Additional revenue from specialized programs including Nearpod Math (K-8 supplemental math), Nearpod Social Studies, Nearpod English Learners, and Nearpod 21st Century Readiness, each providing curriculum-specific content and tools.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free tier for individual teachers with basic features and limited library access |
| Subscription | Annual | Paid individual teacher subscription with enhanced features |
| Subscription | Annual | School or district-wide unlimited access for all teachers |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Nearpod product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Nearpod provides a cloud-based interactive instructional delivery platform that enables K-12 and higher education teachers to create, deliver, and assess interactive lessons with embedded formative assessments, gamification, virtual reality field trips, and real-time student insights across in-person, hybrid, and remote learning environments. The platform includes a library of 22,000+ standards-aligned lessons, AI-powered lesson generation, and native integrations with major learning management systems.
Product overview
Nearpod is a unified interactive instructional delivery platform operated by Renaissance Learning. The core platform combines lesson delivery, formative assessment, interactive video, gamification, and distance learning into a single solution for K-12 and higher education. The product portfolio includes specialized programs: Nearpod Math (K-8 supplemental math), Nearpod + Freckle (adaptive math combining Nearpod with Freckle's diagnostic and practice features), Nearpod Social Studies, Nearpod English Learners, and Nearpod 21st Century Readiness (AI literacy, digital citizenship, SEL, financial literacy). Core platform features include Interactive Slides, Interactive Video, Gamification & Activities (Time to Climb, Draw It, Matching Pairs), VR Field Trips, Collaborate Board, and Formative Assessment tools. The platform offers 22,000+ standards-aligned lessons from its library with content partnerships including Common Sense Education, PBS Kids, iCivics, and PhET. AI Create enables AI-powered lesson generation. Pricing tiers include Silver (free), Gold, and Platinum, plus site licenses for schools and districts. Available on web, iOS, Android, Windows, and Chrome.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Nearpod Math: Supplemental K-8 math program providing content, tools, and organization for teaching and creating engaging math experiences
- Nearpod Social Studies
- Nearpod English Learners
- Nearpod 21st Century Readiness
- Nearpod + Freckle
- Flocabulary
Products and services
- Nearpod Interactive Instructional Delivery Platform Award-winning interactive instructional delivery platform enabling formative assessments, real-time insights, and standards-aligned resources for K-12 and higher education. Supports Live Participation and Student-Paced modes with 22,000+ lesson library.
- Nearpod Math Supplemental K-8 math program providing content, tools, and organization for teaching and creating engaging math experiences. Integrates diagnostic assessments and adaptive practice.
- Nearpod + Freckle Combined math education platform integrating Nearpod's interactive delivery with Freckle's adaptive practice, offering diagnostic assessments, adaptive practice, and instructional features for personalized instruction and district scalability.
- Nearpod Social Studies Specialized program providing immersive social studies experiences aligned to standards, supplementing core curriculum with engaging historical and civic content.
- Nearpod English Learners Program designed to differentiate instruction for English language learners, providing resources and activities supporting EL students with real-time assessment capabilities.
- Nearpod 21st Century Readiness Program Program embedding 21st-century skills including AI literacy, digital citizenship, SEL, financial literacy, and college/career readiness into everyday instruction through ready-to-teach interactive lessons and activities.
- Nearpod Higher Education Engagement, assessment, and media tools designed for higher education institutions, enabling active, collaborative, and prescriptive learning for on-campus, online, and hybrid environments with real-time insights.
Quantifiable outcome
- 92% of teachers report Nearpod improves student engagement (2023 survey of 1,025 responses)
- +9 more outcomes
Companies that use Nearpod
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Nearpod technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration12 records
AI capability5 records
Feature8 records
Nearpod partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.
- Elevate K-12minorVirtual teaching company based in Chicago announced partnerships with Nearpod, MagicSchool, and Zoom to enhance educational offerings across US schools. The collaboration aims to provide teachers with advanced tools for engagement, lesson preparation, and virtual instruction.
- Renaissance LearningcoreNearpod was acquired by Renaissance Learning in February 2021. Renaissance is a leader in edtech assessment and practice solutions. The acquisition enables Nearpod to integrate with Renaissance's ecosystem, providing instructional recommendations based on student performance data and expanding the combined company's reach in K-12 education.
- Common Sense EducationcoreNearpod partnered with Common Sense Education to develop AI literacy lessons that help students think critically about artificial intelligence. Common Sense logo appears prominently on Nearpod's platform as an endorsement of educational quality.
- Content Publishers (PhET, iCivics, LearnZillion, PBS Kids, Readworks, SCI, Education.com)majorNearpod's lesson library includes content from trusted educational publishers: PhET (interactive simulations), iCivics (civics education), LearnZillion (video lessons), PBS Kids, Readworks (reading comprehension), Science (SCI), and Education.com. These partnerships provide standards-aligned content across subjects.
- Canvas LMS (Instructure)coreNative integration with Canvas LMS allowing teachers to access Nearpod library within Canvas, embed and assign live and student-paced lessons, and streamline communications. Featured as one of Nearpod's most popular LMS integrations.
- Schoology LMS (PowerSchool)coreNative integration with Schoology LMS enabling seamless lesson delivery, real-time progress tracking, and unified classroom management within the Schoology environment.
- Google ClassroomcoreNearpod integrates with Google Classroom for single sign-on, lesson assignment, grade passback, and seamless workflow between Google tools and Nearpod's interactive features.
- Microsoft (Teams, Office 365, OneDrive, Immersive Reader, Flipgrid, SWAY)coreDeep integration with Microsoft ecosystem including Teams for virtual instruction, Office 365 for single sign-on, OneDrive for file access, Immersive Reader for accessibility, Flipgrid for video discussion, and SWAY for content creation. Nearpod app accessible within Microsoft Teams.
- Blackboard LMSmajorLTI 1.3 integration with Blackboard Learn and Blackboard Learn Ultra enabling Nearpod lessons to be embedded directly within Blackboard courses for higher education institutions.
- DonorsChooseminorSeamless partnership allowing teachers to select Nearpod and Flocabulary licenses directly on DonorsChoose when creating classroom funding projects. Enables crowdfunding for platform access, including Nearpod Gold, Platinum, and Flocabulary Lite through AKJ Education.
- FlocabularycoreBoth Nearpod and Flocabulary are subsidiaries of Renaissance Learning, operating as complementary educational platforms. Flocabulary provides hip-hop based educational videos that integrate with Nearpod's lesson delivery platform.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Nearpod competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Newsela: Newsela provides leveled instructional content with built-in formative assessment and activities for K-12, overlapping with Nearpod's standards-aligned library, interactive activities, and assessment delivery.
- Kahoot!: Kahoot! offers gamified quizzes, formative assessment, and interactive learning experiences for K-12 and higher education. It directly competes with Nearpod's gamification activities (Time to Climb, Matching Pairs) and engagement/assessment use cases.
- Pear Deck: Pear Deck (part of GoGuardian) provides interactive presentations and formative assessments that integrate with Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint, directly overlapping with Nearpod's Interactive Slides product and K-12 teacher workflow.
- Quizizz: Quizizz offers gamified quizzes, formative assessments, and interactive lessons for K-12, with strong teacher adoption and LMS integrations. It competes head-to-head with Nearpod on engagement, assessment, and lesson delivery.
- Seesaw: Seesaw is a student-driven digital portfolio and learning platform for K-12 classrooms with interactive activities and family communication, competing for the same K-12 teacher engagement and instructional delivery use cases.
- Edpuzzle: Edpuzzle enables teachers to add interactive questions to videos and tracks student comprehension, directly overlapping with Nearpod's Interactive Video product and serving similar K-12 teacher and student audiences.
- BrainPOP: BrainPOP delivers standards-aligned animated content, quizzes, and lesson plans across subjects for K-12. Its library, formative assessment, and lesson delivery model are directly comparable to Nearpod's content-and-delivery approach.
Broad incumbents
- Promethean: Promethean provides interactive displays, classroom software, and lesson delivery tools for K-12 globally. It is a broader classroom hardware/software incumbent that competes with Nearpod for instructional delivery and engagement budgets.
- Canva for Education: Canva for Education provides interactive lesson design, presentations, and visual content tools broadly across K-12 and higher education. It is a broader design/visual platform but increasingly competes for interactive lesson creation use cases.
Others
- Schoology (PowerSchool): Schoology is a major K-12 LMS and one of Nearpod's closest integration partners. While not a direct competitor on lesson delivery, its native features and embedded third-party ecosystem can substitute for some Nearpod functionality over time.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Nearpod social profiles
Digital presenceNearpod compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Nearpod financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Nearpod leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Nearpod funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors19 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Nearpod M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Nearpod
What does Nearpod do?
Nearpod provides a cloud-based interactive instructional delivery platform that enables K-12 and higher education teachers to create, deliver, and assess interactive lessons with embedded formative assessments, gamification, virtual reality field trips, and real-time student insights across in-person, hybrid, and remote learning environments. The platform includes a library of 22,000+ standards-aligned lessons, AI-powered lesson generation, and native integrations with major learning management systems.
Is Nearpod a public or private company?
Nearpod is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Nearpod founded?
Nearpod was founded in 2012. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Nearpod based?
Nearpod is headquartered in Dania, United States, in the North America region.
How does Nearpod make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Subscription Licensing (Tiers) is the primary driver. The others are site/District Licensing and program Add-ons.
Who are Nearpod's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Newsela, Kahoot!, Pear Deck, Quizizz, Seesaw, Edpuzzle and BrainPOP. Broad incumbents are Promethean and Canva for Education. Schoology (PowerSchool) is listed as an others.
Does Nearpod have an API?
No public API is recorded for Nearpod.
What industry is Nearpod in?
Nearpod's product category is K-12 Educational Technology Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJAMAD, Curriculum, Lesson Planning & Instructional Content Platforms, with a secondary code of EDAJAMAE, Adaptive Learning & Personalized Instruction Software. Its NAICS code is 61171 and its SIC code is 7372.