PAPER
Paper is a Montreal-based EdTech company providing K-12 school districts with an Educational Support System combining 24/7 live tutoring, essay review, AI reading practice, and career readiness. It serves nearly 3 million students across 41 states via fixed-cost district-wide licenses.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersMontréal, Canada
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What PAPER does
Paper is a Montreal-based EdTech company founded in 2014 (originally as GradeSlam and rebranded to Paper in 2021) that delivers an Educational Support System (ESS) to K-12 school districts across North America. The platform combines 24/7 on-demand live tutoring in 200+ subjects with multilingual support in English, Spanish, French, and Mandarin; asynchronous essay review with 24-hour annotated feedback; AI-based reading fluency practice (Paper Reading, acquired from Readlee); gamified math practice (Paper Missions); and career and college readiness tools (MajorClarity, acquired in 2023). Core product lines include GROW High-Impact Tutoring — an NSSA-certified, ESSA Level III-validated program featuring consistent tutors, small cohorts (1:1-3:1), and 30-minute sessions aligned to classroom standards — and Live Help, the on-demand tutoring layer. The platform is delivered through a dedicated W-2 tutor workforce, not independent contractors, and is integrated into teacher workflows via dashboards and instructional alignment tools.
Paper operates a B2B sales-led model, selling fixed-cost annual district-wide site licenses that provide unlimited access to all students within a district regardless of usage levels. Pricing is not publicly disclosed but is structured as subscription recurring revenue aligned to ESSER and district budget cycles. The company has raised approximately $387M across disclosed funding rounds, including a $270M Series D in February 2022 led by Sapphire Ventures and SoftBank Vision Fund 2. Named customers include large urban districts such as Los Angeles Unified, Clark County, Denver Public Schools, Jefferson County Public Schools, Atlanta Public Schools, plus a statewide partnership in Mississippi. The company has expanded from serving nearly 2 million students across ~30 states (early 2022) to nearly 3 million students across 41 states, with headcount growing by over 300% to support operations.
Distribution is exclusively through direct enterprise sales to district superintendents, school boards, and administrators, supplemented by library system partnerships (e.g., Fulton County). Paper holds NSSA Tutoring Program Design Badge, ESSA Level III: Promising Evidence certification, and SOC 2 Type II compliance, providing procurement-aligned credibility. The company's two 2023 acquisitions — Readlee (literacy) and MajorClarity (career readiness) — represent a deliberate platform expansion beyond pure tutoring into adjacent K-12 product categories, with Series D use of funds explicitly targeting early childhood education and after-school enrichment expansion.
PAPER firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PAPER
- Legal name
- Paper
- Website
- https://paper.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Paper is a Montreal-based EdTech company providing K-12 school districts with an Educational Support System combining 24/7 live tutoring, essay review, AI reading practice, and career readiness. It serves nearly 3 million students across 41 states via fixed-cost district-wide licenses.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PAPER industry classification
Industry- Product category
- EdTech / K-12 Educational Support Software
- NAICS
- Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (61)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Literacy & ELA Instruction (School-Delivered) (EDAJAFAF)
Keywords
Where PAPER is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Montréal
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
PAPER business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- B2B School District Contracts: Paper provides its Educational Support System to school districts at a fixed annual cost. Districts pay a subscription fee that provides unlimited access to all students in the district, regardless of usage levels. This fixed-cost model allows districts to maximize usage without financial risk and aligns with federal relief funding (ESSER grants) eligible expenditures.
- District-Level Site Licenses: Paper offers unlimited, site-based, fixed price licensing to districts, enabling all students and teachers within the district to access the platform. Pricing scales based on district size and scope of implementation.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | District-wide site license with unlimited student access |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
PAPER product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Paper operates an Educational Support System (ESS) for K-12 students sold to school districts as a site-wide subscription. The platform delivers 24/7 live tutoring in 200+ subjects, asynchronous essay review, AI-driven reading fluency practice, gamified math practice, and career/college readiness tools. The flagship structured offering, GROW High-Impact Tutoring, provides small-cohort, consistent-tutor, classroom-aligned instruction certified under ESSA Level III evidence and NSSA Tutoring Program Design standards.
Product overview
Paper's Educational Support System (ESS) is a unified platform combining live tutoring, asynchronous writing feedback, gamified practice tools, and career/college readiness into a single integrated system. The core offering includes GROW High-Impact Tutoring (small-group, consistent-tutor instruction aligned to classroom standards), Live Help (24/7 on-demand tutoring in 200+ subjects), Review Center (essay feedback with annotated annotations), Paper Reading (AI-driven reading fluency practice acquired from Readlee), and Paper Missions (gamified math practice). The MajorClarity acquisition added career and college readiness tools including academic advising, customized pathways, college application management, and workforce micro-credentialing. The platform serves students across K-12 with multilingual support (English, Spanish, French, Mandarin) and provides teacher tools for progress monitoring and instructional alignment.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- GROW High-Impact Tutoring Instruction-first, classroom-aligned high-impact tutoring delivered to K-12 students in small cohorts (1:1 to 3:1) with the same tutor each session, typically three 30-minute sessions per week. Curriculum is custom-built to reinforce what students are learning in class and includes session-level learning checks, ongoing progress monitoring, and a custom end-of-program review. ESSA Level III evidence and NSSA Tutoring Program Design Badge certified.
- Live Help (Live Tutoring) 24/7 on-demand, chat-based tutoring in over 200 K-12 subjects, available in English, Spanish, French, and Mandarin. Tutors use Socratic instruction methods to guide students to answers and build confidence.
- Review Center Essay and writing feedback service where students submit any written work and receive annotated feedback from expert tutors on grammar, structure, and content within 24 hours.
- Paper Reading (formerly Readlee) AI-based reading fluency practice tool featuring model reading, vocabulary preview, repeated readings, and automated running records. Developed by teachers and Harvard researchers.
- MajorClarity Career and college readiness (CCR) platform providing academic advising, customized academic pathways, college application management, and workforce micro-credentialing for students pursuing various post-high school paths.
- Paper Missions Gamified, self-paced math practice tool allowing K-12 students to practice daily math skills in a fun, low-pressure environment. Informs learner profiles and helps identify student strengths and weaknesses.
Quantifiable outcome
- 201% increase in grade-level proficiency after 12 weeks of GROW High-Impact Tutoring
- +8 more outcomes
Companies that use PAPER
Customer profileNamed customers16 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
PAPER technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability6 records
Feature5 records
PAPER partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- ReadleecorePaper acquired Readlee, an AI-based learning tool focused on reading fluency. The acquisition aims to advance literacy solutions for over 3 million students nationwide. Readlee was developed by teachers and Harvard researchers and includes AI-driven reading practice, model reading, and vocabulary preview features.
- MajorClaritycorePaper acquired MajorClarity, a Virginia-based career and college readiness platform. The acquisition enhances Paper's offerings with a comprehensive CCR platform supporting students' various post-high school paths including college degrees, technical certifications, internships, military, and workforce entry.
- National Student Support Accelerator (NSSA)coreNSSA evaluated Paper's GROW program against rigorous research-based design standards and awarded the Tutoring Program Design Badge, validating that Paper meets core elements of high-impact tutoring including dosage, consistency, instructional alignment, and quality oversight.
- Stanford UniversitysupportingStanford University's NSSA program recognized Paper's tutoring program design excellence, providing independent validation of Paper's research-based approach.
- National Cybersecurity AlliancesupportingPaper's CEO Philip Cutler joined NCA's anti-cyberbullying campaign. Paper is launching a website with NCA resources about cybersecurity, online safety, and cyberbullying prevention for students, teachers, and families.
- Instructure Research TeamsupportingInstructure Research Team validated Paper's GROW and live tutoring solutions under ESSA Level III evidence standards, providing independent academic research validation.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
PAPER competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
PAPER social profiles
Digital presencePAPER compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
PAPER financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PAPER leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
PAPER subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
PAPER funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds8 records
Investors21 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PAPER M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about PAPER
What does PAPER do?
Paper operates an Educational Support System (ESS) for K-12 students sold to school districts as a site-wide subscription. The platform delivers 24/7 live tutoring in 200+ subjects, asynchronous essay review, AI-driven reading fluency practice, gamified math practice, and career/college readiness tools. The flagship structured offering, GROW High-Impact Tutoring, provides small-cohort, consistent-tutor, classroom-aligned instruction certified under ESSA Level III evidence and NSSA Tutoring Program Design standards.
Is PAPER a public or private company?
PAPER is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was PAPER founded?
PAPER was founded in 2017. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is PAPER based?
PAPER is headquartered in Montréal, Canada, in the North America region.
How does PAPER make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. B2B School District Contracts are the primary driver. The others are district-Level Site Licenses.
Does PAPER have an API?
No public API is recorded for PAPER.
What industry is PAPER in?
PAPER's product category is EdTech / K-12 Educational Support Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJAFAF, Literacy & ELA Instruction (School-Delivered). Its NAICS code is 611691 and its SIC code is 8200.