What Teacher Created Materials does

Teacher Created Materials (TCM) is a privately held K-12 educational publishing company founded in 1977 (legal founding date 1978) and headquartered in Huntington Beach, California, with a secondary office in Minneapolis from its acquired Free Spirit Publishing imprint. The company develops and distributes print and digital instructional resources for preK-12 educators and students, organized under three imprints: Teacher Created Materials (core school resources in ELA/literacy, math, science/STEAM, social studies, intervention, ELL/ESL/ELD, and early childhood), Free Spirit Publishing (social-emotional learning acquired in December 2021), and Shell Education (educator capacity-building tools). The product portfolio spans approximately 22,000+ titles including intervention programs (Focused Instruction in math and reading), subject-specific series, state-aligned curricula for at least 10 U.S. states, bilingual programs (Yo Aprendo!), test preparation (STAAR), and digital platforms (TCM Content Cloud and TCM Learning Platform, the latter powered by MagicBox and hosted on AWS).

The company's technology stack centers on two digital platforms (TCM Content Cloud and TCM Learning Platform) that deliver content to administrators, teachers, and students with grade-level and class-tracking functionality, supported by AWS-hosted encrypted databases and MagicBox as the third-party platform provider. The company maintains compliance with FERPA, COPPA, and CCPA/CPRA for handling educator and student data. TCM monetizes through one-time product sales via direct e-commerce (with 'School/Library Price' and 'List Price' tiers suggesting institutional volume pricing), professional learning services (workshops, coaching, keynotes), and licensing royalties (e.g., a multi-year Mattel licensing agreement announced November 2025 for Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, and American Girl branded workbooks and flashcards). Go-to-market is sales-led, combining the e-commerce storefront with field sales representatives targeting schools and districts, complemented by content marketing (TCM Blog, Free Spirit Blog, webinars, evidence-based research library), email/newsletter, organic social media, and an educator recognition program (TCM Spotlight Award). International distribution reaches 89+ countries via distributors. The company appears to be founder/family-owned with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or recent funding rounds.

Name

Teacher Created Materials

Legal name

Teacher Created Materials, Inc.

Website

https://teachercreatedmaterials.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Teacher Created Materials is a privately held K-12 educational publisher offering 22,000+ standards-aligned print and digital resources through its TCM, Free Spirit, and Shell Education imprints. The company sells directly to schools and districts across 89+ countries via e-commerce and field sales, and recently expanded via a Mattel licensing deal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Publishing

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Services-Educational Services (8200), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Core Digital Curriculum & Courseware (Full Programs & Units) (EDAFACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

K–12 Digital Curriculum & Interactive Lessons (EDAGAEAA), Teacher-Led Digital Lesson Packages & Instructional Resources (EDAFACAL), Digital Teaching Resources & Lesson Plan Libraries (EDAGAEAK)

Keywords

• Educational publishing
• K-12 curriculum materials
• Classroom instructional resources
• Professional learning services
• Standards-aligned curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Huntington Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Educational Materials Sales: Sale of print and digital educational resources including books, kits, workbooks, flashcards, readers, and classroom materials across subjects including ELA/Literacy, Mathematics, Science/STEAM, Social Studies, Social-Emotional Learning, and Intervention programs
2. Professional Learning Services: Professional learning team designs and delivers topical workshops, coaching and modeling, and keynote presentations in virtual and face-to-face formats
3. Licensing Agreements: Multi-year licensing agreements with major brands (e.g., Mattel) to develop and distribute branded educational products such as workbooks and flashcards

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Teacher Created Materials (TCM) develops, publishes, and distributes print and digital educational resources for PreK-12 classrooms across ELA/Literacy, Mathematics, Science/STEAM, Social Studies, Social-Emotional Learning, and Intervention programs. The company sells books, kits, workbooks, flashcards, classroom libraries, and state-specific standards-aligned curricula directly to schools, districts, and individual educators, complemented by professional learning services and digital learning platforms (TCM Content Cloud and TCM Learning Platform).

Product overview

Teacher Created Materials operates as a multi-brand educational publishing company offering a portfolio of curriculum solutions and trade books. The company organizes its offerings under three primary imprints: Teacher Created Materials (TCM) as the core brand providing school resources for preK-12 in literacy, math, science, social studies, STEAM, and special education; Free Spirit Publishing as an acquired brand focused on early childhood and social-emotional learning; and Shell Education as an imprint for educator capacity building. The product portfolio includes intervention programs (Focused Instruction: Mathematics Intervention, Focused Instruction: Reading Intervention), subject-specific series (Language Power, Building Vocabulary, Science Readers: Texas Edition, Exploring Social Studies series for multiple states), classroom libraries (Book Adventures, Let's Learn! Backpacks), early childhood programs (Explore & Learn, Yo Aprendo! bilingual program), test preparation resources (Practicing for Success: STAAR), and digital platforms (TCM Content Cloud, TCM Learning Platform). The company also offers professional learning services and resources aligned to various state standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Teacher Created Materials: School resources for learners through grade 12 in literacy, math, social studies, science, STEAM, special education, and English language development.
• Free Spirit Publishing
• Shell Education

Products and services

• Teacher Created Materials (TCM) Imprint The core TCM brand offering school resources for learners from preK through grade 12, covering literacy, math, social studies, science, STEAM, special education, and English language development.
• Free Spirit Publishing Imprint Acquired imprint offering books to enrich early childhood learning and child and teen well-being, with a focus on social and emotional learning.
• Shell Education Imprint Sub-brand imprint offering tools to build educator capacity and resources for at-home learning.
• Let's Learn! Backpacks Take-home backpacks packed with engaging books, family resources, and activity books to support at-home learning for PreK-5 students.
• Language Power An ELD/ESL/ELL series for grades K-8 that accelerates English language development with engaging texts and targeted instruction in listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
• Building Vocabulary A vocabulary series for grades K-11 that grows academic vocabulary in 20 minutes a day using core Greek and Latin roots.
• Focused Instruction: Mathematics Intervention A teacher-led, supplemental intervention program that fits into any schedule to strengthen numeracy skills using the CRA method.
• Focused Instruction: Reading Intervention A supplemental teacher-led intervention program that builds comprehension and empowers students to become confident, proficient readers.
• Book Adventures: Classroom Library A diverse, high-interest classroom library with engaging materials that make student choice exciting, meaningful, and fun.
• Exploring Social Studies: Wisconsin A 100% standards-aligned K-5 social studies curriculum co-designed by Wisconsin educators, integrating ELA and literacy with inquiry and civic engagement.
• Exploring Social Studies: West Virginia A West Virginia-aligned social studies program for grades K-8 that integrates ELA and the Science of Reading to meet 2025 WV College and Career-Readiness Standards.
• Exploring Social Studies: Texas A K-5 social studies program combining TEKS and ELPS-aligned content with leveled readers and digital tools, simplifying teacher prep while enriching student learning.
• Science Readers: Texas Edition A science series for grades K-5 combining science, language arts, inquiry, and literacy focused on physical, earth and space, or life science strands.
• Yo Aprendo! A bilingual program for grades PreK-1 designed for English language learners, strengthening language development and literacy across content areas with hands-on activities in English and Spanish.
• Explore & Learn A systematic year-long program for PreK, Transitional Kindergarten, and Voluntary Prekindergarten classrooms, immersing students in theme-based learning across all academic content areas.
• Practicing for Success: STAAR Targeted practice books for grades 3-5 that prepare students for STAAR success in Reading Language Arts and Mathematics.
• TCM Leveled Texts Digital text passage collections curated from award-winning resources, bringing engaging, complex texts to classrooms in flexible digital format for skills practice to mastery.
• TCM Content Cloud A digital platform for accessing and managing educational content, securely storing teacher and school information in encrypted AWS databases.
• TCM Learning Platform A digital learning platform powered by MagicBox that provides educational content for administrators, teachers, and students with data stored securely per NIST standards.
• Professional Learning Services A professional learning team that designs and delivers topical workshops, coaching and modeling, and keynote presentations in virtual and face-to-face formats for educators and administrators.

Quantifiable outcome

• Positive outcomes demonstrated in learning environments across 89+ countries
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• MattelcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 13 November 2025Mattel partnered with Teacher Created Materials to launch branded educational products for young learners. The multi-year licensing agreement involves developing and distributing educational products based on Mattel's brands including Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, and American Girl. Products include workbooks and flashcards targeting children aged 3-8, with launches beginning in Spring 2026.
• Free Spirit PublishingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2021TCM acquired Minneapolis-based Free Spirit Publishing, which focuses on social and emotional learning for young people. The acquisition includes about 300 titles and complements TCM's existing product lines. Free Spirit continues operations from Minneapolis and maintains its brand identity while merging teams over the coming months.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Scholastic: One of the largest K-12 publishers and book distributors globally, with classroom magazines, leveled readers, and curriculum resources directly overlapping TCM's ELA/literacy and classroom library products. Operates at significantly larger scale across print and digital.
• McGraw-Hill Education: Major K-12 textbook and digital curriculum publisher covering ELA, math, science, and social studies with state-aligned programs. Competes directly with TCM's state-specific curriculum offerings and has greater scale, R&D, and digital product breadth.
• Pearson Education: Global education publisher with K-12 curriculum, assessment, and digital learning platforms. Overlaps with TCM in ELA/literacy, intervention, and state-aligned curriculum, though Pearson operates at much larger enterprise scale and international footprint.
• Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: K-12 publisher offering core curriculum, intervention, and digital platforms across ELA, math, science, and social studies. Direct overlap with TCM's state-aligned curriculum strategy and intervention programs at the district level.

Direct peers

• Curriculum Associates: Publisher of iReady diagnostic and instruction platform plus print workbooks (Ready Classroom) for K-8 ELA and math. Closely comparable to TCM in targeting K-12 intervention, classroom materials, and teacher-led instruction, with a stronger digital/adaptive learning product.
• Benchmark Education: Independent K-12 publisher focused on leveled readers, literacy curriculum, and bilingual/dual-language programs. Closely comparable to TCM in size, educator-developed content philosophy, and ELA/ELL product focus.
• Evan-Moor Educational Publishers: Teacher-focused publisher of skill-based workbooks, daily practice, and curriculum units for PreK-6. Highly comparable to TCM in target customer (individual teachers and classrooms), product format (workbooks and supplemental materials), and subject coverage.
• Lakeshore Learning: Developer and retailer of hands-on educational materials, classroom supplies, and early childhood products. Comparable to TCM's early childhood and supplemental materials portfolio, with stronger DTC retail presence.
• Carson Dellosa Education: K-12 supplemental publisher offering workbooks, bulletin boards, classroom décor, and learning kits across all core subjects. Directly comparable to TCM in product mix, target customer (teachers and parents), and distribution model.

Emerging players

• Newsela: Digital-first instructional content platform providing leveled nonfiction articles and assessments for K-12. Represents the digital-native direction that TCM's TCM Learning Platform is moving toward, with stronger data and adaptive capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tcmpublishing
• Facebookfacebook.com/teachercreatedmaterials
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tcmpub
• Instagraminstagram.com/tcmpub

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Teacher Created Materials