What Davis Publications does

Davis Publications, Inc. is a privately held K-12 art education publisher headquartered at 50 Portland Street, Worcester, Massachusetts, operating continuously since circa 1900 with 51-100 employees. The company produces print and digital visual arts curriculum spanning Kindergarten through Grade 12, organized into Elementary/Early Childhood (Explorations in Art, Creative Minds—Out of School, Reggio Emilia–inspired early childhood books), Middle School (Experience Art, Exploring Visual Design), and High School (The Visual Experience, The Davis Studio Series, Discovering Art History) programs, complemented by Davis Select art books and resource bundles such as the 2026-launched Media Arts Essentials. Its core technology is the Davis Digital platform, a web-based subscription product delivering curriculum, lessons, videos, a thousands-of-images fine art library (Davis Art Images, derived from the 1996 Rosenthal Art Slides acquisition), eBooks with keyword search and zoom, student portfolios, and translation functionality accessible from any internet-connected device for remote, hybrid, and traditional classrooms.

Davis generates revenue through a mix of one-time curriculum license sales and recurring subscriptions: Davis Digital platform access, SchoolArts magazine (print and digital), on-demand and live professional development courses, and curriculum implementation services. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via e-commerce (davisart.com, cart.davisart.com), phone sales (800-533-2847), annual catalog distribution, and a state adoption channel active in 14 U.S. states (AL, AZ, CA, FL, IN, MA, MS, NM, OK, SC, TN, TX, UT, WV). Marketing relies on a content-driven ecosystem anchored by the long-running SchoolArts magazine, the K12ArtChat podcast, Curator's Corner and Davis Desk blogs, weekly webinars, and a free Art Advocacy Planning Guide used for lead generation. The company is founder/family-controlled with no disclosed private equity, venture capital, or parent company involvement.

Name

Davis Publications

Legal name

Davis Publications, Inc.

Website

https://davisart.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Davis Publications is a privately held K-12 art education publisher (founded circa 1900) that develops print and digital visual arts curriculum, the Davis Digital platform, SchoolArts magazine, and a fine art image library for schools, art educators, and state education departments in 14 U.S. states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Art Education Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Software Publishers (5132), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital/Blended K–12 Courseware & Interactive Textbooks (EDAGAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Core Subject Textbooks (ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies) (EDAGAAAA), K–12 Instructional Video & Multimedia (EDAGALAA)

Keywords

• K-12 art curriculum
• Art education publishing
• Visual arts resources
• Professional development
• Digital learning platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Worcester

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. K-12 Art Curriculum Sales: Sale of print and digital curriculum materials for elementary, middle school, and high school art education including textbooks, resource books, and program materials.
2. Davis Digital Subscriptions: Online platform access providing curriculum, images, lessons, and portfolio tools for schools and educators on a subscription basis.
3. SchoolArts Magazine: Magazine subscriptions (print and digital) for K-12 art educators, written by and for art educators.
4. Professional Development: On-demand courses, in-person and online sessions, and curriculum implementation support for art educators.
5. Davis Select Art Books: Specialized art books available through Davis Select program.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Davis Publications develops and sells K-12 visual arts curriculum in both print and digital formats, covering elementary, middle school, and high school grade levels. The company delivers content through the Davis Digital platform (eBooks, fine art image library, lesson plans, student portfolios, and translation tools) and publishes the SchoolArts magazine for art educators. It also provides professional development courses, webinars, and curriculum implementation support, with free resources and podcasts (K12ArtChat) used for community engagement and lead generation.

Product overview

Davis Publications is an educational publisher offering a comprehensive K-12 visual arts curriculum portfolio. The company provides a multi-level curriculum structure spanning Elementary/Early Childhood (Explorations in Art, Creative Minds—Out of School), Middle School (Experience Art, Exploring Visual Design), and High School (The Visual Experience, The Davis Studio Series, Discovering Art History) programs. Their offerings include both print and digital formats through the Davis Digital platform, along with professional development resources (Professional Development Courses, Art Education in Practice Series), SchoolArts Magazine (K-12 art education publication), Davis Art Images (fine art image database), and the K12ArtChat podcast. The company also offers free resources including the Art Advocacy Planning Guide and various webinars. Recent additions include Media Arts Essentials, a digital resource bundle for integrating emerging technologies into art education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SchoolArts: A magazine written by and for art educators, promoting excellence and innovation in K-12 art education.

Products and services

• Davis Digital Online platform providing K-12 art curriculum accessible remotely or in-class, featuring lessons, fine art images, videos, and student portfolios accessible from any computer or tablet with an Internet connection. Supports remote, traditional, and hybrid classroom environments.
• Explorations in Art, Kindergarten Foundational visual arts curriculum program for kindergarten students, providing an exemplary foundation in the visual arts.
• Explorations in Art, Grades 1-6 Exemplary foundation in the visual arts for elementary students in grades 1-6.
• Creative Minds—Out of School Innovative K-5 afterschool art programs designed to extend art education beyond the regular school day.
• Early Childhood Books (Reggio Emilia Inspired) Books inspired by the Reggio Emilia educational philosophy for early childhood art education.
• Resource Books (Elementary) Resources designed to inspire teachers and support emerging artists at various elementary grade levels.
• Experience Art Core middle school art curriculum program supporting middle school students.
• Exploring Visual Design Middle school curriculum focused on visual design principles.
• The Visual Experience High school visual art curriculum program.
• The Davis Studio Series High school studio art curriculum program.
• Discovering Art History High school art history textbook.
• SchoolArts Magazine Magazine written by and for art educators, promoting excellence and innovation, art advocacy, and professional support for K-12 art educators. Available in print and digital formats.
• Davis Art Images Database of thousands of fine art images searchable by artist, culture, medium, element or principle, art movement, theme, and more. Supports image comparison and portfolio integration.
• Professional Development Courses On-demand professional development courses, in-person and online sessions, and curriculum implementation support for art educators.
• Art Education in Practice Series Professional development book series providing practical resources for art educators.
• Media Arts Essentials Comprehensive, ready-to-use digital resource bundle combining Davis media arts materials with implementation instruction, including tools, techniques, and practices fusing traditional art principles with emerging technologies for art educators.
• Davis Select Art Books Curated art books available through the Davis Select program for educational use.
• Collaborative Tape Art and PiktoTape Collaborative tape art resource for art educators and students.

Quantifiable outcome

• Comprehensive curriculum coverage from Kindergarten through Grade 12
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Savvas Learning Company: Savvas (formerly Pearson K-12) is a major K-12 textbook and digital curriculum publisher that competes with Davis for state adoption contracts and district-wide deals, and bundles art or arts-adjacent electives into broader offerings.
• Cengage: Cengage operates a broad educational publishing and digital courseware portfolio targeting K-12 and higher ed, creating overlap with Davis's institutional selling motion and procurement channels.
• Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH): HMH publishes K-12 textbooks and digital curriculum across subjects adjacent to art, competing with Davis for adoption contracts and district-wide purchasing decisions.
• Scholastic: Scholastic is a large children's educational publisher with deep school-channel distribution that overlaps with Davis's institutional reach into K-12 classrooms and educators.
• McGraw Hill: McGraw Hill is a major K-12 textbook and digital curriculum publisher competing for adoption contracts in shared states and leveraging institutional sales infrastructure well beyond Davis's reach.

Emerging players

• Teacher Created Materials: Teacher Created Materials is a smaller K-12 publisher producing classroom resources across subjects; it shares Davis's niche, school-channel profile and competes for similar district and individual-educator budgets.

Direct peers

• Crayola: Crayola offers K-12 art education lesson plans, creativity resources, and classroom programs that compete with Davis for the same schools and art educators, particularly at the elementary level.
• The Art of Education (AOE): AOE is a direct competitor offering K-12 art education professional development, on-demand courses, conferences, and a master's program for art educators, closely mirroring Davis's PD and curriculum offerings to the same teacher audience.
• Royal Fireworks Press: Royal Fireworks Press is an independent educational publisher producing materials for gifted and creative learners, sharing the small, independent K-12 publishing profile with Davis and producing some art-adjacent creative-thinking content.

Others

• Teachers Pay Teachers: Teachers Pay Teachers is a marketplace where individual educators publish and sell art lesson resources, including K-12 art curriculum, representing an alternative self-serve procurement channel competing with Davis's catalog.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/DavisPub
• Facebookfacebook.com/DavisPublications
• Pinterestpinterest.com/schoolarts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Davis Publications