Essentials in Writing

What Essentials in Writing does

Essentials in Writing (EIW) is a privately held, founder-owned homeschool curriculum company founded by Matthew Stephens in 2011 and operating from the United States (headquartered in Austin, TX with operational presence indicated by a Missouri area code). The company delivers a comprehensive K-12 video-based writing curriculum across 12 sequential levels, paired with a grades 7-12 literature curriculum (Essentials in Literature), covering grammar, composition, and literary analysis through short, step-by-step video lessons modeled by certified educators and supported by digital or printed student books, teacher handbooks, and pacing guides.

The core technology is a video-curriculum delivery platform with a member dashboard, supplemented by the Gradient scoring platform through which human scorers provide rubric-based evaluation of student compositions for Levels 6-12. The company also publishes Alternative Instructional Strategies (AIS) accommodations for neurodiverse learners, 18-week and 10-week supplemental pacing programs, a free Placement Tool, and a standalone College Application Essay Guide.

Revenue is generated primarily through one-time curriculum license sales ($99-$139 per level, digital or digital-plus-print), an annual scoring subscription at $139 per student (Levels 6-12), and ancillary products such as the $39.99 College Application Essay Guide. The go-to-market motion is product-led: a 7-day free trial ("Try Before You Buy"), an active Facebook community of 22,368 members, content marketing through a blog and resource center, and a dedicated direct-sales channel for charter schools. The customer base consists of individual homeschool families (primary segment), charter schools (secondary), and neurodiverse learners across K-12. The company is bootstrapped with no external funding, 11-50 employees, and recognized through Cathy Duffy's Top 102 Picks, the 2024 Innovator Award, and the Global Impact Education Award 2023, with UC A-G and EdGate standards alignment.

Name

Essentials in Writing

Legal name

Essentials in Writing

Website

https://essentialsinwriting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Essentials in Writing is a privately held, founder-owned company that delivers a comprehensive K-12 video-based homeschool writing and literature curriculum, serving homeschool families, charter schools, and neurodiverse learners through one-time curriculum sales and recurring scoring subscriptions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 homeschool writing and literature curriculum

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (61), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Writing Skills & Composition Enrichment (EDAMAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

K–12 Remedial Writing & Composition Support (EDANAJAC), K–12 Textbook Publishing (Core Curriculum) (MPAJABAA), K–12 Instructional Design & Curriculum Development Services (EDAGAKAA)

Keywords

• Homeschool writing curriculum
• Online language arts
• Video-based education
• K12 writing instruction
• Literature analysis curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Curriculum Sales (Writing & Literature): One-time purchase of curriculum packages at each level, with options for digital-only or digital + print formats. Additional student books and assessment booklets available as add-ons. Revenue is primarily one-time license model with optional add-ons.
2. Scoring Services: Annual subscription-style service at $139 per student per year (September 1 to June 15) for composition scoring in Levels 6-12. Includes detailed rubric-based evaluation, written feedback, and suggestions for improvement through the Gradient platform.
3. College Application Essay Guide: Standalone course for college-bound students (grades 11-12) priced at $39.99, including digital textbook and video lesson subscription. Self-paced, no teacher interaction.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Essentials in Writing sells a video-based K-12 homeschool writing and literature curriculum delivered online through streaming video, digital student books, and teacher handbooks. The curriculum spans 12 levels of grammar and composition plus 6 levels of literary analysis (grades 7-12), and is enhanced by an annual professional scoring service, supplemental pacing programs, accommodations for neurodiverse learners, and a separate college application essay course.

Product overview

Essentials in Writing offers a modular curriculum ecosystem centered on two core products: Essentials in Writing (EIW), a complete K-12 video-based writing curriculum with 12 progressive levels covering grammar and composition, and Essentials in Literature (EIL), a grades 7-12 literary analysis curriculum with 6 levels. These are sold individually, bundled together in the All Essentials Bundle for levels 7-12, or enhanced with add-on services including professional Scoring Services ($139/year for levels 6-12), 18-Week and 10-Week supplemental pacing programs, and Alternative Instructional Strategies for students with learning differences. A separate College Application Essay Guide ($39.99) targets college-bound high schoolers. The company also serves charter schools as a distinct market channel. All products feature video instruction modeled by certified educators, with digital or print delivery options, and are complemented by free tools including a Placement Tool and Intensive Grammar Review.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Essentials in Writing (EIW) A comprehensive K-12 video-based homeschool writing curriculum that teaches grammar and composition through interactive video lessons modeled by a certified educator, with step-by-step instruction broken into manageable daily chunks. Sold as a digital package or digital + print bundle at each of 12 levels (e.g., Level 1 digital $99, digital + print $119, with assessment packages $109 and $139 respectively). Targeted at homeschool families and charter schools.
• Essentials in Literature (EIL) A literature-based curriculum for middle and high school students (grades 7-12) that includes student books, video components, and novels, teaching literary analysis across fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry. Sold separately at each of six levels. Targeted at homeschool families and charter schools needing a complete literature program.
• All Essentials Bundle A combined package offering both Essentials in Writing and Essentials in Literature at each level (7-12), including student books, video components, novels, and Alternative Instructional Strategies for struggling students, sold at a bundled price.
• College Application Essay Guide A self-paced video course and digital textbook for 11th-12th graders (ages 16-19) that guides students through writing an effective personal statement essay for college applications, priced at $39.99 with no teacher interaction required.
• Scoring Services Professional writing evaluation service in which trained scorers provide detailed rubric-based feedback, written comments, and improvement suggestions on student compositions for levels 6-12, delivered through the Gradient online platform at $139 per student per school year (September 1 to June 15).
• Charter School Curriculum A tailored language arts curriculum solution for charter schools with customized alignment to specific school requirements, including state standards and standardized test prep (ACT, SAT, AP English, state tests). Adopted by hundreds of charter schools.

Quantifiable outcome

• Student progresses through writing curriculum independently without parental expertise required
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Brave Writer: Popular homeschool writing program emphasizing creative and lifestyle writing through digital courses, copywork, and online classes. Direct peer serving the same homeschool parent buyer with subscription and one-time curriculum offerings.
• Time4Writing: Online writing instruction service offering self-paced courses and one-on-one tutoring for elementary through high school. Direct peer in online, video-based writing instruction with similar asynchronous delivery model and homeschool-friendly positioning.
• Compass Classroom: Homeschool curriculum provider offering video-based instruction across writing, literature, history, and Latin. Adjacent direct peer with shared video-led delivery and homeschool distribution model, overlapping on writing/literature.
• WriteShop: Homeschool writing curriculum publisher offering incremental, parent-led writing instruction across K-12 levels. Direct peer with overlapping customer base (homeschool families), similar instructional philosophy of scaffolded composition, and parallel pricing band.
• Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW): Long-established homeschool writing curriculum with video/DVD instruction, teacher training, and student workbooks spanning elementary through high school. Direct competitor to EIW in the homeschool writing category, serving overlapping families with comparable structured pedagogy.

Emerging players

• Outschool: Online marketplace for live classes serving primarily homeschool and alternative-education families with writing, literature, and academic offerings. Partial overlap on customer segment and writing/literature subject matter, with a marketplace rather than curriculum model.
• The Writing Revolution: Methodology-driven writing instruction provider focused on sentence-level and paragraph-level skills, increasingly adopted by schools. Comparable in pedagogy focus and K-12 reach, but primarily a PD/curriculum consultancy rather than direct-to-consumer homeschool publisher.

Broad incumbents

• BJU Press: Large Christian homeschool curriculum publisher offering full K-12 programs including writing and literature. Broad incumbent competing for the same homeschool wallet share with deeper subject breadth and longer publishing history.
• Evan-Moor Educational Publishers: Established supplemental educational publisher producing workbooks and teacher resources across K-6 subjects including writing. Comparable as a standards-aligned supplemental publisher serving homeschool and classroom markets, though broader and not video-native.
• Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH): Major K-12 educational publisher with ELA programs adopted widely by public and charter schools. Comparable as a standards-aligned ELA curriculum provider competing for the same charter school contracts EIW targets, though at much larger scale and via traditional classroom channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/essentialsinwriting
• Instagraminstagram.com/essentialsinwriting
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/essentials-in-writing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Essentials in Writing