Summer Skills

What Summer Skills does

Summer Skills (legally Tri-C Publications, Inc.) is a privately held educational workbook publisher founded in 1991 and headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The company produces a portfolio of physical, spiral-bound review books designed to prevent the "summer slide" — the academic regression students experience over extended summer breaks. Its product catalog spans Pre-K through high school and covers math (15 grade-specific titles), language arts (10 titles), foreign language (Spanish I, Spanish II, French I), study skills, keyboarding, and a newer Math For Life practical everyday math book. All books are priced at $19 each, contain 30 lessons structured for 20-30 minute sessions three to four times per week over ten weeks, and are positioned as screen-free, standards-aligned (Common Core plus all 50 states) alternatives to digital learning platforms.

The company sells exclusively through direct channels — its own website, an 800-number phone line, fax, and mail — and is not available on Amazon or in retail stores. It operates two distinct customer motions: a direct-to-consumer flow for individual parents ordering one or two books for home use, and a direct-to-school flow serving K-12 schools, Title I programs, summer school programs, and homeschool families, with tiered volume pricing ($14-$19 per book depending on order size) and free UPS Ground shipping on school orders. Since 2019 the company has been owned by Foremost Graphics Group, an independent Grand Rapids-based printing and packaging firm that handles all production and distribution — a vertical integration that gives the business full control of manufacturing economics and unit margins.

The company's claimed reach includes adoption in over 20,000 schools nationwide and partnerships with more than 50,000 parents and teachers, supported by a leadership team that includes Managing Director Tim Karel, who acquired the company in 2019 after consulting for the prior ownership since 2001, alongside long-tenured staff such as Director of Client Services Tracy Little (30 years) and Senior Creative Director Patrick Finn (20+ years). The business operates with a very lean team of 1-10 employees and a niche, transactional revenue model with no disclosed revenue figures, no outside funding, and no institutional investors.

Name

Summer Skills

Legal name

Tri-C Publications, Inc.

Website

https://summerskills.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Summer Skills (Tri-C Publications, Inc.) is a Grand Rapids, Michigan-based publisher of printed, screen-free review books for Pre-K through high school students, designed to prevent summer learning loss. It sells $19 workbooks directly to parents and K-12 schools, with 20,000+ schools and 50,000+ parents served since 1991.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Workbooks

NAICS

Book Publishers (51313), Book Publishers (513130), Books Printing (323117)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s Activity & Practice Books (Workbooks, Puzzles, Handwriting) (EDAGAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Math Enrichment Curriculum, Workbooks & Question Banks (EDAMAEAG), Study Skills & Academic Success Guides (Students) (EDAGAIAJ), Children’s Activity & Workbook Publishing (MPAJAFAG), Graded Readers & Extensive Reading Programs (EDAGAHAK)

Keywords

• Summer learning workbooks
• K-12 review books
• Educational print materials
• Summer slide prevention
• Standards-aligned curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Physical Workbook Sales: Summer Skills generates revenue through the sale of physical printed workbook books. Individual books are priced at $19 each. Volume discounts are available for school orders: 1–149 books at $19 each, 150–249 at $18, 250–499 at $17, 500–749 at $16, 750–999 at $15, and 1000+ at $14 per book. Free UPS Ground shipping is included for school orders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Summer Skills sells printed, spiral-bound review workbooks for students from Pre-K through high school, covering math, language arts, foreign language (Spanish I, Spanish II, French I), study skills, keyboarding, and practical math for life. Each book contains 30 lessons designed for 20–30 minutes of practice 3–4 times per week over 10 weeks, with answer keys for immediate feedback. Books are priced at $19 each and are sold directly to parents and schools — not through retail stores or Amazon.

Product overview

Summer Skills offers a portfolio of physical workbook-based review books designed to prevent summer learning loss (the 'summer slide'). The core product lines include: (1) Summer Math Skills Sharpener, a 15-book series from Pre-K through high school covering grades K-12 plus Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Geometry, and High School levels; (2) Summer Language Arts Review, a 10-book series from Pre-K through high school; (3) Foreign Language Review covering Spanish I, Spanish II, and French I; (4) Study Skills Sharpener for middle and high school students; (5) Touch the Future Keyboarding for grades 3-6; and (6) Math For Life for practical everyday math. All books are priced at $19 each, feature 30 lessons designed for 20-30 minutes of daily practice 3-4 times per week over 10 weeks, and are screen-free printed workbooks with spiral bindings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Summer Math Skills Sharpener A series of 15 individual review books spanning Pre-K through high school, designed to help students maintain and hone their math skills over the summer months. Each book contains 30 lessons of mixed-skills practice with answer keys and tutorial help pages.
• Summer Language Arts Review A series of 10 individual review books from Pre-K through high school that helps students maintain Language Arts skills including reading, writing, phonics, and grammar over the summer with 30 lessons per book.
• Foreign Language Review A series of 3 individual review books for Spanish and French (Spanish I Review, Spanish II Review, French I Review) designed for middle and high school students continuing their foreign language studies.
• Study Skills Sharpener A book comprised of 30 lessons covering study skills including organizational skills, time management, note taking, reading strategies, memory tricks, writing skills, and test preparation for 7th grade through high school students.
• Touch the Future Keyboarding A computer keyboarding book designed to teach students keyboarding skills using an alphabetic approach, recommended for grades 3-6, with a paper keyboard included for students without computer access.
• Summer Math Skills Sharpener Math For Life A practical math book for everyday living designed for high school and college students covering topics including earning money, banking, budgeting, investments, buying a home, buying a car, and insurance.

Quantifiable outcome

• Students can lose 2–3 months of academic progress over summer without intervention — Summer Skills books are designed to prevent this summer slide through consistent 20-minute practice sessions 3–4 times per week for 10 weeks.

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Foremost Graphics (parent company)coreOthers · 1 January 2019Tim Karel and his partners acquired Summer Skills in 2019. Tim Karel also serves as Vice President of Foremost Graphics Group, an independent printing, packaging, and marketing communications firm based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Foremost Graphics handles the printing, packaging, and distribution of Summer Skills books, making it a vertically integrated parent company.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Evan-Moor Educational Publishers: Publishes supplemental K-8 workbooks and lesson books across math, language arts, reading, and writing for classroom and home use. Directly competes with Summer Skills in the standards-aligned workbook category with a similar B2B/B2C dual-channel model.
• Brain Quest (Workman Publishing): Children's educational workbook and question-card brand covering Pre-K through 7th grade. Comparable in screen-free, grade-banded review format serving parents and schools.
• Kumon: Global supplemental education company built around workbooks and self-learning for math and reading. Comparable to Summer Skills in paper-based, mixed-skills approach, though Kumon operates via franchise tutoring centers alongside workbook sales.
• Teacher Created Resources: Publisher of supplemental classroom and educational materials including workbooks, charts, and learning kits. Directly comparable to Summer Skills' school-targeted workbook model.
• School Zone Publishing: Publishes children's workbooks, flash cards, and learning materials for preschool through grade 3+, sold through retail and direct channels. Closely comparable to Summer Skills in screen-free workbook format and parent-focused positioning.
• Carson-Dellosa Publishing: Major publisher of K-8 supplemental workbooks, flashcards, and classroom resources sold through retail, school, and online channels. Directly comparable to Summer Skills in product format and target customer, with broader catalog and omnichannel distribution.
• Highlights: Children's content brand spanning activity books, workbooks, and magazines for K-6. Comparable to Summer Skills in print-based, screen-free educational content for children and parents.

Emerging players

• IXL Learning: Digital supplemental learning platform covering math, language arts, science, and social studies for K-12. Targets the same summer review and skill-maintenance use case as Summer Skills but via adaptive online curriculum.
• Khan Academy: Free digital educational platform with extensive K-12 summer learning programs (e.g., Khan Academy Kids, Summer Learning). Competes with Summer Skills for parental and school summer learning budgets, but in digital format.

Broad incumbents

• Scholastic: Large incumbent children's publisher with extensive educational, classroom, and book fair channels. Overlaps with Summer Skills in school-channel supplemental learning but operates at much larger scale and broader scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/summerskillsbooks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/summer-skills-review-books

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Summer Skills