Pennsylvania department of education

What Pennsylvania department of education does

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) is the sole state government agency responsible for overseeing public education across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, headquartered in Harrisburg. It serves 500 public school districts, 170+ public charter and cyber charter schools, Career and Technology Centers, public Intermediate Units, community colleges, State Juvenile Correctional Institutions, Head Starts, publicly funded preschools, and various library programs. The agency is headed by the Secretary of Education (currently Carrie Rowe), who is appointed by the Governor, and operates under the broader authority of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

PDE's core operational systems include MyPDESuite (educator services portal), TIMS (Teacher Information Management System for certification), PIMS (Pennsylvania Information Management System for statewide data reporting), and Keystone Login (single sign-on authentication). These platforms handle educator certification, school data reporting, enrollment tracking, and assessment administration. The department also maintains initiatives including PA EmpowerU for student engagement, Career Ready PA for workforce preparation, the Family and Community Engagement Program (FACE), and AI/Digital Literacy guidance resources. PDE does not generate commercial revenue; its funding derives from state budget appropriations and federal education fund distributions (Title I-IV, adult literacy, English language acquisition), with the department currently contesting $230M in frozen federal funds through multistate litigation.

The department operates through policy mandates, grant programs, and regulatory oversight rather than commercial transactions. PDE administers grant programs including the $7M Dual Credit Innovation Grant, $4.3M in Career and Technical Education grants to 54 schools, and $1M+ for adult education tutor training. It approves curricula for statewide use (e.g., Savvas Learning Company's myView Literacy for K-5 starting 2027-28), certifies educators, and sets standards including PA STEELS Standards and structured literacy requirements. Recent strategic activity includes new program launches, partnerships with Penn State Outreach and PepsiCo for sustainability education, and approval of St. Luke's College of Health Sciences to address healthcare workforce needs.

Name

Pennsylvania department of education

Legal name

Pennsylvania Department of Education

Website

https://education.pa.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

The Pennsylvania Department of Education is the state government agency overseeing all public education in Pennsylvania, serving 500+ school districts, 170+ charter schools, career/technical centers, and community colleges through policy mandates, regulatory approval, educator certification, and grant administration.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Education Administration

NAICS

Administration of Education Programs (923110), Educational Services (61), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

State/Provincial/Regional Education Departments (EDADAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Funding, Finance & Grants Reporting (Allocations, Claims, Reconciliation) (EDADAIAG), Professional Development / CPD Requirement Administration for Licensure (EDADAJAL), Career & Technical Education (CTE) Standards Authorities (EDADAEAE), State/Provincial Education Department Administration (BPAIABAJ)

Keywords

• K-12 public education
• Educator certification services
• Education grant administration
• Curriculum approval oversight
• State education agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Punxsutawney

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, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. State Funding Appropriation: Primary funding from Pennsylvania state budget appropriation to operate the department and distribute to local education agencies
2. Federal Education Funding: Distribution of federal education funds including Title I, Title II, Title III, Title IV programs, teacher training, after-school programming, adult literacy, and English language acquisition. PDE is disputing $230M in frozen federal funds through multistate lawsuit.
3. Grant Programs: Department administers grant programs including $7M Dual Credit Innovation Grant for 2026, $4.3M CTE grants to 54 schools, and $1M+ for adult education tutor training

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Pennsylvania Department of Education centrally administers Pennsylvania's public education system, providing policy coordination, regulatory oversight, educator certification, curriculum approval, and distribution of state and federal education funding. It operates digital platforms (MyPDESuite, TIMS, PIMS) that schools, districts, and educators use for certification, data reporting, and administrative services. PDE also funds grant programs such as the Dual Credit Innovation Grant ($7M), Career and Technical Education grants ($4.3M to 54 schools), and adult education initiatives.

Product overview

The Pennsylvania Department of Education operates a platform-based ecosystem overseeing 500 public school districts, 170+ charter schools, Career and Technology Centers, public Intermediate Units, and community colleges. Core systems include the Pennsylvania Information Management System (PIMS) for statewide data reporting and MyPDESuite for educator services including TIMS certification management. The department also supports approved curriculum products like myView Literacy for K-5 literacy instruction, and initiatives including PA EmpowerU for student engagement, Career Ready PA for workforce preparation, and the Family and Community Engagement Program (FACE). PDE provides AI and Digital Literacy guidance resources for educators, parents, and students rather than AI-powered products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MyPDESuite Online application portal operated by the Pennsylvania Department of Education for educator services, including certification, professional development tracking, and administrative services for Pennsylvania educators and school staff.
• Pennsylvania Information Management System (PIMS) Statewide data collection and reporting system used by Pennsylvania school districts to submit enrollment, staff, assessment, and institutional data to the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
• myView Literacy K-5 literacy curriculum approved by PDE for statewide use in Pennsylvania schools, meeting both EdReports and The Reading League standards for evidence-based reading instruction.
• PA EmpowerU PDE initiative supporting student empowerment and engagement across Pennsylvania schools.
• Career Ready PA PDE initiative supporting career readiness and workforce development for Pennsylvania students.
• Family and Community Engagement Program (FACE) PDE program supporting family and community engagement in Pennsylvania schools.
• Dual Credit Innovation Grant Program $7M grant program administered by PDE for 2026 to expand dual credit course capacity in Pennsylvania public colleges and universities, supporting course materials, faculty, transportation, and technology for underrepresented student populations.
• K-12 Impact Fellows in Sustainability Program Fellowship program co-funded by PDE and PepsiCo that provides Pennsylvania educators with $2,000 stipends and up to $1,000 in project funding to integrate climate and sustainability learning into high school curricula, aligned with PA STEELS Standards.

Quantifiable outcome

• 54 schools received $4.3M in CTE grants (June 2026)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Savvas Learning CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2026Pennsylvania Department of Education approved Savvas Learning Company's myView Literacy curriculum for use in K-5 classrooms statewide. The program is the only Pennsylvania-approved curriculum to earn 'All-Green' ratings on EdReports' new 2.1 evaluation, meeting standards set by both EdReports and The Reading League. Beginning 2027-28 school year, all PA schools must use evidence-based reading instruction aligned with state standards.
• Penn State OutreachminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 February 2026Penn State Outreach launched the K-12 Impact Fellows in Sustainability program at the K-12 Sustainability Summit to support Pennsylvania educators in bringing climate and sustainability learning to high schools. The inaugural cohort of four educators will receive $2,000 stipends and up to $1,000 in project funding, with implementation during 2026-27 academic year, aligned to PA STEELS Standards.
• St. Luke's University Health NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025St. Luke's University Health Network received PDE approval in October 2025 to launch St. Luke's College of Health Sciences, accepting inaugural class May 2026 with Radiography, Respiratory Care, and RN to BSN programs to address projected healthcare workforce shortages.
• State of Pennsylvania (Governor Josh Shapiro)coreOthers · 30 June 2025Governor Josh Shapiro joined multistate lawsuit with 25 other states and DC challenging the Trump Administration's decision to withhold $230 million in federal education funding from Pennsylvania schools. The funding freeze affects teacher training, after-school programming, adult literacy, and English language acquisition programs.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• EdReports: Independent nonprofit that publishes curriculum review ratings (e.g., the 2.1 evaluation referenced in PDE's myView Literacy approval). Comparable as an adjacent ecosystem organization whose evaluation standards directly shape PDE's curriculum approval decisions.
• Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO): Nonprofit association of state education chiefs that coordinates policy and convenes state superintendents and secretaries. Comparable as an ecosystem organization that PDE leadership participates in for multi-state coordination and policy alignment.

Direct peers

• New York State Education Department: New York's state education agency responsible for overseeing public schools, educator certification, and curriculum standards. Direct comparable as a state education regulatory authority with similar grant administration and policy functions.
• Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education: Massachusetts's state education agency with authority over curriculum frameworks, educator licensure, and district accountability. Direct comparable as a state-level education department with strong curriculum standards authority analogous to PDE.
• Texas Education Agency: Texas's state education agency managing curriculum standards, school finance, and educator certification. Directly comparable as a large state education department with broad regulatory and funding authority.
• Illinois State Board of Education: Illinois's state education governance body overseeing public K-12 schools, federal program administration, and educator certification. Direct comparable as a state-level education policy and funding administrator.
• Florida Department of Education: Florida's state education agency overseeing K-12, educator certification, and statewide assessment. Direct comparable as a state education department with curriculum approval and accountability functions.
• California Department of Education: California's state education agency overseeing K-12 and adult education across the largest public school system in the U.S. Directly comparable as a state-level education department with curriculum approval, funding distribution, and educator certification authority.
• Ohio Department of Education and Workforce: Ohio's state education agency with oversight of public schools, educator licensing, and CTE programs. Directly comparable as a state-level education authority, particularly given Ohio's emphasis on workforce-aligned CTE programs similar to PDE.

Broad incumbents

• U.S. Department of Education: The federal education agency that administers Title funding, ESSA, and national education policy. Comparable as a higher-level education authority that funds and sets policy direction for state agencies like PDE.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/padeptofed
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@GovernorShapiro
• Facebookfacebook.com/padepartmentofeducation
• Instagraminstagram.com/GovernorShapiro
• TikToktiktok.com/@governorshapiro

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments18 records

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Frequently asked questions about Pennsylvania department of education