Tutoring statistics 2024
As academia becomes more and more competitive, tutoring is also increasing in popularity worldwide. The global private tutoring market was worth $97.11 billion in 2023, and it’s expected to experience a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of nearly 7% between 2023 and 2030. New trends like online tutoring are seeing especially prominent growth, which may be partly attributable to the familiarity with remote learning that developed during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Yet the pandemic’s overall negative effect on educational standards and practices lingers in some corners of the world. And despite an estimated $27 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funding allocated toward implementing or improving tutoring programs, the U.S. is still underperforming according to many tutoring standards. Less than one in six American students receives tutoring of any kind, and less than 1 in 50 receives high-quality tutoring.
The global private tutoring market size was estimated to be $97.11 billion in 2023, which was an increase of about 6% from its size of $91.65 billion in 2022.
Jump to insightAs of 2022, approximately 182,700 tutors were working in the U.S., comprised of about 120,500 (66%) women and 62,200 (34%) men.
Jump to insightAmerican tutors are most likely to be between the ages of 16 and 29. This age group accounts for nearly 121,500 U.S. tutors, making up 66.5% of the total tutoring workforce.
Jump to insightWhile about 15% of students in the U.S. are estimated to receive tutoring, less than 2% of students receive high-quality tutoring.
Jump to insightIt’s estimated that nearly all American public schools had students who were behind their grade levels in math and reading when the 2022–23 academic year started.
Jump to insightTutoring statistics
Many factors impact data trends in the tutoring industry, including digital advancements, academic lifecycles and demand for particular subjects.
In-demand subjects
The need for tutoring is directly correlated to the needs of students, and math and reading appear to be the most in-demand tutoring subjects. Among public American K–12 schools surveyed in December 2022, 99% reported that at least some of their students were behind their grade levels in math and reading at the beginning of the 2022–23 academic year.
Grade level
High school students account for the largest share of those who have tutors, with 39.8% of global tutoring revenue in 2022 deriving from clients in high school. This is partly because these students are some of the most likely to undergo important academic milestones, like taking standardized tests and applying for admission to colleges.
Academic vs. nonacademic
Academic tutoring accounts for the largest share of all tutoring, taking up 68.2% of the global market. Nonacademic tutoring, which includes tutoring sessions for hobbies and sports, only accounts for 31.8% of the global market.
Offline vs. online
Though online tutoring has become more popular in recent years, in-person tutoring still dominates the global industry. Roughly 74% of all private tutoring is done offline, whereas only 26% takes place online. However, online tutoring is the fastest-growing market segment, with a projected CAGR of 7.7% between 2023 and 2030.
Overall, the global online learning market has expanded by over 900% since 2000.
Private tutoring market size
As of 2023, the global private tutoring market was estimated to be worth $97.11 billion. That’s an increase of nearly 6% from 2022 when the market was valued at $91.65 billion.
Tutoring industry projections
The global private tutoring industry is projected to enjoy a CAGR of 7% between 2023 and 2030, while a CAGR of 5.7% is projected for the private tutoring industry in the U.S.
How many tutors are in the U.S.?
The number of tutors in the U.S. has steadily decreased in recent years, with the total tutor workforce dropping by nearly 6% from 2018 to 2022.
More specifically, the number of male tutors working in the U.S. has decreased each year since 2018 and has seen an overall decrease of about 14% since then. On the other hand, the number of female tutors has seen more fluctuation, decreasing in some years while increasing in others.
Tutor demographics in the U.S.
America’s tutors span a diverse range of ages, ethnicities, races and academic backgrounds.
Age
Tutors in the U.S. are most likely to be between the ages of 16 and 29. There are an estimated 121,495 American tutors within that age range, which makes up about 66.5% of the total American tutoring workforce. Broken down further, 73,734 American tutors are between 20 and 24 years of age, making up a 40.4% plurality of our total tutoring workforce.
Ethnicity
More than 17% of all tutors in the U.S., or 31,424 individuals, are Hispanic, with those identifying as Mexican accounting for 57% of this cohort.
Race
Over 63% of U.S. tutors, or 115,266 tutors in total, are white, which is less than the 75.5% of the total U.S. population identifying as white. Asian Americans account for the second largest share of tutors, at 23,730 individuals (13%). That’s more than double the percentage of the U.S. population that identifies as Asian.
Those who identify as Black or multiracial account for the third and fourth largest shares of American tutors, at 18,267 (10%) and 14,444 (7.9%), respectively.
Majors
Tutors come from many educational backgrounds, with no one major dominating the field. That being said, the most prevalent academic degrees in the tutoring industry include education at 21.5% (16,418 people), business at 7.6% (5,831 people), English at 7.4% (5,671 people) and biology at 7.1% (5,427 people).
Education levels
A 34.6% plurality of American tutors have some college experience but have not yet obtained a degree. That cohort is followed closely by the 26.2% of tutors who have a bachelor’s degree but have not obtained an advanced degree. Tutors with a graduate degree make up 15.5% of the American tutoring workforce.
How many students use tutors?
Tutoring is surprisingly uncommon in the U.S., with only 15% of students receiving any form of tutoring. This trend holds even for the students who need tutoring the most, as only 24% of students who receive C grades or lower have a tutor.
High-quality tutoring is even more uncommon and can be defined by the following traits:
- Taking place in person
- Having a ratio of four or fewer students to one tutor
- Lasting at least 30 minutes per session
- Having a frequency of three or more sessions weekly
Under these criteria, less than 2% of all American students receive high-quality tutoring, and only 4% of students with C grades or lower receive such service. The biggest barrier preventing high-quality tutoring is tutoring frequency, as only 25% of students with a tutor have sessions at least three times weekly. That said, 88% of tutoring occurs in a face-to-face setting, and 79% of sessions are done in one-on-one or small group settings. Additionally, 63% of tutored students meet with their tutor for 30 minutes or longer per session.
Which subjects need more tutoring?
For the 2022–23 academic year, an estimated 99% of public K–12 schools in the U.S. had at least some students who started the school year while they were behind their grade levels in math, and 80% had at least some students who started the year while they were behind their grade levels in science.
Reading is also a very in-demand tutoring subject. Like math, an estimated 99% of schools had at least some students whose reading skills were behind their grade level at the start of the 2022–23 school year.
Social studies is the third most in-demand subject, with 69% of schools reporting student deficiencies. On the other hand, world languages and computer science were subjects where only 19% and 17% of schools noted some students had fallen behind, respectively.
FAQ
Is the private tutoring industry growing?
Yes, both the global and U.S. private tutoring industries are growing. Between 2022 and 2023, the global industry’s market size grew by about 6%. The global private tutoring industry is projected to experience a CAGR of 7% between 2023 and 2030, while the private tutoring industry in the U.S. should have a 5.7% CAGR.
However, the number of tutors working in the U.S. has declined in recent years, dropping by about 6% from 2018 to 2022.
How does tutoring impact academic performance?
Tutoring impacts academic performance positively by improving success and retention rates among students. Research has shown that students who receive tutoring average a 13% higher rate of passing their classes and an 8% higher rate of staying in school.
What percentage of students benefit from tutoring?
Only 15% of U.S. students undergo some form of tutoring. Furthermore, less than 2% of students benefit from high-quality tutoring, which is characterized as in-person tutoring that is taught in a ratio of four or fewer students to one tutor, lasts at least 30 minutes per session and has a frequency of three or more sessions per week.
References
- “Tutors Detailed Occupation.” Data USA. Evaluated May 13, 2024.Link Here
- “QuickFacts United States.” U.S. Census Bureau. Evaluated May 13, 2024.Link Here
- Rapaport, A., & Silver, D. “Two Percent of U.S. Children Receive High-Quality Tutoring, Despite Billions Funneled into School Systems.” Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics. Evaluated May 14, 2024.Link Here
- Sparks, S. “The State of School Tutoring, in Charts.” EducationWeek. Evaluated May 14, 2024.Link Here
- “Private Tutoring Market Size & Trends.” Grand View Research. Evaluated May 14, 2024.Link Here
- Gabriel-Millette, C. “The Effects of Tutoring on Academic Performance.” San Bernardino Valley College. Evaluated May 14, 2024.Link Here
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