NAICS 6117

Educational Support Services

Educational support services (NAICS 6117): Assessment, curriculum development, and specialized services supporting schools, colleges, and training programs nationwide.

Industry at a Glance

Sector-wide aggregates across all businesses classified under NAICS 6117 (2017 classification frame). For specific sub-industries within this sector, see the individual reports below.

Employment
142K
US Census CBP · 2023 · NAICS 2017
Establishments
12K
US Census CBP · 2023 · NAICS 2017
Annual Payroll
$8.7B
US Census CBP · 2023 · NAICS 2017
Avg Annual Wage
$61,473
Derived from US Census CBP · 2023 · NAICS 2017
Market Size
$21.8B
US Census Economic Census · 2022 · NAICS 2017

Industry Overview

Educational support services (NAICS 6117) encompasses organizations that provide specialized support functions to the education system, including educational assessment and evaluation services, curriculum development, instructional materials production, and other ancillary services that enhance educational delivery. This industry group plays a critical role in the broader educational services sector by supplying essential infrastructure, testing services, and supplementary resources that schools, colleges, and training programs rely upon to operate effectively. The sector includes test administration and scoring services, educational research organizations, curriculum publishers, educational consultants, and entities providing school assessment services that support educational institutions across K-12, higher education, and professional training sectors.

Who Uses These Reports

Trusted by professionals who need verified federal data to make decisions

Investors & PE Firms

Size markets, validate deal theses, and benchmark targets with verified federal data before committing capital

Consultants & Advisors

Deliver data-backed recommendations to clients with sourced and cited industry metrics — Census, BLS, and FRED

Founders & Operators

Validate market entry, benchmark against industry averages, and present credible data to investors and boards

Corporate Strategy Teams

Support expansion planning, M&A due diligence, and executive reporting with NAICS-classified industry data

See what's inside a report

Market sizing, workforce analysis, competitive landscape, regulatory environment — all sourced from Census, BLS, FRED, and SEC EDGAR.

Industry Trends

01

Digital transformation of assessment services is accelerating, with increased adoption of computer-adaptive testing, online proctoring, and real-time analytics platforms that provide immediate feedback to educators and learners.

02

Growth in personalized learning analytics and evidence-based decision making is driving demand for educational assessment services that help institutions identify individual student needs and track learning outcomes across diverse populations.

03

Remote and hybrid education models have expanded the market for virtual assessment services and online curriculum support services, creating new opportunities for service providers to reach geographically dispersed educational institutions.

04

Increased focus on competency-based assessment and alternative credentialing is prompting educational support organizations to develop new evaluation methodologies beyond traditional standardized testing.

05

Integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning into educational assessment platforms is enabling more sophisticated learning diagnostics and personalized instructional recommendations.

Specialty Reports Available on Request

1 specialty industriesavailable on request
▾

Industries

Browse deeper into the NAICS hierarchy.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is NAICS 6117? ▾
NAICS 6117 classifies educational support services, which are specialized services that support educational institutions and systems. These services include educational assessment and evaluation, curriculum development, educational research, test administration and scoring, and production of educational materials that enhance the functioning of schools and training programs.
What types of organizations operate in this industry? ▾
The industry includes large standardized testing companies that administer national assessments, educational research and evaluation firms that conduct learning outcome studies, curriculum developers and educational publishers, educational consultants providing school improvement services, and nonprofit organizations providing educational assessment and support functions to schools and districts.
How has technology impacted educational support services? ▾
Technology has fundamentally transformed the industry through computerized testing platforms, online proctoring systems, learning management integration, real-time analytics dashboards, and technology-enabled assessment tools. These advances have enabled more efficient service delivery, expanded geographic reach, improved data collection and analysis capabilities, and created opportunities for personalized learning interventions.
What factors drive demand for educational support services? ▾
Key demand drivers include accountability pressures on schools and districts to demonstrate student learning outcomes, regulatory requirements for standardized assessments, institutional needs for curriculum improvement and instructional materials, expansion of online and hybrid education models, and growing emphasis on evidence-based decision making in education administration.
How do educational support services differ from direct educational instruction? ▾
While educational institutions (schools, colleges) provide direct instruction to students, educational support services provide the specialized functions that enable quality instruction, such as developing curricula, assessing student learning, evaluating program effectiveness, and supplying instructional resources and analysis tools.

Questions about how we source industry data? See our data sources FAQ.

Don't see your industry?

We can generate a report for any NAICS-classified industry in the US. Professional PDF delivered in 48 hours.