At a glance
Scholastic Corporation is worth $715.0M, about 17 times its fiscal 2026 earnings. Revenue fell 2.7% to $1.58B in fiscal 2026, with 3.6% kept as profit; over 5 years it has grown 4.0% a year. It pays a 2.19% dividend yield, and returned $773.2M to shareholders in dividends and buybacks over FY2022–FY2026. The stock returned +37.8% over the past year with dividends reinvested and +3.9% a year over five years, against +11.5% and +11.7% for the S&P 500. At its worst it fell 39.6% in the 2020 crash (S&P 500: 33.7%) and 38.7% in the 2022 bear market (S&P 500: 24.5%), and was back at its earlier high 14 months and 44 months after the lows.
The business in plain English
Scholastic describes itself as the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books. It was founded in 1920. It sells print, digital and audio books, classroom magazines and teaching materials for pre-kindergarten (pre-K) through grade 12, and it produces children's media. Its buyers are mainly parents, children, teachers, schools and libraries. It reaches them through school-based channels, stores and the internet.
The largest segment is Children's Book Publishing and Distribution. It brought in $964.2 million, or 61%, of the $1.58 billion in revenue for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2026. It runs school book fairs in all 50 states and classroom book clubs for pre-K to grade 8. Most book club sales come through online ordering, and much of that is placed directly by parents. The segment also sells to bookstores and online retailers, with series such as Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Dog Man and Captain Underpants.
International operations in places such as Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and Asia added 17.5% of revenue. The Education segment, at 16.9%, sells 31 classroom magazines such as Scholastic News, plus classroom libraries and reading programs. Schools and districts pay for most of these. Entertainment, built around 9 Story Media Group, which Scholastic bought in June 2024, made up 4.2%. About 76% of total sales came from the United States.
Price history
The interactive chart needs JavaScript.
SCHL +37.8% over the year to Oct 28, 2026, total return with dividends reinvested.
How it makes money
By business segment
| Children's Book Publishing and Distribution | $964.2M | 61% |
| International | $277.2M | 17.5% |
| Education | $267.6M | 16.9% |
| Entertainment | $65.7M | 4.2% |
By geography
| United States | $1.21B | 76.3% |
| International | $375.3M | 23.7% |
Latest results
- In Q1 FY2027 (ended Aug 31, 2026), revenue was $216.8M, down 3.9% from a year earlier, and net income was $-71.2M.
- For fiscal 2026, revenue was $1.58B (-2.7% year over year; +4.0% a year from FY2021 to FY2026) with a 3.6% net margin.
Financial health check
| Revenue growth a year (FY2021–FY2026) | +4.0% watch |
|---|---|
| Operating margin | 1% weak |
| Free cash flow margin | 0.2% watch |
| Return on equity (FY2026) | 7.6% weak |
| Return on assets (FY2026) | 3.3% watch |
| Net cash (cash minus debt) | $-78.0M watch |
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Net income | Free cash flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2021 | $1.30B | $-11.0M | $23.8M |
| FY2022 | $1.64B | $80.9M | $184.0M |
| FY2023 | $1.70B | $86.3M | $86.9M |
| FY2024 | $1.59B | $12.1M | $96.2M |
| FY2025 | $1.63B | $-1.9M | $72.0M |
| FY2026 | $1.58B | $56.7M | $2.5M |
Valuation snapshot
| Market value | $715.0M |
|---|---|
| P/E ratio | 16.6 |
| Dividend yield | 2.19% |
Rank among 1514 US companies
Price behavior
| YTD | 1 yr | 3 yr | 5 yr | 10 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCHL price data to Oct 28, 2026 | +33.3% | +37.8% | +4.3% | +3.9% | +2.3% |
Show as a table
| Year | Price data |
|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | +33.4% |
| 2025 | +44.0% |
| 2024 | -42.0% |
| 2023 | -2.5% |
| 2022 | +0.5% |
| 2021 | +63.0% |
| 2020 | -33.4% |
| 2019 | -3.0% |
| 2018 | +1.9% |
| 2017 | -14.3% |
| 2016 | +25.2% |
| 2015 | +7.5% |
| 2014 | +9.0% |
| 2013 | +17.8% |
| 2012 | +0.3% |
| 2011 | +2.9% |
| 2010 | +0.2% |
| 2009 | +123.4% |
| 2008 | -60.8% |
| 2007 | -2.6% |
| 2006 | +25.7% |
| 2008 financial crisis stocks fell Oct 9, 2007 – Mar 9, 2009 | Lost 72% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 75.9%, back to its old high 36.6 months after the low |
|---|---|
| 2020 COVID crash stocks fell Feb 19, 2020 – Mar 23, 2020 | Lost 32.4% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 39.6%, back to its old high 14.4 months after the low |
| 2022 bear market stocks fell Jan 3, 2022 – Oct 12, 2022 | Lost 20.8% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 38.7%, back to its old high 44.2 months after the low |
Insider activity
Form 4 filings from 2025-10-29 to 2026-10-29 (25 read): 0 open-market purchases and 0 sales ($0.00).
Who owns it
Large shareholders (13G filings)
| BlackRock, Inc. | 12.8% | Sep 30, 2026 |
| Dimensional Fund Advisors LP | 9.5% | Sep 30, 2026 |
| Mary Sue Robinson Morrill | 9.3% | Dec 31, 2025 |
| William W. Robinson | 7.4% | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Andrew S. Hedden | 7% | Dec 31, 2025 |
| Barbara Robinson Buckland | 6.8% | Dec 31, 2025 |
| Florence Robinson Ford | 5.9% | Dec 31, 2025 |
ETFs with the most weight in SCHL
| MYLD Cambria Micro and SmallCap Shareholder Yield ETF | 0.98% |
| DGRS WisdomTree US Smallcap Quality Dividend Growth Fund | 0.26% |
| BSVO EA Bridgeway Omni Small-Cap Value ETF | 0.23% |
| AFSM First Trust Active Factor Small Cap ETF | 0.19% |
| ISMD Inspire Small/Mid Cap ETF | 0.19% |
| ROSC Hartford Multifactor Small Cap ETF | 0.16% |
| SFLO VictoryShares Small Cap Free Cash Flow ETF | 0.15% |
| SQLV Royce Quant Small‑Cap Quality Value ETF | 0.15% |
What could go wrong
- Heavy reliance on school book fairs and clubs. The book publishing and distribution segment, built on school book fairs, book clubs and trade sales, brought in 61% of fiscal 2026 revenue. Fewer school events or less teacher and volunteer participation would cut sales.
- Education sales depend on school budgets. Education revenue fell to $267.6 million in fiscal 2026, or 16.9% of sales, after also falling the year before. Most classroom magazine subscriptions are paid from school or district budgets, which can be cut.
- Trade sales lean on a few hit series. Trade publishing relies on big series such as Harry Potter, Dog Man, Wings of Fire and The Hunger Games. Fewer hit releases, or losing a popular author, could make sales uneven.
- Summer quarters can bring large losses. Sales follow the school calendar, so summer quarters can lose money. In the quarter ended August 31, 2026, revenue fell 3.9% from a year earlier to $216.8 million, with a net loss of $71.2 million.
- Thin profits and little free cash. Operating margin was 1% in fiscal 2026. Free cash flow, the cash left after capital spending, was $2.5 million, while dividends cost $20 million. The company lost money in fiscal 2025.
- Less financial cushion after heavy buybacks. The company spent $265.9 million on buybacks in fiscal 2026 and sold and leased back its headquarters space. As of August 31, 2026, debt of $184.8 million exceeded cash and investments of $106.8 million.
Recent events
- Quarterly results released
- Shareholder vote results
- Other company announcement
- Quarterly results released
- Quarterly results released
- Other company announcement
- Executive or board change
- Acquisition or sale of assets completed; New debt or financial obligation
- Quarterly results released
- Major agreement signed; Acquisition or sale of assets completed; New debt or financial obligation
For income and retirement investors
Scholastic paid $0.80 per share in dividends in fiscal 2026. That was the same amount as in each year since fiscal 2023 and up from $0.60 in fiscal 2021, about 5.9% a year of growth over that span. There is no ongoing streak of yearly increases. The dividend took 35.3% of fiscal 2026 earnings. But free cash flow (cash left after running and investing in the business) was only $2.5 million, against $20.0 million paid out. Buybacks have been far larger: $659.6 million over fiscal 2022–2026, including $265.9 million in fiscal 2026. The yield was 2.19% as of October 28, 2026.
The shares have fallen hard in downturns. They dropped about 76% in the 2008 financial crisis and did not fully recover until March 2012. They fell about 40% in the 2020 COVID crash and recovered by June 2021. In 2022 they fell about 39% and did not regain that peak until June 2026. Single stocks carry more risk than diversified funds.
Questions investors ask
How does Scholastic make money?
Mostly by selling children's books. Its Children's Book Publishing and Distribution segment runs school book fairs and book clubs and sells to bookstores and online retailers. It brought in $964.2 million, or 61% of revenue, in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2026. International operations added 17.5%. The Education segment, which sells classroom magazines, classroom libraries and reading programs to schools, added 16.9%. Entertainment, its children's media business, added 4.2%.
Does Scholastic raise its dividend every year?
No. Scholastic paid $0.80 per share in each fiscal year from 2023 through 2026, up from $0.60 in fiscal 2021 and 2022, so it has no running streak of yearly increases. Over fiscal 2021–2026, the dividend grew about 5.9% a year. In fiscal 2026 it took 35.3% of earnings but was far more than that year's free cash flow of $2.5 million. The yield was 2.19% as of October 28, 2026.
Is Scholastic profitable?
Yes, though margins are thin and results swing. Scholastic earned $56.7 million, or $2.34 per diluted share, in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2026, after a $1.9 million loss in fiscal 2025. Operating margin (profit from operations as a share of sales) was 1%, and net margin was 3.6%. The business is also seasonal: in the quarter ended August 31, 2026, it lost $71.2 million on $216.8 million of revenue.
How has Scholastic stock performed?
Unevenly. As of October 28, 2026, the share price was up 37.8% over one year. Over ten years it rose only about 25% in total, roughly 2.3% a year. Calendar years swing widely: down 42% in 2024, up 44% in 2025 and up 33% in 2026 through October 28. At its worst point in the three years to that date, the stock was down 60.5%. It traded at 16.6 times fiscal 2026 earnings.
Who owns the most Scholastic stock?
BlackRock is the largest reported holder, with 12.8% as of September 30, 2026, followed by Dimensional Fund Advisors with 9.5%. Several individuals also report stakes above 5%. Mary Sue Robinson Morrill holds 9.3%, Andrew S. Hedden 7.0%, Barbara Robinson Buckland 6.8% and Florence Robinson Ford 5.9%, each as of December 31, 2025. William W. Robinson reported 7.4% as of December 31, 2024.