Good e-Reader OverDrive Reveals Insights into Ebook and Audio Growth in K-12 Schools

According to a new report released today by OverDrive digital reading is surging in K12 schools nationwide. The State of K-12 Digital Reading is based on data from Sora and reveals some fascinating insights into the reading habits of students across different age groups. The Sora student reading app is available in more than 62,000 K-12 schools worldwide; Sora offers the industry’s most extensive catalogue of ebooks, audiobooks, digital magazines, and other content to support the need for required curriculum titles, class sets, and pleasure reading.

During the 2022-23 school year, most titles (84%) were opened in ebook format. Audio remains a relevant and one of the most popular digital formats. Of the total titles opened during the 2022-23 school year, 14% were audiobooks. Digital magazines are an increasingly popular format among student readers, comprising 2% of titles opened during the 2022-23 school year, up approximately 1% from the 2021-22 school year.

• Digital reading in K-12 schools has increased significantly over the past few years. Since 2019, total usage (based on digital book checkouts) has grown by 286 percent, as the number of schools using the Sora platform has more than doubled. In 2022-23, usage continued the trend with 12% growth.
•  Reading sessions on the Sora reading app were up more than 8 percent compared to the previous school year (2021-2022), with total books read per student increasing by 3 percent.
• Comics and Graphic Novels usage grew across all age groups, especially among high school students (+56 percent in the ’22-’23 school year).
• For the first time, regional differences were identified: popular ebook genres varied by region (e.g., Young Adult Romance vs. Sports and Recreation vs. Nature)
• Comics and Humour dominate ebook fiction lists for several age categories, while Mysteries, Biography/Autobiography and Digital Arts top ebook nonfiction lists.
• The highest average reading time per user occurred in the summer: July (4.6 hours), followed by June (2.6 hours) and March (2.3 hours).
• Texas, New York, California, Utah, Wisconsin and Massachusetts are the states with the highest digital checkouts (including ebooks and audiobooks).

Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.