Sora recently announced the release of its second annual digital reading report for the 2023-2024 year, “The State of K-12 Digital Reading.” The report reveals a second consecutive year of record-breaking ebook and audiobook usage, underscoring the growing role of digital reading in classrooms.
The report draws on data from the Sora platform, which is used in 62,000 schools worldwide. The data was collected from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024.
Key findings from the report include:
- Digital reading in K-12 continues to grow. Sora reading sessions increased by 10% from the previous school year (2022-2023).
- Ebooks continue to dominate, accounting for 85% of all titles opened, while audiobooks made up 11%.
- Digital magazine usage saw a 91% increase over the previous year, making up 4% of all checkouts.
- Comic & Graphic Books, Humor, Fantasy and Biography & Autobiography dominated ebook checkouts across the region.
- Texas was the top state for ebook and audiobook checkouts, with New York, California and Wisconsin closely following.
- Audiobook preferences remained steady across regions, with top genres of Humor, Fantasy, Comic & Graphic Books, Historical Fiction and Mystery.
- The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Harry Potter and Wings of Fire remained some of the most popular titles.
- Sora Sweet Reads, the free summer reading program, saw 70% year-over-year growth, surpassing 1 million checkouts.
- 37% of students accessed Sora through Chrome, 33% through iOS and 10% through Windows.
“Sora allows me to expand what I can offer students – especially manga series with many volumes and audiobook options for students who enjoy following along with a hard copy of a book,” said Stephanie Mills, Library Media Specialist for the Park View Middle School (RI). “Sora gives students another place to go for options beyond the walls of our school library.”
The report also highlights success stories, including how the Delaware Department of Education leveraged digital reading to accelerate learning statewide. Through the Delaware Accelerate Learning Collection, over 144,000 students at 221 K-12 schools gained access to over 17,000 ebooks and audiobooks, helping drive a 15% increase in average reading time per student.
Sora, a division of OverDrive, is committed to promoting literacy and has become a crucial resource in over 62,000 K-12 schools worldwide. The app continues to empower students and transform learning experiences across the globe.
Download the report for the free.Learn more about the Sora student reading platform.
