U.S. School Furniture Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Seating Furniture, Storage Units, Lab Furniture), By Application (Classroom, Library & Labs), And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030

Report Overview

The U.S. school furniture market size was estimated at USD 1.90 billion in 2022 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.5% from 2023 to 2030. Increasing focus on improving the availability of education across rural areas, towns, suburbs, and cities has been a major factor propelling the growth of the market. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), in 2020, the U.S. had 130,930 K-12 schools, with an average of 2,618 schools per state. The same study suggests that the average number of students per school has doubled.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a severe impact on the market. Firstly, the online mode of classes forced students to continue their education from their homes, making schools close for a significant amount of time. Secondly, during the pandemic there had been disruptions in the domestic as well as international supply of components, services, raw materials, and other consumables used in the manufacturing of furniture. The sharp decline in demand for school furniture severely affected the financials of market players and most manufacturers.

The growing demand for flexible seating in classrooms is also expected to drive product demand. This school furniture is designed on evolving space configurations and can help check the rising posture problems in children. These allow children to be more posture-correct and provide comfortable ergonomic options, handle the body weight of students and provide ample room for movement. Multiple seating options, including chairs, yoga balls, couches, and springy stools have been gaining traction.

The U.S. government has been contributing immensely towards programs that promote the building of schools as well as the enrollment of students in them. The Obama Administration 2009 invested USD 1 billion to provide preschool education to every child, making the states follow suit by boosting their investments in early learning. The latest Joe Biden-led government plans to continue the previous programs by providing high-quality, universal pre-kindergarten education to all three- and four-year-olds in the country. Consequently, such programs are expected to propel the revenue of the market.

Innovations in this industry have also been ramping up the demand for furniture in schools. For instance, in November 2020 MiEN Company, which serves the education industry with innovative furniture products introduced its DIY backless chair. The product is designed for active learning environments that encourage students to strengthen their core in a ready-to-learn position. Its backless design allows the chair to be easily stored away under tables when students prefer to stand.

With the growing advancement of the education sector in the U.S., traditional school furniture is being replaced by more innovative and aesthetically appealing advanced furniture that is multipurpose and offers greater comfort to students. Nowadays, the new dynamic teaching styles such as blended learning and flipped classrooms require adjustable and portable furniture that can be reconfigured easily. Due to this, there is an increase in the ergonomic designs, improved aesthetics, and multipurpose nature of the school furniture.

Application Insights

The classroom segment dominated the application type in 2022, with a revenue share of about 76%. The increasing innovation in the use of raw materials for the production of classroom furniture has resulted in rising attention toward collaborations, reconfigurations, and ergonomically derived furniture for classrooms. The increasing student enrolment in schools across the country has contributed to the need for chairs and tables in classrooms.

The library and labs segment is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.6% during the forecast period. This growth is supported by the vast amounts of time students spend in libraries and labs over homework, projects and assignments discussions, and classroom instructions. Furniture that encourages and enables interactive and collaborative learning in libraries and labs has gained prominence in recent years.

Product Insights

In terms of revenue, the seating furniture product of the school furniture market contributed the maximum with about 54% share in 2022. This position can be attributed to its mass requirement in every educational institution. Every learning environment demands comfortable and ergonomic furniture, that guarantees the total concentration and focus of students on the learning process.

The Next Education Manager at Kinnarps, an office furniture manufacturer highlighting the importance of good school furniture states that 50% of students believe that the physical environment is critical to how they feel during school. This has been a particular reason behind an increase in demand for ergonomic seating furniture on the school premises.

The storage units segment is projected to register a CAGR of 5.4% in the forecast period. The trend of offering personal cabinets to schoolchildren across the U.S. is projected to positively influence the school furniture market’s growth over the forecast period. The demand for storage cabinets in schools has also grown owing to their use in administration offices, classrooms, laboratories, libraries, and activity halls, which is expected to drive this segment’s growth.

Key Companies & Market Share Insights

The market is characterized by the presence of numerous well-established players, along with several small and midsized players. Companies are increasingly focusing on product development and technology integration to gain a market share in the country. Players in the market are also resorting to mergers & acquisitions to cut down competition and reach a larger audience. For instance:

• Steelcase, Inc. launched Edvi, a personal storage that is colorful and functional. The product is an unjointed structure supported by specially engineered jigs and fixtures. The storage unit can also feature a mobile seating solution due to its cushion top

• Steelcase, Inc. acquired HALCON, a Minnesota-based designer and manufacturer of precision-tailored wood furniture for the workplace. This acquisition is anticipated to complement the current portfolio of Steelcase wood products, offering uncompromising design and master craftsmanship to professionals and customers

Some prominent players in the U.S. school furniture market include:

• Smith System

• Hertz Furniture

• Virco

• VS America, Inc.

• Paragon Furniture Inc.

• The HON Company

• Haskell Education

• Marco Group

• Fleetwood Group

• Knoll, Inc.

U.S. School Furniture Market Report Scope

U.S. School Furniture Market Segmentation

This report forecasts revenue growth at the country level and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends and opportunities in each of the sub-segments from 2017 to 2030. For this study, Grand View Research has segmented the U.S. school furniture market report based on product and application.

• Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

  • Seating Furniture

  • Storage Units

  • Lab Furniture

  • Other School Furniture

• Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

  • Classroom

  • Library and Labs

  • Others