Our impact
When education opens up, students go further
OpenStax is a nonprofit initiative of Rice University. It publishes free, peer-reviewed textbooks used by millions of students worldwide, from community colleges in Texas to classrooms in rural Nigeria. OpenStax also develops learning technology and AI tools, informed by education research.
Impact report https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Z2ZhzTzqBipep7AKTjCrs5xfDZeA7Frl/view center 80% 0 0 #FFFCEF 2 warm yellow divider 3px 100% center 3pxBy the numbers
OpenStax reaches millions of students globally
This year, millions of students across the world are using OpenStax to learn and develop new skills.
0 80% 0 center 0 #ffffff 2 49M students reached all-time; 5.4M annually green $3.8B savings to students all-time; $374.3M annually green 65x social ROI: for every $1 invested, students save $65 all time green 172 countries all-time; 164 annually green 100% 0 0 71% U.S. colleges and universities annually green 9,710 K12 schools annually green 56,810 educators annually green 15M active web users annually greenOpenStax publishes free textbooks in multiple languages, including Spanish. OpenStax Polska, a nonprofit partner, adapted titles for Polish students starting with physics. That edition now holds 70% of the Polish market.
100% 0 0 #ffffff center 0 2 impact_stats grad_cap_sketch 80px centerStories
Behind every stat is a real story
These are four of the students and educators who use OpenStax. Their details are specific because the impact is specific.
Monze discovered OpenStax through a teacher. She stayed with it from high school through college, drawn to the way the books connected across subjects. She graduated with the highest honors her school offers and became one of the first in her family to earn a college degree.
Monze, Student
Multiple subjects, high school through college
70%
Amos teaches math and science from pre-K through twelfth grade and has built a program to guide students from early arithmetic to physics and calculus. He uses OpenStax throughout, drawn to how it connects one topic to the next. His reach extends past his own classroom. In underserved parts of Nigeria, where students often have little internet access, Amos and his team distribute OpenStax as PDFs, with printed copies planned next.
Amos, Educator
Calculus · Physics
Armon came to Rice from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and felt the freshman-year squeeze of buying textbooks the moment she arrived. A teacher pointed her to OpenStax for a required book, and finding it free was a relief. She began sharing OpenStax with classmates who faced the same costs, and with people back home, both students in school and people studying on their own.
Armon, Student
Physics
Gilles used OpenStax for his courses and earned A+ grades in both. The digital tools were what set it apart for him: interactive quizzes, animations, and read-aloud narration he could slow down or speed up to fit how he focuses best. He was drawn to the clear explanations, the diagrams, and the practice questions he used to prepare for exams. He graduated with strong marks and recommends OpenStax to anyone learning science.
Gilles, Student
Biology · Anatomy & Physiology
Evidence
Open education improves student success
Rigorous studies show that when cost stops being a barrier, students can go farther. Institutions see lower withdrawal rates, higher course completion, and the greatest gains among students who have faced the highest barriers to success (Hilton, 2016; Tlili et al., 2023; Mann, 2018; Faith et al., 2023; Cho et al., 2024). In general, students using OER learn as well as they do with commercial textbooks (citation).
The American Association of Colleges and Universities now recognizes open educational resources as a high-impact practice shown to improve student success (2026).
0 impact_evidence 0 100% #ffffff 0Recent studies
OpenStax resources support proven learning gains
Spring ISD increased Algebra 1 passing rates by 16 points with OpenStax
Spring ISD adopted OpenStax Algebra 1 across a district where most students come from low-income families, and more than half the math teachers are early in their careers. This year, the district posted the largest increase in Algebra 1 passing rates among large Houston districts, a 16-point gain. Among students retaking the exam, nearly half met the state standard, up from a third two years earlier.
Texas Education Agency, 2026.
#0A5B50Google's AI built on OpenStax improved retention by 11 points
Google Research built Learn Your Way, an experimental AI learning experience, on OpenStax content. Expert reviewers rated the OpenStax-based lessons highly for accuracy, coverage, and learning science. In early evaluations, students using the AI experience scored 11 points higher on a test given weeks later than students using a conventional digital reader.
Google Research, 2025.
#FDBD3E rounded 2 3 0 0 100% #ffffffLearning Science
OpenStax research studies what works, for whom, and in what context
Education researchers at OpenStax and Rice University study how students learn. Their findings shape content updates, tool design, and teaching approaches across the OpenStax library. OpenStax is also the lead platform of SafeInsights, a research initiative at Rice University. SafeInsights lets researchers study learning at scale while protecting student privacy. It is the largest U.S. research infrastructure in education.
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100,000 students shared their stories with us
These notes come from dozens of countries. High school classrooms, community colleges, four-year universities, nursing programs, and living rooms.
center 70% 0 0 left #ffffff 0 0"You are the reason I surpassed the expectations of my peers, my family, and even myself to get an A in both semesters and also a 5 on the AP Physics I exam."
Alex
High School Jr in integrated math
“Your free books have allowed me to practice my biggest insecurity: College Algebra! I feel confident about trying to go back to school to achieve my dreams now.”
Jade
SUNY Broome
“I am a single mom in full-time nursing school in order to provide a better life for me and my family, and fulfill my dream of becoming the best nurse I can!"
Morgan
Galen College of Nursing, Louisville
“The precalculus book is gearing me up to apply to a BS. in Comp Sci, something I didn't think would be possible as a full-time working adult.”
Machig
Independent learner
“In about 8 years you'll be a reason why I'll be a cancer researcher and MAYBE cure it. (that's the goal but I'm good with just being a doctor too.”
Junior
Cuesta College
“Your books have helped me in so many subjects and are the reason I pass my classes. I know I can always go to OpenStax when I need to learn any topic.”
Tanisha
Purdue University
Market Disruption
OpenStax is now the world's largest publisher of open education resources
OpenStax has helped bring open education into the mainstream. It is the leading publisher of open educational resources, rivaling major commercial publishers for market share (Bay View Analytics, 2023).
That growth has had impacts beyond classrooms using OpenStax resources. As adoption grew, publishers faced new competitive pressure. After decades of increases, textbook prices leveled off. Economist Mark Perry dubbed this shift the "Open Textbook Effect," identifying OpenStax as a major force behind the change."
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OUR SUPPORTERS
Education is free because of people like you
OpenStax is a nonprofit initiative of Rice University. The materials stay free because foundations, federal agencies, companies, and thousands of individual donors choose to keep them that way.
Our work is supported by leading foundations and funders, including the Gates Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, alongside many others.
Read the Inside Philanthropy coverage
2 #FFFFFF“We’ve grown from a small set of open textbooks to a full library of core course materials used in thousands of classrooms. And now we’re building the next generation of learning tools: technology backed by research and built with educators for today’s students.”
Prof. Richard G. Baraniuk
OpenStax Founder & Director
Join us
Keep the door open for the next student.
Millions of students count on OpenStax being there, free, on the first day of class. Your gift keeps it free for the next student who needs it.
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