Renaissance and GL Education provide valid, reliable data and insights, helping educators implement data-driven instruction and measure students’ academic progress

Bloomington, MN (February 21. 2023) – Renaissance, a leader in pre-K–12 education technology, entered a definitive agreement (subject to certain regulatory approvals) to acquire GL Education, a provider of formative assessments for schools and school groups in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and over 100 countries worldwide. The combined company will deliver differentiated insights to enhance students’ achievement and growth.

“Worldwide, educators face evolving challenges as we pivot out of the height of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Chris Bauleke, Chief Executive Officer at Renaissance. “Educators and leaders need accurate data on each one of their students to not only inform instruction, but to foster growth. Our integrated solutions empower teachers and administrators to manage learning progress and leverage data to impact student learning. We look forward to welcoming GL Education’s team and customers to the Renaissance family and expanding our ability to provide a complete view of every student’s academic progress.”

Founded in 1980 and based in London, England, GL Education (known in the UK and Ireland as GL Assessment) was created to help educators ensure children realize their full potential with a “whole-child” approach to formative assessment. Today, it delivers over 9 million assessments annually to schools and school groups in over 100 countries, providing educators with an accurate measure of their students’ abilities and academic progress—as well as identifying barriers to learning they may have. GL Education’s formative assessments are rigorous, academically sound and in line with best practice in education.

“GL Education and Renaissance share a vision that technology and data can be powerful tools to enable educators to build teaching and learning around the needs of every child, and to make the schools and school groups they work in ever more effective,” said Greg Watson, Chief Executive at GL Education. “We look forward to GL Education and Renaissance coming together to unlock even greater impact for technology and data all around the world.”

Those already using GL Education’s assessments will continue to receive the support they expect and value. Educators using Renaissance’s solutions can look forward to learning more about GL Education in the coming weeks.

“Both Renaissance and GL Education have done an exceptional job harnessing technology and data to enable educators to provide students with personalized, data-driven learning solutions,” said Jason Brein, Partner at Francisco Partners, and Eli Nagler, Sr. Managing Director at Blackstone. “Combining these two businesses will enhance their ability to holistically serve the rapidly evolving needs of today’s classrooms, and we are excited to increase our equity investment to fund the platform’s growth.”

RBC Capital Markets, LLC served as financial advisor to Renaissance during the transaction, while Baird advised GL Education.

To learn more about Renaissance, please visit www.renaissance.com. To learn about GL Education, please visit www.gl-education.com.

About Renaissance

As a leader in education technology, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. For more information, visit www.renaissance.com.

About GL Education

GL Education is a leading provider of formative assessments to schools and school groups in the UK and in over 100 countries worldwide. It provides assessments that help to reveal students’ potential, track their progress, and identify any barriers to learning they might have. For more information, visit www.gl-education.com.

Contact for Media Inquiries Only:

Tracy Stewart
Director, Marketing Development
Renaissance
(832) 651-1189
[email protected]

Danielle Morgan
Head of Marketing and Communications
GL Education
+44 (0) 20 8996 3632
[email protected]