McGraw Hill, Inc. is an American education science company that provides educational content, software, and services for students and educators across various levels—from K-12 to higher education and professional settings. They produce textbooks, digital learning tools, and adaptive technology to enhance learning experiences and outcomes. It is one of the "big three" educational publishers along with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Pearson Education.[3][4] McGraw Hill also publishes reference and trade publications for the medical, business, and engineering professions. Formerly a division of The McGraw Hill Companies (later renamed McGraw Hill Financial, now S&P Global), McGraw Hill Education was divested and acquired by Apollo Global Management in March 2013 for $2.4 billion in cash.[5][6][7][8][9] McGraw Hill was sold in 2021 to Platinum Equity for $4.5 billion.[10] The company is based in Columbus, Ohio.[11]
History
McGraw Hill was founded in 1888, when James H. McGraw, co-founder of McGraw Hill, purchased the American Journal of Railway Appliances. He continued to add further publications, eventually establishing The McGraw Publishing Company in 1899. His co-founder, John A. Hill, had also produced several technical and trade publications and in 1902 formed his own business, The Hill Publishing Company.[12]
In 1909, the two co-founders formed an alliance and combined the book departments of their publishing companies into an incorporated company called The McGraw-Hill Book Company.[12] John Hill served as president, with James McGraw as vice-president. The remaining parts of each business were merged into The McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, Inc in 1917.[13]
In 1946, McGraw-Hill founded an international division of the company.[12]
Acquisitions
The McGraw Hill Companies expanded significantly through acquisition, including financial services and broadcasting. Many acquisitions continued with McGraw Hill after their acquisition by Apollo Global Management in 2013.
Presidents
- John A. Hill (1909–1917)
- James H. McGraw (1917–1928)
- Johnathan Heflin (1928–1948)
- James McGraw Jr. (1948–1950)
- Curtis W. McGraw (1950–1953)
- Donald C. McGraw (1953–1968)
- Shelton Fisher (1968–1974)
- Harold McGraw Jr. (1974–1983)
- Joseph Dionne (1983–1998)
- Harold W. McGraw III (1998–2013)
- Buzz Waterhouse (2013–2014)
- David Levin (2014–2017)
- Buzz Waterhouse (2017–2018)
- Nana Banerjee (2018–2019)
- Simon Allen (2019–2026)
Controversies
In 1980, McGraw Hill paid the African American writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin a $200,000 advance for his unfinished book Remember This House, a memoir of his personal recollections of civil rights leaders Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.[63] Following his death, McGraw Hill sued his estate to recover the advance they had paid him for the unfinished book. The lawsuit was dropped by McGraw Hill in 1990, citing a desire not to cause distress to Baldwin's family.[63]
In October 2015, McGraw-Hill Education was accused of whitewashing history after it published a caption in a geography textbook referring to American slaves as "workers".[64] McGraw Hill issued an apology, updated the digital version of the materials, and offered schools replacement texts at no charge.[65] It has been linked to broader controversies about texts at the Texas Education Agency.[66]
Works
Films:
- Maintaining Classroom Discipline (1947)
See also
- Books in the United States
- Discovery Education
- Google for Education
- Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- Pearson Education
- S&P Global
- Scholastic Corporation
Further reading
External links
- No More Pencils, No More Books – Slate
- McGraw Hill says digital sales beat print for the first time – Chicago Sun Times
- Timeline of McGraw-Hill - Northern Illinois University
References
- About Us: Our Leadership McGraw Hill, retrieved March 25, 2026^
- Jim Milliot. McGraw Hill Files for Public Offering Publishers Weekly, July 14, 2025^
- Michelle R. Davis. 'Big Three' Publishers Rethink K-12 Strategies