Proximity Learning wins Tech & Learning award for secondary education

Proximity Learning earned a third straight Tech & Learning Awards of Excellence honor in the Secondary Education category as districts keep looking for ways to cover certified-teacher shortages. The award spotlights the company’s live virtual teaching model, which judges said addresses real classroom needs for the 2026-27 school year.

Why it matters: - K-12 districts are still struggling to staff classrooms with certified teachers. - Proximity Learning’s live, state-certified virtual teaching model gives schools another way to maintain instruction when local hiring falls short. - Tech & Learning said the award recognizes products that offer schools versatility, value and practical answers to classroom challenges.

What happened: - Proximity Learning won in the Secondary Education category of the Tech & Learning Awards of Excellence: Back to School. - Tech & Learning announced the 2026 winners on Sept. 21, 2026. - The company said the honor marks its third straight year winning in the category.

The details: - Proximity Learning places state-certified teachers in live, synchronous instruction matched to a district’s bell schedule, curriculum and IEP accommodations. - A facilitator is in the classroom with students. - Since 2009, Proximity Learning has staffed more than 5,000 classrooms and served more than 500,000 students, according to company data. - The company reports a 92% teacher retention rate. - Tech & Learning judges cited the synchronous model, reported outcomes and ability to serve hard-to-staff subjects regardless of geography. - The judges also noted tutoring and special education case management as part of the service. - The judges called the approach “an effective evolution of virtual education.” - A peer-reviewed Chicago State University study of more than 40,000 students found that students taught by a certified Proximity Learning teacher scored more than 11 points higher on state standardized tests than peers in traditional classrooms. - The same study found more than 21-point gains in 9th grade Algebra I. - Proximity Learning also offers remote tutoring and special education services, including case management, virtual occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists and school psychologists.

Between the lines: - The award suggests the market for virtual staffing has shifted from emergency stopgap to a more formal instructional option. - The Chicago State study gives the company a rare performance claim in a sector often judged mainly on access and staffing coverage. - The combination of teacher placement, tutoring and special education services broadens Proximity Learning beyond a simple substitute-teacher model.

What's next: - Proximity Learning is directing districts to proxlearn.com for more information on teacher staffing, tutoring and special education case management. - The company will likely continue pitching its model as schools prepare for the 2026-27 school year and persistent staffing gaps.