Education

Even before COVID-19, educational institutions faced strong headwinds. In 2018, 258 million children, adolescents, and youths were out of school. The numbers have only worsened since the onset of the pandemic, which has disrupted learning for nearly 1.6 billion students in more than 190 countries. The racial and socioeconomic achievement gap has deepened, and students are losing ground academically or dropping out altogether.

While the pandemic has created unprecedented challenges, it also presents an opportunity to accelerate innovation and social impact in education. With the right strategic focus—coupled with powerful human and digital capabilities and a willingness to innovate—educational institutions can transform their cultures and educational models to enable 21st century learning.

At BCG, we have deep expertise in supporting transformative education initiatives at the local, national, and global levels, including improving student-learning outcomes for 2.2 million students in India and partnering with not-for-profit foundations—such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation—to strengthen education in the US.

We also go beyond traditional education to help governments and businesses provide opportunities for lifelong learning so that people can gain the skills and capabilities that future workforces will require.

We have served as a thought leader and partner for prominent global education forums.

Our work sits at the intersection of education, employment, and welfare. We deliver learning and training experiences that promote workplace readiness and success—and ensure that policies and funding support the well-being of disadvantaged children and students.

At the heart of our education consulting practice are early-childhood education, K–12 education, higher education, vocational education, education technology and services, and lifelong learning.

We also provide education strategy consulting services to related organizations, including governments, nonprofits, foundations, education publishers, digital learning providers, corporate universities, private equity firms, sovereign wealth funds, and early care providers.

Our education experts help organizations and institutions set a bold ambition, cultivate talent, and deliver proven technology and innovation initiatives, all while managing costs.