Primer

The story of Primer begins with a deeply personal mission, rooted in the educational journey of its founder, Ryan Delk. Having been homeschooled from kindergarten through eighth grade, Delk experienced firsthand an alternative to the traditional schooling system. This formative experience, where his own mother took the initiative to create a tailored learning environment not just for him and his siblings but for other families in their community, planted the seeds for what would eventually become Primer. After a decade spent building and scaling technology companies like Square and Gumroad, Delk found himself looking for an educational path for his own children. He wanted something that mirrored the personalized, passion-driven, and student-centric approach he had benefited from. This desire to provide a superior and more efficient education, one that could scale to millions of children across the United States, became the driving force behind the creation of Primer in 2019.

Initially, Primer explored online, software-based educational products, creating 'Clubs' that allowed children to connect with peers who shared their interests and dive deep into subjects that fascinated them. The idea was to build a vibrant online community that could later transition into in-person learning. However, the vision soon evolved. The company pivoted to a more ambitious and tangible model: a network of in-person microschools. The core thesis is simple yet powerful: empower the top 1% of teachers to become entrepreneurs and launch their own small, community-based schools. Primer provides the 'operating system'—a combination of software, curriculum, and operational support—to handle the complexities of running a school, from regulatory hurdles to administrative tasks. This allows passionate educators to focus on what they do best: teaching. By partnering with existing community spaces like churches and libraries, Primer adopts an asset-light model, making world-class, personalized education more accessible and affordable for families, and fundamentally reimagining the educational landscape for the next generation.