Employee Benefit Plans (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended	6 Months Ended
May 31, 2012	Nov. 30, 2011 United States Pension Plans of US Entity, Defined Benefit [Member]	Nov. 30, 2011 U K Pension Plan [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan, Minimum Contribution Required		$ 0.1	$ 1.3
Estimate Cash Contribute To Pension Plans	$ 8.4

The amount of cash contribute based on actuarial calculations to the pension plans during the period.

No definition available.

Name:	schl_EstimateCashContributeToPensionPlans
Namespace Prefix:	schl_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration