The independent compliance reference every K-12 teacher needs. We read the actual privacy policies, checked FERPA/COPPA/SOC2 status, and summarised exactly what you can and cannot do with student data in each tool.
FERPA — the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act — is a federal law that gives students and parents the right to control who can access student education records. As a teacher, you are legally responsible for any tool you use with student data.
When you type a student's name, grade, IEP detail, or disciplinary note into an AI tool, that data is potentially covered by FERPA. If the tool isn't compliant — and you haven't obtained consent — you may be exposing your school to legal liability.
The good news: many AI tools used in education have pursued FERPA compliance. The bad news: not all of them are telling you the truth about what they do with your data.
Every tool independently verified. Green = safe. Amber = conditional. Red = avoid with student data. Last reviewed March 2026.
| Tool | FERPA Compliant | Signs DPA / QSLA | COPPA Safe (Under 13) | SOC 2 Certified | Common Sense Privacy | Safe With Student Data? | Our Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
🪄 MagicSchool AI K-12 AI platform |
✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Approved | ✓ Safe | ★★★★½ |
📚 Diffit Text differentiation |
✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ~ In progress | ✓ Approved | ✓ Safe | ★★★★☆ |
⚡ Brisk Teaching Grading Chrome extension |
✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Approved | ✓ Safe | ★★★¾☆ |
🎨 Canva for Education Design & presentations |
✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Approved | ✓ Safe | ★★★★☆ |
🤖 Google Workspace for Edu Docs, Slides, Classroom |
✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Approved | ✓ Safe (Edu tier only) | ★★★★½ |
🪟 Microsoft 365 Education Word, Teams, Copilot Edu |
✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Approved | ✓ Safe (Edu tier only) | ★★★★☆ |
🎓 Khanmigo Khan Academy AI tutor |
✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ~ Partial | ✓ Approved | ✓ Safe | ★★★★☆ |
📰 Newsela Levelled reading |
✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Approved | ✓ Safe | ★★★★☆ |
📊 Formative AI Real-time assessment |
✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ~ In progress | ✓ Approved | ✓ Safe | ★★★★☆ |
🎮 Kahoot! Quiz game platform |
~ School accounts | ~ School accounts | ~ With parental consent | ✓ Yes | ~ Conditional | ~ Use school accounts only | ★★★★☆ |
🔍 Turnitin AI AI detection + plagiarism |
✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ~ High school focus | ✓ Yes | ✓ Approved | ✓ Safe (via school license) | ★★★☆☆ |
💬 ChatGPT (standard) OpenAI chatbot |
✗ No | ✗ No | ✗ No (13+ only) | ✓ Yes | ✗ Not approved | ✗ NOT safe with student data | ★★★☆☆ |
💬 ChatGPT Edu OpenAI for schools |
✓ Yes (Edu plan) | ✓ Yes | ~ District dependent | ✓ Yes | ~ Under review | ~ Only via school Edu plan | ★★★½☆ |
🤖 Google Gemini (consumer) Personal Gmail account |
✗ No | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✓ Yes | ✗ Not approved | ✗ NOT safe with student data | ★★★☆☆ |
🤖 Claude.ai (consumer) Anthropic chatbot |
✗ No | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✓ Yes | ✗ Not approved | ✗ NOT safe with student data | ★★★☆☆ |
⚠️ "Compliant" does not mean automatically approved for use in your district. All tools still require a signed Data Processing Agreement at the district or school level before student data may be used. Always check your district's approved vendor list. This table reflects publicly available compliance documentation and is updated periodically — verify current status with each vendor before use.
Precise guidance on each tool. Green ticks = permitted. Red crosses = prohibited with student data.
Follow these six principles and you'll stay on the right side of FERPA no matter which tool you're using.
Before using any AI tool with student data, verify it's on your district's pre-approved vendor list. A FERPA-compliant tool still needs a signed DPA at the district level.
PII = Personally Identifiable Information. This includes names, student IDs, grades, addresses, disabilities, and IEP details. Never enter these into ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude.ai.
If you need to use a general AI tool for feedback, anonymise first. Replace "Jake has ADHD and struggles with…" with "Student A has attention challenges and struggles with…"
Your school Google or Microsoft account is protected under an institutional agreement. Your personal Gmail is not. Always use school-issued accounts for anything student-related.
Look for: "We do not sell student data." "We sign DPAs with schools." "FERPA compliant." "No targeted advertising." If any are missing, treat the tool as unsafe for student data.
Students entering their own data into AI tools creates the same FERPA exposure. Teach them which tools are approved, what information to never share, and why it matters.