πŸ›‘οΈ Independent Research Β· Updated March 2026

Which AI tools are actually safe for your schools?

K12SafeList independently assesses every major AI tool for FERPA readiness, student data privacy, and district compliance, so your team isn't starting from scratch every time a teacher asks.

15+
Tools reviewed
Free
Always free for districts
Apr 22
COPPA deadline 2026
Recent Assessments
ChatGPT for Teachers
OpenAI
Conditional
MagicSchool
MagicSchool AI
Suitable
Consumer ChatGPT
OpenAI
Not Appropriate
Khanmigo
Khan Academy
Suitable
Google Gemini (consumer)
Google
Not Appropriate
We cover
FERPA readiness COPPA compliance SDPC status DPA availability Data training practices District admin controls
How It Works
The resource your IT director has been waiting for

Every day teachers discover new AI tools and ask their district to approve them. We do the privacy research once, so every district benefits.

1
We research the tool

We read the privacy policies, check SDPC status, review DPA terms, and document what district controls actually exist. Every tool gets the same review. No shortcuts.

2
We publish what we find

Clear verdict. Compliance breakdown. Specific steps your district can take. Written so an IT director and a superintendent can both read it, understand it, and act on it.

3
Districts use it free

Our assessments are always free for districts. No subscription, no paywall. Early cohort members also get access to our master DPA framework and compliance tools as we build them out.

Tool Directory
What we've found so far

Clear verdicts on the tools your teachers are most likely already using.

View full directory β†’
⚠ Shadow AI Risk
Here's the part that keeps IT directors up at night.

Over 40% of districts have no AI policy. Around 80% have teachers actively using AI tools right now. That gap is your liability. Teachers aren't waiting for approval. They're using consumer ChatGPT, Gemini, and a dozen other tools with student data, and most districts have no legal agreement covering any of it.

Read the Shadow AI guide β†’ Join early cohort
Who It's For
Built for the people who have to make these calls
District IT Director
"I get three new AI tool requests a week and don't have time to read every privacy policy from scratch."

K12SafeList gives you a documented research foundation for every major tool. You still make the final call, but you're not doing the initial research from zero every time.

Superintendent
"Teachers are going to use AI either way. I need a position I can defend to my board."

We help you build an approval process you can stand behind. One that protects the district and doesn't leave your teachers without tools that genuinely help students.

Curriculum Director
"I want to say yes to AI tools. I just need to do it safely."

Our assessments give you the compliance context to advocate for tools you believe in, without becoming a privacy expert yourself.

Join the districts getting ahead of this

We're working with a small group of forward-thinking districts to build the compliance infrastructure K-12 AI adoption actually needs. Free to join. No commitment required.