CommonLit

Overview

CommonLit is a nonprofit literacy platform combining a free text library with ELA materials for teachers and schools. It suits educators working with students in grades 3–12, especially schools seeking a full-year curriculum for grades 6–12. Its free resources make it worth considering; schools weighing paid plans should match the training, data, and implementation support to their needs.

Key features

The CommonLit Text Library gives teachers access to thousands of free literary works and texts by diverse and contemporary authors. That breadth supports literacy teaching without requiring a paid school plan. CommonLit 360 adds a full-year, standards-aligned ELA curriculum for grades 6–12, integrating reading, writing, speaking, and listening around full-length texts and grade-level tasks.

CommonLit 360 includes three benchmark assessments to track reading growth and proficiency during the school year. Teachers can also use comprehension and fluency practice. Together, these features make the curriculum a more structured option than a library alone, though the full curriculum is aimed at grades 6–12 rather than the broader grades 3–12 audience for CommonLit’s instructional materials.

CommonLit lists Clever, ClassLink, Canvas, and Google Classroom integrations. Google Classroom supports importing classes and students, posting assignments to the Classroom stream, and exporting scores to its gradebook. Canvas is limited to eligible paid school packages, so schools should confirm that their package includes it before relying on that workflow.

CommonLit says it uses technical, organizational, and physical safeguards for personal information, while acknowledging that no system can guarantee absolute security. Its trust center provides SOC 3 materials for download and SOC 2 Type 2 materials by request. Paid school plans also list priority teacher support and a dedicated success manager among their support features.

Pricing

CommonLit Digital is free for teachers and students and includes the Text Library and CommonLit 360 curriculum. It is the natural starting point for individual teachers and schools that can work without the paid plans’ listed training and support features.

Spark costs $4,200 per school per year with a one-year commitment. It includes the Text Library, CommonLit 360, Reading & Writing Mini Units, the assessment series, and up to two virtual trainings focused on the Library or Assessments. It fits schools that want those materials and limited training without the administrator dashboard listed on higher plans.

Core costs $7,200 per school per year with a one-year commitment. It includes the same core materials, an Administrator Data Dashboard, and up to four CommonLit 360 virtual trainings. The added dashboard and training make it the step up for schools seeking administrator visibility and more curriculum training.

Elevate costs $12,800 per school per year with a one-year commitment. It includes the core materials and dashboard, plus four implementation support sessions per year. It is the most supported option for schools that want structured implementation help; schools that do not need those sessions may find a lower tier a closer fit.

Platforms

CommonLit is available on Android, iOS, and the web. It works through supported browsers on laptops, Chromebooks, desktops, tablets, and mobile devices. There is no offline access, so students need a connection to use it. Classes have no student limit, although CommonLit’s support center recommends capping them at 100 for best performance.

Who it's for

CommonLit is suited to teachers seeking free reading materials for grades 3–12 and schools considering a standards-aligned ELA curriculum for grades 6–12. Its paid tiers are most relevant to schools that want the listed assessment, dashboard, training, or implementation support. It is less suitable where offline access is essential.

Pros and cons

• Pro: The free Text Library and CommonLit 360 curriculum give teachers and students substantial instructional materials without a subscription.
• Pro: CommonLit 360 combines four strands of ELA instruction with full-length texts and three benchmark assessments, giving schools a defined curriculum and a way to track reading growth.
• Pro: Google Classroom integration supports class and student imports, assignment posting, and score export, reducing friction for schools using that platform.
• Con: CommonLit 360 serves grades 6–12, so it does not cover the full grades 3–12 range of the broader instructional materials.
• Con: Paid plans require a one-year commitment and are priced per school, making them a substantial purchase for schools that only need the free materials.
• Con: There is no offline access, and the recommended class-size cap of 100 may matter for larger groups.

Alternatives

For broader teaching-resource browsing, see Teacher Resource Libraries; for dedicated reading tools, compare Reading Apps.

Teach This is a freemium option on macOS, web, and Windows, with a paid teacher membership billed annually at $149.00; consider it if those platforms and unit-plan resources better fit your teaching needs.

Twinkl offers a free plan and trial, with a membership priced at $7.49 per month; it may suit readers looking for a broad resource library with unlimited downloads.

Teachit is a web-based freemium alternative with a free tier that includes two free generations and 10 AI tutor messages total; consider it if those tools fit your work.

Classroom Secrets offers a free plan and a one-user flexible monthly option billed every 30 days; it may fit an individual seeking a monthly rather than school-year commitment.

Education.com is a web-based freemium service with premium worksheets, activities, games, stories, and lessons; its annual plan is $5.00 per year and renews automatically at US $119.88 per year, plus applicable taxes.

Teach Starter offers a free web plan with non-editable resources and downloads limited to its free collection; its Plus plan costs $6.08 per month, billed $73 yearly. Choose it if editable resources are the priority.

Tes Resources is a web-based resource marketplace where authors decide whether to charge and how much; consider it when you want to choose among free and individually priced resources.

OER Commons is a free web library with a digital collection, Open Author, and groups; it may suit educators seeking a free resource library with authoring and group tools.

Verdict

CommonLit is a strong fit for teachers who want free literacy materials and for grades 6–12 schools seeking a structured ELA curriculum with benchmark assessments. Its clearest reason to choose a paid tier is the additional dashboard, training, or implementation support. Look elsewhere if offline use is necessary, or if a school does not need those paid features enough to justify a one-year commitment.