GreatSchools
GreatSchools provides education information to help families choose schools and support children’s learning.
What GreatSchools is
GreatSchools provides education information to help families choose schools and support children’s learning. The national nonprofit says its directory covers more than 150,000 public, charter, and private schools nationwide. Its 1–10 GreatSchools Rating compares a school with others in its state and can draw on student progress, college readiness, and test-score ratings. Ratings are assigned only to public schools, including public charter schools, and require enough public data in at least one themed category. Families can build comparison lists, post school reviews, and follow schools for email updates. School and district representatives can claim a free profile, update information, highlight programs, link an enrollment application, and respond to reviews. Businesses can use the NearbySchools API for directory information in real estate, relocation, local search, and education applications. That API excludes GreatSchools Ratings and assigned schools; separate licensing covers those datasets. Enterprise API integrations and bulk feeds are also available. The service offers a free plan, free trial, and paid plans from 199 /mo.
Good
- Directory covers more than 150,000 schools
- Families can compare, review, and follow schools
- Free profiles support school information updates
- Offers API integrations and bulk data feeds
- Free plan and free trial available
Watch out
- Ratings apply only to public schools
- API plans exclude ratings and assigned schools
- Paid plans start at 199 /mo
Who it suits
GreatSchools suits families comparing local schools and representatives managing school profiles. Its API and data options also suit businesses building real estate, relocation, local-search, or education applications.
Verdict
GreatSchools combines broad school directory coverage with family comparison tools and profile management. Businesses should note that some rating datasets require separate data licensing.
Plans and prices
From GreatSchools's own pricing page, checked 15 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| District profile | Free | Manage district schools · share district and enrollment information · highlight programs and college or career offerings · add district notes and context |
| School profile | Free | Share contact, schedule and calendar information · add application deadlines and requirements · highlight courses and programs · reply to reviews |
| School Essentials | $52.50 a month | 15,000 API calls · school names and addresses · NCES and state IDs · school type and grades · school website and GreatSchools profile link · $0.003 per call over 15,000 · maximum 300,000 calls/month · Base, billed monthly |
| School Quality | $97.50 a month | 15,000 API calls · all School Essentials features · School Quality Bands · $0.006 per call over 15,000 · maximum 300,000 calls/month · Base, billed monthly |
| Enhanced Profile | $199 a month | Custom school message · cover photo, gallery and video · social posts · direct enrollment link · prominent search placement · profile statistics listed as coming soon · ad-free profile · Monthly subscription |
The facts
Each one read from GreatSchools's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- API attribution
- API users must provide citation, GreatSchools icon or logo display and backlinks to GreatSchools school profiles.checked 15 Oct 2026
- API authentication
- API requests require an X-API-Key header.checked 15 Oct 2026
- API data exclusion
- NearbySchools API plans exclude GreatSchools 1–10 ratings and assigned-school data; GreatSchools directs customers to data licensing for those datasets.checked 15 Oct 2026
- API endpoints
- The technical documentation lists usage, nearby schools, school browsing, themed ratings, demographics and community ratings/reviews endpoints.checked 15 Oct 2026
- API limit
- NearbySchools API plans exclude GreatSchools 1–10 Ratings and assigned schools; the page directs customers to data licensing for those datasets.checked 8 Oct 2026
- API pagination
- API pagination uses zero-indexed limit and page parameters, with a maximum of 50 results per page.checked 15 Oct 2026
- API purpose
- The NearbySchools API provides a live subset of GreatSchools K–12 data through requests to its servers.checked 15 Oct 2026
- API response formats
- The API returns JSON by default and can return XML when the Accept header requests application/xml.checked 15 Oct 2026
- API throttling
- Requests exceeding documented request or burst limits receive HTTP 429 Too Many Requests responses.checked 15 Oct 2026
- API use cases
- GreatSchools positions the NearbySchools API for real-estate, relocation, local-search and education applications.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Audience reach
- GreatSchools’ 2024 audited statements say the website reached more than 55 million unique visitors during 2024.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Business API
- The NearbySchools API offers school directory information for real estate, relocation, local search, and education focused applications.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Community reviews
- GreatSchools says more than 200,000 people contribute reviews to school communities.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Compare schools
- The website lets users create a list of schools to compare and choose a fit.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Data release cadence
- GreatSchools publishes release notes showing recurring state assessment, rating, equity, progress and college-readiness data updates, including June 2026 releases.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Enterprise data
- GreatSchools offers school data through API integrations or bulk data feeds, with flexible datasets and licensing options.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Family tools
- Families can create school comparison lists, post school reviews, and follow schools to receive email updates when new information is available.checked 8 Oct 2026
- FERPA status
- GreatSchools states that it is not a FERPA-covered school or education agency and does not maintain student education records.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Funding
- CB Insights reports $29 million raised across four funding rounds and a $1.5 million Carnegie grant dated July 23, 2025.checked 15 Oct 2026
The company
- Company facts
- LinkedIn lists GreatSchools.org as a nonprofit founded in 1998, headquartered in Oakland, California, with 11–50 employees.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Company legal form
- GreatSchools, Inc. is described in its audited financial statements as a California-organized 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Founded
- 1998checked 28 Sep 2026
- Headquarters
- Oakland, California, United Stateschecked 28 Sep 2026
Money
- Free school profile
- Schools can claim a free profile to update information, highlight programs and offerings, and respond to reviews.checked 8 Oct 2026
Alternatives to GreatSchools
- 1
Tripadvisor
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI7.9From $99 a year - 2
Yellow Pages Canada
Free planAndroidiOSWeb7.9From $45,500 a month - 3
Houzz
Free planAndroidiOSWebExtension7.5From $249 a month - 4
WebMD Physician Directory
Free planAndroidiOSWeb7.5Free plan - 5
Europages
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI7.4Free plan - 6
Sulekha
AndroidiOSWeb7.4From ₹2,000 a month