GreatSchools

Free plan APIWeb

What GreatSchools is

GreatSchools provides education information to help families choose schools and support children’s learning. It 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 draws on up to three themed ratings: student progress, college readiness and test scores. Ratings are assigned only to public schools, including public charter schools, and require enough publicly available information in at least one category.

Families can make school comparison lists, post reviews and follow schools to receive email updates when new information is available. School and district representatives can claim a free profile to update details, feature programs and offerings, link an enrollment application and reply to reviews. For business and developer use, the NearbySchools API supplies school directory information for real estate, relocation, local search and education applications. API plans exclude GreatSchools Ratings and assigned schools; those datasets are directed to separate data licensing. GreatSchools also offers enterprise API integrations and bulk data feeds. The national nonprofit offers a free plan and a free trial; paid plans start at $199/mo.

Who it suits

GreatSchools suits families comparing schools and following updates, as well as school representatives who want to manage a profile and respond to reviews. Its API and data options are aimed at businesses and developers building real estate, relocation, local search or education applications.

What it does well

Directory information covers more than 150,000 schools.
Families can compare schools, post reviews and follow schools.
Schools can claim a free profile and highlight offerings.
NearbySchools API serves several application contexts.
Enterprise API integrations and bulk data feeds are available.

What to know first

Ratings apply only to public schools, including public charter schools.
API plans exclude GreatSchools Ratings and assigned schools.
Listed API plans cap usage at 300,000 calls per month.

Limits

The School Essentials and School Quality plans include 15,000 API calls and allow up to 300,000 calls per month, with per-call charges after 15,000. NearbySchools API plans exclude GreatSchools 1–10 Ratings and assigned schools. Ratings themselves require sufficient public data in at least one themed category and are assigned only to public schools, including public charter schools.

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
District profile	Manage district schools · share district and enrollment information · highlight programs and college or career offerings · add district notes and context	Free
School profile	Share contact, schedule and calendar information · add application deadlines and requirements · highlight courses and programs · reply to reviews	Free
Enhanced Profile	Monthly subscription · 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	$199 a month
School Essentials	Base, billed monthly · 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	$52.50 a month
School Quality	Base, billed monthly · 15,000 API calls · all School Essentials features · School Quality Bands · $0.006 per call over 15,000 · maximum 300,000 calls/month	$97.50 a month

As greatschools.org lists them, read 15 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

Visit https://www.greatschools.org/.
Create school comparison lists, post reviews or follow schools for email updates.
Claim a free school profile to update details and respond to reviews.
For business use, review NearbySchools API plans or the separate data licensing options.

Verdict

Choose GreatSchools for family-facing school comparisons or school profile management, or consider its API for school directory information in supported applications. Look elsewhere if your API project needs GreatSchools Ratings or assigned-school data included in the API plan.

Questions

Does GreatSchools have a free plan?

Yes. It also offers a free trial.

How much do paid plans cost?

Paid plans start at $199/mo. School Essentials is $52.50 a month and School Quality is $97.50 a month, both billed monthly.

What is included in the API plans?

The listed School Essentials and School Quality plans each include 15,000 API calls and allow up to 300,000 calls per month. Calls beyond 15,000 are charged at $0.003 per call for School Essentials and $0.006 per call for School Quality.

Are GreatSchools Ratings included with NearbySchools API plans?

No. NearbySchools API plans exclude GreatSchools 1–10 Ratings and assigned schools; GreatSchools directs customers to data licensing for those datasets.

Which platforms does GreatSchools support?

The listed platforms are API and web.

Who makes GreatSchools?

GreatSchools identifies itself as a national nonprofit organization.

Facts from GreatSchools's own pages

API attribution: API users must provide citation, GreatSchools icon or logo display and backlinks to GreatSchools school profiles. · solutions.greatschools.org, 15 Oct 2026
API authentication: API requests require an X-API-Key header. · greatschools.org, 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. · solutions.greatschools.org, 15 Oct 2026
API endpoints: The technical documentation lists usage, nearby schools, school browsing, themed ratings, demographics and community ratings/reviews endpoints. · greatschools.org, 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. · solutions.greatschools.org, 8 Oct 2026
API pagination: API pagination uses zero-indexed limit and page parameters, with a maximum of 50 results per page. · greatschools.org, 15 Oct 2026
API purpose: The NearbySchools API provides a live subset of GreatSchools K–12 data through requests to its servers. · greatschools.org, 15 Oct 2026
API response formats: The API returns JSON by default and can return XML when the Accept header requests application/xml. · greatschools.org, 15 Oct 2026
API throttling: Requests exceeding documented request or burst limits receive HTTP 429 Too Many Requests responses. · greatschools.org, 15 Oct 2026
API use cases: GreatSchools positions the NearbySchools API for real-estate, relocation, local-search and education applications. · solutions.greatschools.org, 15 Oct 2026
Audience reach: GreatSchools’ 2024 audited statements say the website reached more than 55 million unique visitors during 2024. · greatschools.org, 15 Oct 2026
Business API: The NearbySchools API offers school directory information for real estate, relocation, local search, and education focused applications. · solutions.greatschools.org, 8 Oct 2026
Community reviews: GreatSchools says more than 200,000 people contribute reviews to school communities. · greatschools.org, 15 Oct 2026
Company facts: LinkedIn lists GreatSchools.org as a nonprofit founded in 1998, headquartered in Oakland, California, with 11–50 employees. · linkedin.com, 15 Oct 2026
Company legal form: GreatSchools, Inc. is described in its audited financial statements as a California-organized 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. · greatschools.org, 15 Oct 2026
Compare schools: The website lets users create a list of schools to compare and choose a fit. · greatschools.org, 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. · greatschools.org, 15 Oct 2026
Enterprise data: GreatSchools offers school data through API integrations or bulk data feeds, with flexible datasets and licensing options. · solutions.greatschools.org, 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. · greatschools.org, 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. · greatschools.org, 15 Oct 2026
Founded: 1998 · greatschools.org, 28 Sept 2026
Free school profile: Schools can claim a free profile to update information, highlight programs and offerings, and respond to reviews. · solutions.greatschools.org, 8 Oct 2026
Funding: CB Insights reports $29 million raised across four funding rounds and a $1.5 million Carnegie grant dated July 23, 2025. · cbinsights.com, 15 Oct 2026
Headquarters: Oakland, California, United States · greatschools.org, 28 Sept 2026

Where GreatSchools stands on Freedom251

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