Schoology review

Schoology Learning is the K-12 learning management system owned by PowerSchool. Teachers build courses with folders of materials, assignments, discussions and tests, and students see updates in a feed that looks a lot like a social network. Most districts that choose it already run PowerSchool’s student information system, because the two are designed to share rosters and grades.

Who it’s for

Schoology suits US school districts that want a full LMS for grades K through 12, particularly middle and high schools. The strongest case is a district already on PowerSchool SIS, where class lists come across automatically and grades flow back to the report card without double entry.

It is not an option for an individual teacher. PowerSchool discontinued the free Schoology Basic accounts some years ago, so access now comes through a school or district licence. Teachers who want a free tool for their own class should look at Google Classroom.

What it does well

The SIS link is the main draw. With PowerSchool SIS, sections and enrolments sync into Schoology, and grades entered in the Schoology gradebook pass back to the SIS. For a high school teacher with six sections, that removes the job of copying marks into a second system before every grading period.

The layout is easy for students to pick up. Each course has a materials page organised into folders, and the home feed shows new posts, upcoming work and recent grades. Students who use social media already know how to scroll a feed and comment.

Assessments are solid for everyday use. Teachers can build tests with several question types, draw from question banks, randomise question order and set time limits. The gradebook supports categories, weighting and grading scales, and districts can align assignments to standards for standards-based grading.

Resource libraries help departments share. A teacher can keep personal resources and also publish them to a group resource area, so the whole science department can pull from the same lab sheets and quizzes rather than emailing files around.

Parent accounts let families see their child’s courses, upcoming assignments and grades. One parent account can cover several children, which helps families with kids in more than one school in the district.

Schoology also connects to Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive, so students can submit documents from either without downloading and uploading files.

Where it falls short

The interface has aged. Navigation between courses, groups and resources takes more clicks than newer tools, and some admin screens are confusing. Teachers coming from Canvas often find course design less flexible.

Outside the PowerSchool world, the advantage shrinks. Schoology can sync with other SIS platforms, but the grade passback is smoothest with PowerSchool SIS. A district on Infinite Campus or another SIS should test the integration in a pilot rather than taking it on trust.

Buying is a district-level decision with a sales process. There is no way to start small with a few teachers on a free plan and grow from there.

Pricing

PowerSchool does not publish prices for Schoology Learning. It sells licences to schools, districts and states, and pricing is quoted per customer. Ask whether the quote bundles Schoology with other PowerSchool products, and price each part separately so you can compare against other LMS options.

Privacy and data

PowerSchool says it holds ISO 27001:2022 certification and runs annual third-party audits of its security management system. It also says it produces SOC 2 Type 2 reports for several applications. Ask PowerSchool to confirm in writing that Schoology is in scope for both, because the public material does not say which products are covered.

Districts should also read up on the breach PowerSchool disclosed in January 2025. PowerSchool became aware of it in late December 2024. An attacker used a compromised credential to reach PowerSchool’s customer support portal and exported student and teacher records from some PowerSchool SIS instances. Canada’s privacy commissioner later closed an investigation into the breach after PowerSchool committed to security improvements, including showing by March 2026 that it had renewed its ISO 27001 certification. A district buying Schoology is buying from the same company, so ask what changed in access controls for support staff. Our student data privacy checklist lists the other questions to raise.

Verdict

If your district runs PowerSchool SIS and wants a K-12 LMS with parent accounts and automatic grade passback, Schoology is the practical choice. The interface is dated and you need to do security due diligence on the vendor, but the SIS link saves teachers real time. Districts on another SIS, or schools that want a free start, should look at Canvas or Google Classroom.

See the best Schoology alternatives