OpenAI expands ChatGPT for Teachers to more U.S. school districts

OpenAI has expanded its ChatGPT for Teachers program to 55 additional school systems across 20 states, providing free access and training to over 100,000 more educators and staff. This expansion brings the total number of participating K–12 organizations to more than 100, and the total number of educators and staff with access to the tool to over 300,000.

Standardized Data Privacy Framework

OpenAI has introduced a 16-state National Data Privacy Agreement through the Student Data Privacy Consortium framework. This agreement provides a common framework for school districts to evaluate ChatGPT for Teachers against student data privacy requirements, eliminating the need for districts to negotiate separate agreements on a district-by-district basis.

Signed General Offers currently cover the following 16 states:

Illinois
Iowa
Maine
Massachusetts
Missouri
Nebraska
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
Ohio
Rhode Island
Tennessee
Texas
Vermont
Virginia
Washington

California is covered by a separate agreement.

Education-Grade Privacy and Security

ChatGPT for Teachers is designed with administrative controls and security protections to support school districts' FERPA requirements. Data shared within a ChatGPT for Teachers workspace is not used to train OpenAI models by default. District leaders can manage educators through a managed workspace with role-based controls.

Teacher-Led AI Adoption and Training

OpenAI is implementing a shared model of adoption that combines tool access with hands-on training and peer learning. This includes initiatives such as the OpenAI Academy and the National Academy for AI Instruction, a five-year initiative with the American Federation of Teachers to equip 400,000 K–12 educators with AI skills.

AI Skills Jams

In partnership with the Walton Family Foundation, OpenAI Academy is hosting "AI Skills Jams." Over 1,600 teachers and administrators have participated in these sessions, where they work with OpenAI mentors to solve real-world classroom challenges. According to OpenAI, 93% of participants reported leaving with a usable resource and 96% planned to apply their learning within 30 days.

Practical Applications for Educators

An OpenAI analysis of messages sent between January 1 and July 16, 2026, revealed that educators used the tool for over 1.9 million time-saving tasks. Key use cases include:

Report cards and progress reports: 900,000 messages
Lesson planning: 800,000 messages
K-12 Educator plugin: Used for adapting materials, analyzing information, and creating classroom resources.
Administrative tasks: Over 100,000 messages each for substitute plans and teacher-evaluation materials.

Specific examples of implementation include simulating science experiments in Chicago, creating planning resources based on district regulations in Fairfax, and handling complex scheduling tasks in San Bernardino.