Thread by @jaynitx

This one company owns the U.S. school system.

Not Google. Not Pearson.

PowerSchool does:

• Used in 70% of K–12 districts
• Tracks behavior, grades, health data
• Sells student data behind the scenes

Here’s how it turned kids into data points and no one noticed 🧵

PowerSchool began in 1997 as a niche student records tool.

Today, it’s a $4B empire used by over 70% of U.S.

K–12 schools, managing over 60 million student profiles.

If your kid has ever had grades online, you’ve probably used it.

PowerSchool is more than a grade book.

It tracks:

• Grades & test scores
• Disciplinary records
• Attendance & truancy
• Health alerts & IEPs
• Mental health flags
• Teacher comments

It’s a surveillance system disguised as convenience.

The cracks started showing in 2023.

A parent in Connecticut logged into their child’s dashboard and was stunned.

Medical history. SSN. Behavior reports.

All stored in one place. All visible to staff across the district.

Worse? No clear way to opt out.

Then the breach hit:

December 2024: A PowerSchool employee’s credentials were stolen.

Hackers lurked inside the system for nine days, undetected.

The fallout:

• 60M student records compromised
• Data from 10M educators leaked
• SSNs, addresses, and even health flags stolen

In January 2025, a 19-year-old from Massachusetts was caught demanding $2.85M in Bitcoin.

He used the breach to extort PowerSchool, threatening to leak student and staff data if they didn’t pay up.

70 million people were at risk, most of them under 18.

PowerSchool’s defense?

“We follow FERPA.”

That’s the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

But here’s the twist: FERPA hasn’t been meaningfully updated since 1974.

It never accounted for cloud software, third-party tracking, or monetized analytics.

So… is PowerSchool selling your kid’s data?

They say no.

But read the fine print:

“We may use de-identified data for product development and improvement.”

Translation: Your child’s data can be used to train AI and power analytics.

And “de-identified” data isn’t always anonymous.

And who’s buying?

• Edtech companies
• Data brokers
• Government contractors
• In some cases, even marketing agencies

Several districts filed lawsuits in 2024, alleging unauthorized sharing of data with third parties for “research” and “targeted insights.”

Most public schools can’t afford IT audits or legal reviews.

They sign standard contracts and accept whatever PowerSchool offers.

It’s not partnership.
It’s dependence.

Meanwhile, PowerSchool keeps expanding.

They’ve acquired over a dozen edtech startups:

• Naviance (college & career tracking)
• Schoology (learning management)
• Kickboard (behavior analytics)

The goal? Total vertical integration of the student experience from age 5 to college admissions.

It’s the Amazon of education.

Except it doesn’t sell books, it sells behavioral metadata.

And parents have no dashboard.

No opt-out.
No idea who else is looking.

This isn’t hypothetical. It’s happening now.

What can be done?

→ Parents: demand transparency from your district. Ask where your kid’s data goes.

→ Schools: review PowerSchool’s agreements. Set hard limits on data usage.

→ Lawmakers: update FERPA. Ban for-profit resale of educational metadata.

If you’re a VC or founder, then

Your story, your beliefs, and your mission are your biggest assets.

We help VCs & founders turn their stories into unforgettable personal brands that attract influence, trust, and opportunities.

Interested in getting similar results?

Book a free discovery call with us:
calendly.com/articulatehq/3…

That's a wrap!

If you enjoyed this thread:

1. Follow me @jaynitx for more of these

2. RT the tweet below to share this thread with your audience

https://x.com/jaynitx/status/1932756283293102387