Privacy Policy

Overview

CalSchoolGuide ("we", "our", "us") provides a free tool for comparing California K-12 public schools. We are committed to protecting the privacy of all visitors, especially families and minors. This policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and your rights.

School Data We Display

All school performance data shown on this site is aggregate, publicly available data published by the California Department of Education (CDE). We never collect, store, or display any individually identifiable student information. Our datasets include school-level test scores, enrollment counts, demographic breakdowns, graduation rates, absenteeism rates, and staff ratios — all in aggregate form as published by CDE.

Information We Collect from Visitors

• Usage analytics: We collect anonymous page view and interaction data to improve the site. This does not include personally identifiable information.
• Search queries: School searches are processed server-side and are not linked to individual users.
• Chat conversations: Messages sent through the "Ask About Schools" chat feature are processed in real time and are not stored permanently. Conversations are held in temporary session memory that expires after 30 minutes of inactivity.
• Comparison selections: Schools added to the comparison tray are stored locally in your browser (localStorage). We do not track which schools you compare.
• Account data: If you create an account, we collect your email address, a display name, date of birth (for age verification only), and a hashed password. Saved school lists and reviews you submit are stored with your account.

Children's Privacy (COPPA)

This site is designed for parents, guardians, educators, and real estate professionals — not for children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. Account creation requires a date of birth, and users under 13 are prevented from creating accounts in compliance with COPPA. If we discover that a user under 13 has created an account, we will promptly delete the account and all associated data.

Student Data Protection (SOPIPA / FERPA)

We comply with the Student Online Personal Information Protection Act (SOPIPA) and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) safe harbor provisions:

• We never use data collected through a school relationship for advertising purposes.
• We never sell or share student data with third parties.
• We never build profiles of individual students for non-educational purposes.
• All data displayed is aggregate, school-level data with no individual student records.

California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)

California residents have the right to:

• Know what personal information we collect and how it is used.
• Request deletion of personal information we hold. If you have an account, you can delete it and all associated data from your profile page.
• Opt out of the sale of personal information. We do not sell personal information. See our Do Not Sell My Personal Information page.
• Not be discriminated against for exercising privacy rights.

Cookies

We use essential cookies to maintain basic site functionality. We do not use advertising cookies or third-party tracking cookies. If analytics cookies are used in the future, we will provide a clear opt-out mechanism.

Third-Party Services

• Mapbox: The map feature uses Mapbox GL JS. Mapbox may collect anonymous usage telemetry. See Mapbox Privacy Policy.
• Anthropic (Claude): The chat feature uses the Claude API. Chat messages are sent to Anthropic for processing. See Anthropic Privacy Policy.

Data Retention

School data is refreshed annually from CDE source files. Anonymous analytics data is retained for up to 12 months. Chat session data expires after 30 minutes of inactivity and is not retained.

Contact

For privacy-related questions or requests, contact us at privacy@calschoolguide.org.