Between now and June 2027, teachers will have free access to OpenAI’s latest tool: ChatGPT for Teachers.
Among the 800 million people who use ChatGPT weekly, teachers have become some of the earliest adopters of AI. Last school year, six in 10 teachers reported using an AI tool for their work, according to recent Gallup polling data.
ChatGPT for Teachers is designed for teachers and district leaders who want to utilize AI without compromising student data. A district-wide account will adhere to the same education-grade privacy, security and compliance programs that protect student data and support FERPA requirements.
“All information uploaded will be owned and controlled by the districts themselves, and only accessible to them,” Leah Belsky, OpenAI’s vice president of education, said on a call with reporters. “They will not be used to train the model.”
The Houston Independent School District is part of the OpenAI cohort that led the deployment of ChatGPT for Teachers. Kerri Holt, the district’s chief technology officer, said Houston ISD’s collaboration isn’t a response to the hype, but an effort to build a “future-proof” school system.
“We see AI as the technical substrate of the next education system,” she says. “One that protects children, supports staff and prepares students for a world where AI is part of every industry.”
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Key features
Designed to streamline and assist teacher-related tasks, the new tool comes equipped with six distinct features:
- Education-grade security and compliance: Anything shared with AI will not be used to train OpenAI’s models.
- Personalized teaching support: Ask ChatGPT to remember details like your grade level, curriculum and preferred format so responses will become tailored to instruction.
- Connectivity: Teachers can build presentations with Canva in ChatGPT and import lesson plans and files from Google Drive or Microsoft 365.
- Leverage real examples: Get ideas from ready-to-use prompts created by teachers already using ChatGPT.
- Collaboration: Use custom GPTs to create templates with other teachers at your school or district.
- Admin controls: Leaders can bring teachers into one workspace with role-based access controls and secure accounts.
After the free period ends in July 2027, OpenAI may adjust its pricing. However, OpenAI leaders told reporters that their goal is to keep the tool affordable for educators, and they will be given advanced notice about such changes.
This launch builds on OpenAI’s partnership with the American Federation of Teachers union to equip 400,000 K12 teachers with practical AI skills.
Learn more about ChatGPT for Teachers here.
