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Claude and ChatGPT for teachers: what is free, what connects, what to watch

Claude and ChatGPT can draft lessons, quizzes and parent emails for teachers, if you keep student names out and read everything before class.

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Verified US K-12 teachers can use Claude for Teachers for free, with lesson-planning skills and a connection to state standards. Universities can buy a campus-wide Claude plan instead. ChatGPT for Teachers is also free for verified US K-12 educators, through June 2028 per OpenAI's Help Center. Check each assistant's data settings before you paste in anything about students.

Anthropic says whether and how student data may be used is set by your district and state policy. Keep names and grades out unless your district has approved the tool.

Good for

  • K-12 teachers planning lessons, quizzes and parent emails
  • University faculty drafting syllabi and assignments
  • Instructional coaches and department heads sharing prompts
  • School and district leaders choosing one tool for every educator
  • Any teacher short on prep time

ChatGPT

Our advice: use ChatGPT for first drafts of quizzes and parent emails, and read each one before it goes out. US K-12 educators can verify for ChatGPT for Teachers, free through June 2028.

Plan: ChatGPT for Teachers, free through June 2028, if you are a verified US K-12 educator. Otherwise Plus, $20 a month, for your own prep, or ChatGPT Business, $20 per user per month billed annually, for a shared team.

What it can do

  • Keep a class's files and instructions together in a Project (5 files on Free, 25 on Plus)
  • Read a reading, rubric or PDF you upload, with 3 uploads a day on Free
  • Make images for slides and worksheets on every plan with ChatGPT Images
  • Send a lesson to Canva for a designed handout once you connect your Canva account

Limits

  • On Free, Plus and Pro your chats can be used for training unless you turn off Improve the model for everyone in Settings > Data controls
  • Business and Enterprise do not train on your business data by default
  • Keep student names and records out unless your district has approved the plan you use
  • ChatGPT for Teachers is free for verified US K-12 educators through June 2028. OpenAI says it may introduce or adjust pricing after that, with advance notice.
  • Eligible: teachers, staff, school leaders and district administrators at accredited US K-12 schools. It is not for students, and each workspace is limited to verified educators in one district.
  • OpenAI says information shared in ChatGPT for Teachers is not used to train its models by default.

Plugs to turn on

  • Canva MCP: Works with Canva Free from ChatGPT.

Claude

Our advice: US K-12 teachers should start with Claude for Teachers, because Anthropic offers it free to verified educators. Universities get a separate campus-wide plan with a tutor-style learning mode.

Plan: Claude for Teachers if you teach K-12 in the US: free once you are verified. University staff should ask their institution about the Education plan. Anyone else: Pro, $17 a month billed annually or $20 monthly, as of November 2026.

What it can do

  • Plan lessons grounded in your state's standards with the Learning Commons connector
  • Draft quizzes tied to specific standards, then review and adjust before students see them
  • Differentiate materials for students below, at and above grade level from de-identified reading levels
  • Draft parent emails, and a weekly newsletter on a schedule with Claude Cowork
  • Turn a lesson idea into a handout, slide deck or worksheet with Claude Design
  • Keep training off by default on verified educator accounts

Limits

  • Claude for Teachers is for US K-12 educators and districts, and you have to get verified
  • Your district and state policies decide whether and how student data may be used, so use de-identified data
  • Anthropic frames every output as a draft: you review, adjust and decide what is right for your class
  • Higher education pricing is not published; the Education plan is sold to institutions

Plugs to turn on

  • Canva MCP: Turn lesson ideas into handouts and slides in your Canva account.
  • Notion MCP: Keep unit plans and lesson notes where Claude can read and edit them.

Plugs worth turning on

Start with Canva for materials and Notion for planning. Add a skill when you need a deck or a Word file.

  1. 1
    Canva MCPOfficialHostedOAuth

    Canva's own connector: handouts, slides and worksheets from a prompt, exported as PDF or PPTX. Works on Canva Free and cannot delete designs.

    HostedRuns
  2. 2Notion MCP logo
    Notion MCPOfficialHostedOAuth

    Notion's own connector: keep unit plans and lesson notes in Notion and let the assistant read and edit them. There is no read-only mode, so approve changes.

    HostedRuns
  3. 3
    pptxOfficialSkill

    Anthropic's skill for building and editing PowerPoint decks from a plain request. Built into Claude.ai.

    SkillRuns
  4. 4
    docxOfficialSkill

    Anthropic's skill for Word documents with tracked changes and comments, for worksheets, syllabi and feedback.

    SkillRuns
  5. 5google_workspace_mcp logo
    google_workspace_mcpLocalOAuth

    Community server for Docs, Slides, Forms, Calendar and Gmail. Runs on your computer and needs your own Google Cloud setup, so check that your school allows it.

    LocalRuns
  6. 6markitdown logo
    markitdownOfficialLocalNo sign-in

    Turns PDFs, Word and PowerPoint files into text the assistant can read. Runs locally with no sign-in and can read any file your account can.

    LocalRuns
  7. 7
    pdfOfficialSkill

    Anthropic's skill for reading, splitting and filling PDF forms.

    SkillRuns

Differentiate one reading for three levels

  1. 1

    Remove student names

    Use de-identified information only, such as reading levels without names. Anthropic notes that your district and state decide how educational data may be used.

  2. 2

    Ask for three versions

    Paste the passage or attach it. Works in Claude or ChatGPT.

    Prompt
    Here is a 600-word passage on the water cycle. Rewrite it three ways for students reading below, at and above grade level. Keep the same five vocabulary words in all three. Add three comprehension questions to each version.
  3. 3

    Make it a handout

    With Canva connected, ask the assistant to lay out the three versions as printable handouts you can keep editing in Canva.

    Uses Canva MCP

  4. 4

    Check reading level and facts

    Read each version, check the science, and trim anything your students would stumble on.

Plan a standards-based lesson and quiz with Claude

Claude

  1. 1

    Get verified and connect Learning Commons

    Sign up for Claude for Teachers and get verified as a K-12 educator. In Claude, go to Customize > Connectors and add Learning Commons, which Anthropic says gives Claude access to academic standards across all 50 states.

  2. 2

    Describe the class, then ask for the lesson

    Say what curriculum you use and what students already know. Claude drafts the materials.

    Prompt
    Plan a 45-minute 7th grade math lesson on solving two-step equations. I teach from Illustrative Math and my students have mastered one-step equations. Create a do-now, a worked example and an exit ticket, and name the state standard each part covers.
  3. 3

    Ask for a quiz tied to the standard

    Asking for the misconception behind each wrong answer shows you where students will struggle.

    Prompt
    Write a 6-question quiz on the same standard: 4 multiple choice and 2 short answer. Add an answer key and the misconception each wrong answer points to.
  4. 4

    Read it before class

    Check every problem and answer yourself. Anthropic's own advice is to review and adjust before anything reaches students.

Draft parent emails and a weekly newsletter in ChatGPT

ChatGPT

  1. 1

    Make a Project for the class

    Create a Project, add your class schedule and tone notes, and leave out student names. A Project keeps your files and instructions together for every chat in it.

  2. 2

    Ask for the email

    Give the date, tone and length you want.

    Prompt
    Write a 150-word email to parents of my 5th grade class about next week's fractions unit. Use plain, warm language, include two ways to help at home, and mention the quiz on Friday.
  3. 3

    Turn it into a newsletter

    Connect Canva to ChatGPT to get a designed version.

    Prompt
    Turn this into a one-page newsletter with a headline, three short sections and a reminder box.

    Uses Canva MCP

  4. 4

    Send it yourself

    Read the final text, then send it from your school email. Do not let an assistant send to families for you.

Verdict

Our advice: US K-12 teachers can start with a free plan, either Claude for Teachers or ChatGPT for Teachers (free through June 2028). Run one real task in both. Everyone else can use Claude Pro or ChatGPT Plus, or a business plan for a team. Keep student names out of both.

Our advice: Claude for Teachers is a good starting point for US K-12 classrooms because it is free and built for lesson planning. ChatGPT is a fair second tool if you already use it.

More

The limit is yours to manage: privacy and checking every draft.

Best for

  • Lesson and quiz drafts tied to state standards
  • Differentiated readings and handouts
  • Parent emails and newsletters

Skip it if

  • You would paste identifiable student records without district approval
  • You would give students AI output you have not read

Questions

Is Claude free for teachers?

Yes, for US K-12 teachers. Claude for Teachers gives verified educators free access to premium features such as teaching skills and the Learning Commons standards connector. Districts can also get managed accounts with SSO at no cost.

What is Claude for Education?

It is Anthropic's offer for universities. The Education plan covers a whole institution, including students, faculty and staff, with a learning mode, API credits and training. Anthropic does not publish a price; institutions contact its education team.

Is there a Claude for teachers in K-12 and for universities?

Yes, two offers. Claude for Teachers is free and for US K-12 educators. Claude for higher education is a university-wide plan sold to institutions.

Can ChatGPT help teachers plan lessons and write quizzes?

Yes. Use a Project to keep your class files and instructions together, then ask for lesson outlines, quizzes and parent emails. Read and correct every draft.

Is it safe to put student information into ChatGPT or Claude?

Not identifiable information, unless your district has approved the plan. Anthropic says educational data use in Claude for Teachers is set by district and state policy. ChatGPT Free, Plus and Pro chats can be used for training unless you turn it off.

Does Claude train on my chats?

Not on verified educator accounts, where training is off by default. On Claude Free, Pro and Max, training is a setting you can opt out of.

Can Claude grade student work?

It can draft feedback and rubrics for you to review. Anthropic describes teachers reviewing and deciding, so keep the final grade your call.

How much does Claude cost if I am not eligible for Claude for Teachers?

Pro is $17 a month billed annually or $20 monthly, as of November 2026. Team starts at $20 per seat per month billed annually for 2 to 150 seats.

How much is ChatGPT for a school team?

ChatGPT Business is $20 per user per month billed annually or $25 monthly, from 2 users. Plus is $20 a month for one person.

What is Learning Commons?

A Claude connector that gives Claude access to academic standards across all 50 US states, so lesson plans can be tied to your state's standards and curricula such as Illustrative Mathematics and OpenSciEd.

Is there a ChatGPT for Teachers?

Yes. ChatGPT for Teachers is free through June 2028 for verified US K-12 educators: teachers, staff, school leaders and district administrators at accredited schools or districts. Verification goes through SheerID. It is not for students, and a workspace is limited to verified educators in one district. OpenAI's pricing page FAQ says June 2027 instead, so confirm the date in its Help Center. After the free period OpenAI says it may introduce or adjust pricing, with advance notice. As of November 2026.

Does ChatGPT for Teachers train on what I enter?

OpenAI says information shared with ChatGPT for Teachers is not used to train its models by default, as with its Business customers. It also says the workspace has FERPA-aligned protections and a student data privacy agreement. Your district still decides what student data you may enter.

Sources

Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from.

Show all 14
  1. Claude for K-12 teachers · claude.com
  2. Claude for higher education · claude.com
  3. Data controls FAQ · help.openai.com
  4. ChatGPT for Teachers · help.openai.com
  5. A free version of ChatGPT built for teachers · openai.com
  6. ChatGPT pricing · chatgpt.com
  7. What is ChatGPT Plus · help.openai.com
  8. Projects in ChatGPT · help.openai.com
  9. Uploading files and audio to ChatGPT · help.openai.com
  10. Images in ChatGPT · help.openai.com
  11. Connect your Canva account to ChatGPT · canva.com
  12. Claude plans and pricing · claude.com
  13. Use connectors · support.claude.com
  14. ChatGPT plans and pricing · openai.com

Updated Nov 3, 2026.