Free AI for Teachers (2026): ChatGPT for Teachers vs Claude for Teachers vs Gemini for Education
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The short answer: US K-12 educators can get three serious AI tools at no cost. ChatGPT for Teachers is free for verified educators through June 2028. Claude for Teachers gives verified educators who sign up by June 30, 2027 at least a full year free. Gemini for Education is free for schools that turn it on through Google Workspace for Education or Google for Education Fundamentals.
The big difference: ChatGPT and Claude let an individual teacher verify and sign up. Gemini for Education is switched on by your school’s Google admin, and it is the only one of the three that also covers students.
Last verified: October 28, 2026, against each company’s own program pages and help articles linked below. These are US K-12 programs; eligibility outside the US is different or not offered.
The three programs side by side
| ChatGPT for Teachers | Claude for Teachers | Gemini for Education | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who offers it | OpenAI | Anthropic | |
| Cost | Free through June 2028 | Free; sign up by June 30, 2027 for at least one year | No cost for qualifying institutions |
| Who can sign up | Verified US K-12 teachers, staff, leaders, district admins | Verified US K-12 staff, 18+ | Your school or district, through its Google admin |
| Students | Not for students | Not for students | Yes, with a separate under-18 experience |
| Verification | SheerID, school or district email | Goodstack, school email | School-issued Google account |
| Training on your data | Not used to train by default | Never trained on teacher conversations | Not human-reviewed or used to train models |
| District controls | SSO, roles, domain claiming, analytics | Free district organization with SSO and admin tools | Admin console, access controls, Vault |
ChatGPT for Teachers
OpenAI’s ChatGPT for Teachers page and its help center article both say the plan is free for verified US K-12 educators through June 2028. After that, OpenAI says it may introduce or adjust pricing with advance notice.
About the date: OpenAI’s general ChatGPT pricing page FAQ still said “through June 2027” when we checked on October 28, 2026. The dedicated teacher page and the help article, updated more recently, both say June 2028. We use the dedicated pages here, but check the date when you sign up.
Who qualifies
You must work for an accredited US K-12 school or district as a teacher, staff member, school leader or district administrator. The plan is not for students.
What you get
OpenAI’s teacher page lists unlimited access to its flagship model, file uploads, connectors and apps, voice mode, image generation, data analysis, web search, memory and deep research, plus shared projects, custom GPTs and admin controls. The help article’s feature list names older models, so check what your workspace shows.
How to sign up
- Go to chatgpt.com/k12-verification and verify with your school or district email through SheerID.
- Create a workspace for yourself, your school or your district, or join an existing one tied to your district domain.
- Finish the onboarding prompts for your role, subjects and grade levels.
Workspaces are limited to one district, so you can’t mix teachers from different districts.
Claude for Teachers
Anthropic announced Claude for Teachers on July 14, 2026. Its help center says verified US K-12 educators, or schools and districts, that sign up by June 30, 2027 get a full year of free access. Anthropic’s getting started guide words it as “at least a full year.”
Who qualifies
Any staff member at a US K-12 school or district can verify, including classroom teachers, instructional coaches, aides, librarians, special education staff and administrators. You must be 18 or older, and international educators are not eligible yet.
What you get
- Pro-level Claude features, including Claude Code and Claude Cowork
- Higher usage limits than a standard free account (Anthropic’s guide says Claude for Team limits)
- The Learning Commons connector, with academic standards for all 50 states and curricula from Illustrative Math and OpenSciEd
- Teaching skills for lesson planning and differentiation
- Education connectors from partners including MagicSchool, TeachFX and Canva for Education
How to sign up
- Sign in to claude.ai with your school email, or create an account.
- Open Claude for Teachers and choose Get verified.
- Complete verification through Goodstack. Anthropic says it usually takes under 24 hours and can take up to 3 days.
If you already pay for Claude Pro, Anthropic says verifying moves your account to the free educator plan with a prorated credit. You will be asked to re-verify periodically. Districts can set up a free organization with single sign-on instead; see Anthropic’s K-12 page. For how regular Claude accounts are limited, see our guide to Claude free plan limits.
Gemini for Education
Google’s Gemini for Education page says institutions can get it at no cost by signing up for Google for Education Fundamentals, even if they use a different productivity suite, and that it is included in all Google Workspace for Education editions.
Who qualifies
This is an institution-level program, not an individual teacher sign-up. Google says your organization needs a qualifying Workspace for Education edition and your administrator must enable Gemini for your school account. Educators, staff and students can all use it, and students under 18 get a separate experience with extra guardrails.
What you get
Google lists limited access to its premium AI models, limited Deep Research, Gems, Audio Overviews, Canvas and Gemini Live, plus admin controls and reporting. A paid add-on, Google AI Pro for Education, expands access and adds Gemini inside Gmail, Docs and other Workspace apps.
Google’s education page does not say which model the free tier uses, and parts of it still describe older models. For the consumer side, including which plans get Google’s newest model, see Is Gemini 4 Free?
Student data: what each company says
- ChatGPT for Teachers: OpenAI says content is not used to train its models by default, describes FERPA-aligned protections and a student data privacy agreement, and notes it may use automated systems to classify content for safety.
- Claude for Teachers: Anthropic says it never trains on teacher conversations and offers a K-12 Data Processing Agreement. It also says individual teachers without school or district authorization should not include identifiable student information.
- Gemini for Education: Google says data is not human-reviewed or used to train AI models and that the core service is covered by Google Workspace for Education terms.
A free account does not override your district’s rules. Before you put any student names, grades or work into an AI tool, check your district’s AI and data privacy policy.
A quick checklist for district IT
- Decide which tools are approved and whether teachers may sign up individually.
- Review each vendor’s data terms and agreements with whoever handles student privacy.
- For ChatGPT and Claude, consider a district workspace or organization with single sign-on so accounts don’t scatter.
- For Gemini, confirm your Workspace for Education edition and turn Gemini on only for the groups you intend.
- Put the key dates on a calendar: June 30, 2027 for Claude sign-ups and June 2028 for ChatGPT’s free period.
Which one should a teacher choose?
- Your school already uses Google Workspace: ask IT whether Gemini for Education is on. It needs no separate sign-up.
- You want standards-aligned lesson help: Claude for Teachers’ Learning Commons connector is built for that.
- You want the broadest set of tools and a long free window: ChatGPT for Teachers runs through June 2028.
Many teachers can use more than one. Start with whatever your district approves, then try the others on non-sensitive planning tasks.
FAQ
Is ChatGPT free for teachers?
Yes, for verified US K-12 educators. OpenAI’s teacher page and help center say ChatGPT for Teachers is free through June 2028. OpenAI’s general pricing page FAQ still listed June 2027 on October 28, 2026.
Is Claude free for teachers?
Yes. Verified US K-12 educators who sign up for Claude for Teachers by June 30, 2027 get at least a full year of free access, according to Anthropic.
Is Gemini free for teachers?
Gemini for Education is free for qualifying institutions, so access depends on your school’s Google Workspace for Education setup and your admin turning it on.
How do teachers verify for ChatGPT for Teachers?
Through SheerID at chatgpt.com/k12-verification, using a school or district email address.
Can students use these free AI plans?
Not ChatGPT for Teachers or Claude for Teachers, which are educator-only. Gemini for Education can be used by students, with a separate experience for those under 18.
Is it safe to put student information into these tools?
Each program advertises K-12 privacy protections, but your district’s policy decides what is allowed. Anthropic specifically says not to include identifiable student information without school or district authorization.
The bottom line
This is an unusually good moment for US K-12 educators: all three major AI companies now offer a free, education-focused option. The catch is in the details, such as sign-up deadlines, who verifies, and what your district allows. Check the dates, read the data terms and start with the tool your school approves.
