PowerSchool, a software provider commonly used for school districts managing a variety of data systems, was subject to a cyber breach via remote access between December 19 and December 28, 2024.  

The precise number of districts affected is currently unknown; however, PowerSchool serves approximately 60 million students across 100 countries. Highly sensitive data such as student names, birth dates, and social security numbers were accessed as a result of the breach. The incident brings to light the increasing vulnerability of school districts in managing the personally identifiable and sensitive information of their students. 

Many school districts often lack the digital infrastructure needed to adequately protect student data, making them target rich environments for hackers. 

F3 continues to lead the way in cyber breach management for school districts and is available to advise on preventative measures and post-breach management. 

The incident comes at a time when cyberattacks and online threats “are an increasingly significant and widespread problem” for schools in the U.S., the federal government says. Between 2016 and 2022, there were 1,619 cyber incidents that struck K-12 schools nationwide, according to the nonprofit K12 Security Information Exchange, which helps schools protect themselves from online threats. In roughly that same period, schools in nearly every state were victims of cyberattacks.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2025/01/13/powerschool-data-breach-what-to-know-students/77667159007/