🏡 School apps, family logistics and safety · 🏫 Classroom tools
ClassDojo
By ClassDojo, Inc.. Visit ClassDojo
Desk research from the maker's own pages. Not yet tried by us. Checked 2026-10-24.
A classroom communication app used mostly in elementary schools. Teachers award feedback points for skills like teamwork, post photos to a private class story, and message families with automatic translation into 190+ languages. Children can post to a portfolio and, at home, play in Dojo Islands, a shared online world. Parents can pay for ClassDojo Plus, which adds detailed progress reports, a reading library, AI homework help and more. The same company sells Dojo Tutor and Dojo Sparks (reading, ages 3-7).
Our take: Handy for families whose teacher already uses it; parents can stick with the free core and skip the paid extras.
| Ages it suits | about 4-14 (preschool through middle school) |
|---|---|
| What its terms say about age | Anyone under 18 needs a parent, guardian or school staff to allow use and agree to the terms. Children under 13 get a Student Account only through a teacher (acting for the parent under COPPA) or a parent; an Outside School Child Account must be set up by a parent. (terms) |
| Price | Free, with paid extras. Free for teachers and families for messaging, points and class story. ClassDojo Plus is an optional family subscription with a 7-day free trial; the price is shown in the app, not on the website (Oct 2026). |
| Works on | Web, iPhone and iPad, Android |
| Account | A school account |
| Ads | None |
| In-app purchases | Yes |
| The AI in it | Teachers can use AI tools to draft posts, messages and report card comments; ClassDojo Plus includes AI homework help for families; Dojo Sparks uses speech recognition to listen to kids read. |
What's good
- Free core messaging with translation
- Parents see class photos and updates
- COPPA Safe Harbor and FERPA seals
- Teachers can turn off kids' Class Islands at school
Watch for
- Points can turn into public scorekeeping of behavior
- Upsells to Plus, tutoring and reading apps
- Dojo Islands lets kids interact with other users, with virtual currency
- Class photos are shared with every family in the class
Data and privacy
The privacy policy says student and child information is never used for behaviorally targeted or third-party ads and there are no third-party ads in student areas, and ClassDojo holds iKeepSafe COPPA Safe Harbor and FERPA seals. Teachers may enter student names and work into AI tools, ClassDojo uses OpenAI and Anthropic for some internal AI tools, and photobooks can use opt-in facial recognition. Read the privacy policy.
Does it work?
Small studies only. A 2019 study in three fifth-grade classrooms found less disruptive behavior when peer praise was run through ClassDojo; no large trial was found.
Alternatives to ClassDojo
Desk researchFree, with paid extrasNo ads
99math
99math (Estonia) · ages about 5-14 (grades K-8)
A low-effort, free way for teachers to make fact practice lively; parents of kids who dislike timed competition may want a calmer tool.
Desk researchFreeNo ads
Adobe Express for Education
Adobe · ages grades K-12 through a school
A good free option for schools that want design and AI in one tool and will set the admin controls; families cannot set it up for a young child on their own.
Desk researchFreeNo ads
AI Literacy Lessons for Grades K-12
Common Sense Education · ages grades K-12 (AI-specific lessons start in grade 6)
A good free starting point for teachers and parents who want to talk about AI with middle and high schoolers; anyone wanting hands-on AI building should pair it with a project-based course.
Desk researchFreeNo ads
AI Unplugged
Stefan Seegerer and Annabel Lindner (FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg) · ages about 10-18 (designed for lower and upper secondary; some activities adapt for primary)
A strong free choice for teachers or homeschool parents who want kids to understand how AI learns without using AI tools; families wanting a ready-to-run app should look elsewhere.
Desk researchThrough schoolsNo ads
Amira Learning
Amira Learning · ages about 5-14 (school product; listed studies run from kindergarten to middle school)
Worth asking about if your child's school uses it; parents cannot buy it, so home users should look at family apps instead.
Desk researchFree, with paid extras
Arcademics
Arcademics · ages about 6-14 (grades 1-8)
Fine for quick fact-fluency races at school or home; families who want no ad tracking or who have a child anxious about speed should skip it.
Where these facts come from
- https://www.classdojo.com/
- https://www.classdojo.com/plus/
- https://www.classdojo.com/terms/
- https://www.classdojo.com/privacy/
- https://www.classdojo.com/sparks/
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/classdojo/id552602056
- https://aquila.usm.edu/fac_pubs/19154/
- Reviews on G2: https://www.g2.com/products/classdojo/reviews
Prices, terms and features change. Nobody paid to be listed, nothing here is an affiliate link, and Peabody never rates itself. Where we and the maker disagree, the maker's own pages are the ones to trust.