Education

Education sector data breaches expose student records, Social Security numbers, financial aid information, grades, disciplinary records, and sometimes health records at K-12 schools, colleges, and universities. Because many affected individuals are minors, these breaches carry a heightened long-term identity theft risk that can go completely undetected for years, since a stolen child’s identity is rarely checked against credit reports until adulthood. Schools and universities are frequent ransomware targets due to often-limited cybersecurity budgets relative to the volume of sensitive data they store, including admissions records, financial aid applications, and staff payroll information. Parents, students, faculty, and staff can all be affected by a single incident at an educational institution. This page tracks confirmed data breaches at schools, colleges, and universities, including what data was exposed, which companies or institutions notified regulators, and what affected individuals and families can do next to monitor for identity theft and understand their legal rights.