Naviance Class Action Lawsuit: $17.25M Settlement and Claims

PowerSchool has proposed a $17.25 million settlement to resolve the Naviance class action lawsuit, which alleged that its college and career readiness platform allowed third-party analytics tools to intercept students’ private communications and data without consent. If you logged into Naviance as a student at any point between August 18, 2021 and January 23, 2026, you are part of the class. The deadline to file a claim is July 27, 2026, and the final approval hearing is scheduled for August 19, 2026.¹

The case is Q.J. v. PowerSchool Holdings LLC, No. 1:23-cv-05689, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. PowerSchool has identified more than 10 million people who may be eligible.²

Who Is Covered

The settlement class includes any person in the United States who, while a student, logged into the Naviance platform at least once between August 18, 2021 and January 23, 2026.² The class is nationwide. It is not limited to Chicago Public Schools, even though the named plaintiff is a CPS student, and it is not limited to any particular district or state.

Excluded from the class are the presiding judges and their families, the defendants and their corporate affiliates, current and former officers and employees of the defendants, and anyone who submits a timely request to opt out.³

How to File a Claim

Claims can be submitted online at powerschoolnaviancesettlement.com or by mail using a paper claim form. The form must be signed by the class member. If the class member is a minor, a parent or legal guardian must sign it.³

Three dates matter:

Claim deadline: July 27, 2026.
Opt-out or objection deadline: July 13, 2026.
Final approval hearing: August 19, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. CT in Chicago.⁴

The settlement administrator is Kroll Settlement Administration LLC, reachable at (833) 447-8852.⁵ Payments can be received by check, PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle.⁶

How Much You Could Receive

There is no fixed per-person payout. The $17.25 million fund first covers settlement administration costs, attorneys’ fees (class counsel may seek up to 37% of the fund), and a service award of up to $5,000 for the lead plaintiff. Whatever remains is the net fund, and every valid claim gets a pro rata share of that net amount.⁶

Because the payout depends entirely on how many people file, the range of possible outcomes is wide. If the net fund is roughly $10 million and 100,000 people claim, each claimant would receive around $100. If 500,000 claim, the figure drops to about $20. If only 50,000 claim, individual payouts could exceed $200.⁷

What the Lawsuit Alleged

The suit was brought in August 2023 by Q.J., a minor and Chicago Public Schools student, through his parent and guardian J.J. The complaint alleged that PowerSchool, its predecessor Hobsons, and the Board of Education of the City of Chicago allowed third-party analytics and advertising software to be embedded in Naviance, where it captured students’ confidential communications and education records without consent. The plaintiff described the conduct as “digital wiretapping.”²

The third-party tools named in the case include Heap (now Content Square), Google, Microsoft, Hotjar, and Gainsight.⁸ The operative complaint raised claims under the federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act, the Stored Communications Act, the California Invasion of Privacy Act, the Illinois Eavesdropping Act, the Illinois School Student Records Act, and common-law theories including intrusion upon seclusion, breach of contract, and unjust enrichment. Constitutional claims under the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments were dismissed in August 2025.³

All defendants deny wrongdoing. PowerSchool stated it entered the settlement “to avoid the uncertainty, distraction, and expense” of continued litigation.²

Privacy Reforms Required by the Settlement

Beyond the cash fund, the agreement requires operational changes to how PowerSchool and the Chicago Board of Education handle student data.

Within 10 days of final judgment, PowerSchool must instruct Heap, Google, Microsoft, and Hotjar to delete stored data associated with class members. Heap must delete primary data within 10 days and backup data within 30 days.¹
PowerSchool must create a Web Governance Committee within 30 days of final judgment to assess the legality of any analytics or advertising technology used on Naviance.³
For at least two years, PowerSchool cannot use software from Heap, Google, Microsoft, Hotjar, or Gainsight on Naviance unless the new committee approves it. Infrastructure services such as Amazon Web Services and Azure are excluded from the restriction.³
PowerSchool must update the Naviance student site privacy statement to disclose any third-party analytics and advertising tools in use, and display a privacy commitment banner on the Naviance and PowerSchool sites for nine months.¹
The Chicago Board of Education must update its contracts with third-party vendors handling student data to require compliance with FERPA, ISSRA, SOPPA, and the ECPA. Vendors must provide annual written attestations of compliance, under penalty of perjury, for up to four years.³

If You Received an Email from Kroll

Kroll has been emailing notices directly to students and families, and the volume has caused widespread confusion. The emails are legitimate. School districts around the country have posted clarifications confirming as much. Brookfield Public Schools in Connecticut called the Kroll notices “legitimate, valid, and informational” and part of a “court approved notification process.”⁹

One point worth being clear about: this case is not a data breach. Brookfield told families the lawsuit “did NOT involve a data breach” and that “no student data was compromised.”⁹ The claim in Q.J. is about analytics software allegedly embedded in Naviance, not about outside hackers. A separate multidistrict class action against PowerSchool involves a December 2024 breach that reportedly exposed the personal information of 50 million teachers and students; that matter is proceeding independently and is not part of this settlement.²

Your school district is almost certainly not a defendant. Only the Board of Education of the City of Chicago is named. Districts like Liberty Central in New York have told families they are “not a party to the lawsuit” and had “no involvement in the legal proceedings.”¹⁰

Where the Case Stands

Judge Jorge L. Alonso granted preliminary approval of the settlement on February 25, 2026, and approved an amended settlement agreement on March 26, 2026.¹¹ The settlement is not yet final. It becomes binding only if the court grants final approval at the August 19, 2026 hearing. Class members who want a share of the fund should file before the July 27, 2026 claim deadline regardless, because filing does not depend on the final approval decision.

Your Options

If you are in the class, you have four choices. File a claim by July 27, 2026 to receive a share of the fund. Opt out by July 13, 2026 to preserve your right to sue PowerSchool separately over the same conduct. Object by July 13, 2026 if you want to appear at the final approval hearing and tell the court why the settlement should not be approved. Or do nothing, in which case you give up your right to a payment and remain bound by the settlement’s release of claims.⁶

1
PowerSchool Naviance Settlement. Q.J. v. PowerSchool Holdings LLC Settlement
2
K-12 Dive. What the $17.25M Naviance Settlement Means for School Districts
3
ClassAction.org. Q.J. v. PowerSchool Settlement Agreement
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PowerSchool Naviance Settlement. Settlement Documents
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Germantown Municipal School District. Information Regarding Naviance Class Action Settlement
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PowerSchool Naviance Settlement. Frequently Asked Questions
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MoneyPilot. PowerSchool Naviance Data Privacy Class Action Settlement
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ClassAction.org. $17.25M PowerSchool Settlement Resolves Class Action Over Alleged Interception of Confidential Student Communications
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Brookfield Public Schools. Naviance Class Action Settlement Notice
10
Liberty Central School District. Message to Families Regarding Legal Notice
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CourtListener. Q.J. v. PowerSchool Holdings LLC Docket Page 2