Privacy policy

The short version

Homeroom is a free tool that helps Chicago families research CPS elementary schools. We collect the least we can: an email address so you can sign in, the schools you save, and the school information you choose to share with other families. We do not sell your information and we do not run ads.

What we collect

• Account details. Your email address, a display name if you add one, and whether your email is a cps.edu address (used only to mark verified staff contributions).
• Your tour list. The schools on your tour list, where each one sits on that list, and any private notes you write. Private notes are visible only to you.
• Your home school. The neighborhood school you save as your home school, if you choose to save one. A school can be your home school and be on your tour list at the same time.
• What you share publicly. School details, programs, open house dates, and confirmations you submit. These are shown to other families with a “parent” or “CPS staff” tag - your name and email are never displayed next to them.
• Basic technical data. Standard sign-in and error logs kept by our hosting and database provider so the site stays working and secure.

What we do not collect

We do not ask for your child’s name, birthdate, or CPS student ID, and we do not ask for your home address. The CPS school locator on the dashboard is CPS’s own tool loaded inside Homeroom - anything you type into it goes to CPS, not to us.

How we use it

To sign you in, save your list, publish the school information families contribute, and understand how many people are using Homeroom so we know what to build next. Aggregate counts we look at (like total sign-ups) are not tied to anything you would recognize as a person in public reporting.

Who else sees it

Our hosting, database, and authentication providers process data on our behalf so the site can run. Otherwise we do not share, rent, or sell personal information. We would only disclose data if legally required.

Your choices

You can edit or delete anything you have submitted from your account page, and you can ask us to delete your account and personal data entirely. Public school facts that other families have already confirmed may stay on the site in de-identified form, since they describe schools rather than people.

Children

Homeroom is for parents and caregivers. It is not designed for use by children, and we do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 13.

Contact

Questions, corrections, or a deletion request? Send a message through the Contact page and we will take care of it. You can also read more about Homeroom on the About Homeroom page.