What COVID-19 School Data Hub does

The COVID-19 School Data Hub is a U.S.-based nonprofit research initiative founded in 2020 and led by Executive Director Dr. Emily Oster. It operates a centralized, web-based data repository that aggregates and standardizes pandemic-era K-12 schooling data from state education agencies across 48 states plus the District of Columbia. The core dataset covers the 2020-21 school year and comprises three primary products — Learning Model Data (in-person, hybrid, virtual instruction by school and district), COVID-19 Case Data, and Masking Policy Data — alongside crosswalk files for NCES identifiers, demographics, and poverty. All data is distributed free of charge via direct CSV/Excel downloads from the website, with no API, no paid tiers, and no customer revenue.

The platform's technology stack is a web-based data repository with an interactive JavaScript U.S. map visualization; design and development are outsourced to Township. Beyond raw data, the Hub publishes original research including the State Test Score Results Data Series (covering 31 states from Spring 2018 to Spring 2023) and the Pandemic Schooling Mode and Assessment Outcomes Data Series (published in AER-I Insights 2023), positioning it as both a data provider and an empirical research outfit. The organization operates with approximately 30 team members across research, data analysis, and design functions.

Its business model is grant-funded philanthropy: the Hub is supported entirely by foundation grants from Emergent Ventures at the Mercatus Center, Walton Family Foundation, Arnold Ventures, and Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, with no data monetization, advertising, or subscription revenue. Its go-to-market is essentially zero-cost distribution through academic citations, press releases, and direct website access — targeting academic researchers, state and local education policymakers, and K-12 educators as primary user segments.

Name

COVID-19 School Data Hub

Legal name

COVID-19 School Data Hub

Website

https://covidschooldatahub.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The COVID-19 School Data Hub is a U.S. nonprofit research initiative that aggregates and standardizes K-12 pandemic-era learning model, COVID-19 case, and masking policy data from 48 state agencies, distributing it free to academic researchers, policymakers, and educators while publishing original empirical research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Data Analytics

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518210), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374)

akta.pro primary industry

Assessment, Testing & Analytics Platforms (Formative/Summative) (EDAJAMAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student Information Systems (SIS) & School Administration Platforms (EDAJAMAB), Gradebook, Transcripts, Credits & Academic Records Management (EDAFAEAG), Online Learning Content & Course Publishing Platforms (BPAMAJAL)

Keywords

• Education data repository
• K-12 learning analytics
• School policy research
• Pandemic education data
• Standardized test tracking

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: The organization is supported entirely by grant funding from foundations and programs. Data is provided freely to researchers, educators, and policymakers at no cost.
2. Free Public Data Access: All data resources including learning model data, COVID-19 case data, masking data, and research publications are freely available for download in CSV and Excel formats. No revenue is generated from data access.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The COVID-19 School Data Hub is a web-based centralized database that aggregates and standardizes K-12 school data from state education agencies across the United States, covering learning models (in-person, hybrid, virtual), COVID-19 case counts, and masking policies during the 2020-21 school year. The platform makes all datasets freely downloadable in CSV and Excel formats and publishes accompanying research and state-level data briefs for use by academic researchers, educators, and policymakers.

Product overview

The COVID-19 School Data Hub is a research data platform that aggregates and standardizes COVID-19-era K-12 education data from state agencies. The core offering consists of three primary datasets: Learning Model Data (tracking in-person, hybrid, and virtual instruction by school/district), COVID-19 Case Data (school-level case tracking), and Masking Data (district masking policies). The platform provides downloadable CSV/Excel files, an interactive state map visualization, and publishes research including the State Test Score Results Data Series and Pandemic Schooling Mode and Assessment Outcomes Data Series. Users can explore state-specific data pages covering 48 states plus DC, with accompanying data codebooks, merging scripts, and crosswalk files for integration with external datasets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• COVID-19 School Data Hub
• Learning Model Data
• COVID-19 Case Data
• Masking Data
• District-Monthly Percentage Files
• Interactive State Map

Quantifiable outcome

• Districts with full in-person learning had significantly smaller declines in pass rates (13.4 percentage points in math, 8.3 percentage points in ELA) compared to those with hybrid or virtual learning
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• State Education AgenciescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Hub collaborates with state education agencies across the U.S. to collect and integrate learning model data, COVID-19 case data, and masking policy data. Data is submitted by agencies or collected from public dashboards and data requests.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Brown Center on Education Policy at Brookings: Think tank producing K-12 education data analysis and policy reports; comparable academic/policy research audience and output format.
• Mathematica Policy Research: Large policy research firm producing rigorous K-12 program evaluations and datasets; comparable grant-funded, data-driven research model serving the same education policy and research audience.
• National Center for Education Statistics (NCES): Federal statistical agency providing authoritative K-12 and postsecondary data; serves the same researchers and policymakers but at far broader scope and with official NCES identifiers that the Hub uses as anchors.
• RAND Corporation (Education Division): Policy research organization producing widely cited K-12 data and survey series; comparable researcher audience and policy-facing outputs, though operates as a general-purpose think tank.
• Urban Institute (Education Policy): Nonpartisan research organization producing K-12 data analyses and policy briefs; comparable grant-funded research-and-data model and overlapping policy/research audience.

Direct peers

• Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE): Research organization tracking pandemic-era K-12 schooling modes and reopening policies; directly overlapping subject matter and similar grant-funded, researcher/policymaker-facing model.
• EdData (EdSource): Public-facing K-12 data platform for California and other states, providing standardized school- and district-level data; comparable free, downloadable, standardized-data model targeted at educators and policymakers.
• U.S. School Closure and Distance Learning Database (Parolin & Lee): Academic project at Columbia that built an alternative U.S. K-12 schooling-mode dataset from SafeGraph cell phone data; the Hub has published a direct reliability comparison, indicating same use case and overlapping audience.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about COVID-19 School Data Hub