$17.25M PowerSchool Naviance Student Privacy Settlement, Did Your School Use Naviance? Here Is How to Claim Your Share Before July 27

The PowerSchool Naviance Settlement is a student data privacy class action where eligible students who logged into the Naviance college planning platform between August 18, 2021 and January 23, 2026 can receive a pro rata cash payment from a $17,250,000 fund. PowerSchool Holdings, Hobsons (now known as Content Square, Inc.), and the Chicago Board of Education agreed to the deal to resolve allegations they unlawfully tracked confidential student communications through third-party analytics software embedded inside Naviance — without students’ knowledge or consent. The settlement received preliminary approval on February 27, 2026. The claim deadline is July 27, 2026.

PowerSchool Naviance Settlement — Quick Facts

Field	Detail
Settlement Amount	$17,250,000
Defendants	PowerSchool Holdings LLC, Hobsons Inc., Heap Inc., Board of Education of the City of Chicago
Who Qualifies	U.S. students who logged into Naviance at least once between August 18, 2021 and January 23, 2026
Payout Per Person	Pro rata — depends on total valid claims filed
Proof Required	No
Claim Deadline	July 27, 2026
Opt-Out / Objection Deadline	July 13, 2026
Final Approval Hearing	August 19, 2026
Settlement Status	Preliminarily Approved
Settlement Administrator	Kroll Settlement Administration LLC
Official Website	PowerSchoolNavianceSettlement.com
Case	Q.J. v. PowerSchool Holdings LLC, et al., No. 1:23-cv-05689
Court	U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Last Updated	May 21, 2026

Settlement Status and Key Upcoming Dates

• Judge Jorge L. Alonso of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois granted preliminary approval on February 26, 2026.
• The deadline to opt out or object is Monday, July 13, 2026. The claim deadline is Monday, July 27, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. CT. The Final Approval Hearing is scheduled for August 19, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. CT in Courtroom 1903 at the Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago.
• If the court grants final approval and no appeals follow, Kroll will issue payments approximately 45 days after that process concludes. Checks expire 180 days after issuance.

What Is the PowerSchool Naviance Lawsuit About? Q.J. v. PowerSchool Holdings LLC, et al., No. 1:23-cv-05689

PowerSchool Holdings and its subsidiary Hobsons built Naviance, one of the most widely used college and career guidance platforms in American schools. More than 10 million students used it between August 2021 and January 2026 to take assessments, complete surveys, research colleges, and communicate with counselors.

What those students did not know was that PowerSchool had embedded analytics technology from a firm called Heap into the platform — quietly recording their interactions, communications, and behavior without disclosure or consent. The lawsuit described this as covertly recording student communications and collecting sensitive personal information, including academic records and associated data. Plaintiffs alleged violations of several federal and state privacy laws, including statutes protecting students’ educational records and electronic communications.

The original plaintiff, a Chicago Public Schools student known as Q.J., first alleged in 2023 that the ed tech companies had aided and conspired with Heap and other third parties to unlawfully intercept, without consent, the confidential and sensitive communications of students using Naviance. Perhaps most damaging was the allegation that PowerSchool was a signatory to the Student Privacy Pledge — an industry commitment where K-12 service providers promise not to collect, maintain, use, or share student personal information beyond what is needed for authorized educational purposes. By embedding Heap’s analytics code in Naviance, plaintiffs argued PowerSchool broke that promise. If you want to understand how courts handle data privacy attorney claims involving student records, our PowerSchool data breach class action coverage explains the broader legal exposure PowerSchool faces across both cases.

Related article: Home Depot California ALPR Lawsuit, Did Its Parking Lot Cameras Track Your License Plate Without Your Consent?

Who Qualifies for the PowerSchool Naviance Settlement?

If you or your child used Naviance for college planning, scholarship research, or communication with school counselors, this is the section that tells you whether you are in the class. You do not need to prove what specific data was taken. You only need to confirm you used the platform during the class period.

You may qualify if:

• You are a current or former U.S. student who logged into Naviance at least once between August 18, 2021 and January 23, 2026
• You used Naviance through a school — public or private — anywhere in the United States
• You did not previously opt out of this settlement
• Parents or legal guardians may file on behalf of minor children

You likely do NOT qualify if:

• You only used Naviance as a teacher, school counselor, or administrator — the class covers students only
• You logged into Naviance exclusively before August 18, 2021 or after January 23, 2026
• You are a named defendant or affiliated with the defendants in this case

PowerSchool has identified over 10 million individuals who could be eligible for settlement funds. The Naviance system is used by more than 13,000 public and private schools, representing a student population of approximately 10 million nationwide. If your school used Naviance during this period and required students to log in, your child was almost certainly exposed. For parents also concerned about the separate December 2024 data breach, our PowerSchool nationwide data breach lawsuit update covers who is affected and what is happening in that litigation.

How Much Will You Get from the PowerSchool Naviance Settlement?

Each eligible class member who submits a valid claim will receive an equal pro rata share of the $17.25 million settlement fund after deductions for administrative costs, attorneys’ fees, expenses, and a service award to the class representative.

Attorneys’ fees are capped at up to 37% of the settlement fund. The service award for the class representative is up to $5,000.

Because the legal settlement payout is split equally among all valid claimants, your individual payment depends on how many people file:

• If 50,000 students file: individual payments could exceed $200
• If 100,000 file: roughly $100 per person
• If 500,000 file: roughly $20 per person

A preliminary estimate from class counsel is that each student may receive approximately $50, depending on how many people apply.

Beyond the cash, the settlement also delivers significant prospective relief. PowerSchool will create a web governance committee to assess analytics tools used in Naviance. It will stop using third-party software from Heap, Google, Microsoft, Hotjar, and Gainsight for at least two years. The settlement also requires Heap to delete all primary data and communications of settlement class members who used Naviance during the class period and, within 30 days of final judgment, delete all backup data.

How to File Your PowerSchool Naviance Claim

Filing takes roughly 3–5 minutes and requires no documentation. Here is exactly what to do:

Step 1 — Go to PowerSchoolNavianceSettlement.com and click the claim form link.

Step 2 — Enter your Student Class Member ID if you received a notice by email or mail. If you did not receive one, enter the name and email address you used for your Naviance account.

Step 3 — Fill in your contact information. Parents filing on behalf of a minor should use their own contact details.

Step 4 — Choose your payment method. Online filers may choose payment by check, PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle.

Step 5 — Sign the attestation confirming you logged into Naviance as a student during the class period. No proof is required beyond your attestation.

Step 6 — Submit your claim and save your confirmation number. If mailing a paper form, send it to: Q.J. v. PowerSchool Holdings LLC, c/o Kroll Settlement Administration LLC, P.O. Box 225391, New York, NY 10150-5391 — postmarked by July 27, 2026.

Estimated time to complete: 3–5 minutes.

PowerSchool Naviance Settlement — Important Deadlines

Milestone	Date
Preliminary Approval	February 26–27, 2026
Claims Period Opens	February 2026
Opt-Out Deadline	July 13, 2026
Objection Deadline	July 13, 2026
Claim Filing Deadline	July 27, 2026
Final Approval Hearing	August 19, 2026
Expected Payment Date	Approximately 45 days after final approval, assuming no appeals

The Separate PowerSchool 2024 Data Breach — A Second Lawsuit You Should Know About

This settlement covers the Naviance privacy tracking case only. There is a completely separate, and far larger, litigation involving a cyberattack on PowerSchool’s student information systems.

Hackers breached PowerSchool’s systems between December 19 and December 28, 2024, extracting private information including names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and some medical and grade information. The hacker allegedly stole the personal data of 62.4 million students and 9.5 million teachers.

PowerSchool did not detect the breach until the cybercriminals themselves informed the company and demanded a ransom. PowerSchool paid the ransom, but the threat actors failed to delete the stolen data and subsequently extorted multiple school districts. Following the filing of over 50 class action lawsuits, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation transferred and consolidated all related cases. On March 18, 2026, Track One plaintiffs overcame PowerSchool and Bain Capital’s motions to dismiss, allowing key claims for negligence, negligence per se, and other causes of action to proceed.

No settlement exists in the data breach litigation yet. If you received a breach notification from PowerSchool or your school district, your options and the case status are covered in detail at allaboutlawyer.com. Cybersecurity experts recommend placing a credit freeze on minor children’s Social Security numbers at all three major credit bureaus as a precaution, since this personal data stolen includes information that does not expire and can be misused years from now.

Frequently Asked Questions — PowerSchool Naviance Settlement

Is there a class action lawsuit against PowerSchool for tracking students on Naviance?

Yes. The case is Q.J. v. PowerSchool Holdings LLC, et al., Case No. 1:23-cv-05689, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, before Judge Jorge L. Alonso. The $17.25 million settlement received preliminary approval in February 2026.

How do I know if I qualify for the PowerSchool Naviance settlement?

Any current or former student who logged into Naviance at least once between August 18, 2021 and January 23, 2026 qualifies for financial relief. You do not need proof of the login — your attestation on the claim form is sufficient.

Do I need to do anything right now to be included in the PowerSchool settlement?

Yes — unlike some settlements, this one requires you to file a claim. If you do nothing, you will not receive any payment, but you will still be bound by the settlement and give up your right to sue the defendants separately over the same claims. File at PowerSchoolNavianceSettlement.com by July 27, 2026.

Do I need a lawyer to file a claim?

No. You file directly at the official settlement website in minutes. No attorney is required and no documentation needs to be submitted. If you want to opt out and pursue an individual consumer rights claim against PowerSchool instead, consult a consumer rights lawyer before July 13, 2026 — that opt-out deadline is final.

When will I receive my payment from the PowerSchool Naviance settlement?

Payments will go out approximately 45 days after the court grants final approval and any appeals are resolved. The Final Approval Hearing is August 19, 2026. Assuming no appeals, payments could begin in October or November 2026.

Is this the same as the PowerSchool December 2024 data breach?

No — these are two separate cases. This settlement covers secret tracking of student data inside Naviance through embedded analytics code. The 2024 breach involved a criminal hack of PowerSchool’s student information systems affecting up to 62.4 million students and 9.5 million teachers. That litigation is ongoing in the Southern District of California and no settlement has been reached.

Will this settlement payment affect my taxes?

Possibly. Settlement payments in privacy cases may constitute taxable income depending on how they are categorized. The amounts here are modest, but you should consult a tax professional if you have questions about reporting a payment on your return.

My child used Naviance but they are a minor — can I still file?

Yes. A parent or legal guardian must complete and sign the claim form on behalf of any minor claimant. Use the parent’s contact information and the child’s Naviance account details when filing at the official settlement website.

Sources & References

1. Official settlement website: PowerSchoolNavianceSettlement.com
2. Court docket: Q.J. v. PowerSchool Holdings LLC, et al., Case No. 1:23-cv-05689, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
3. K-12 Dive: What the $17.25M PowerSchool Naviance Settlement Means for School Districts (April 3, 2026)
4. Fisher Phillips LLP: 5 Things Your School Needs to Know About the PowerSchool Naviance Wiretapping Settlement (April 13, 2026)
5. Labaton Keller Sucharow: In re PowerSchool Holdings Customer Security Breach Litigation case page (March 20, 2026)

Prepared by the AllAboutLawyer.com Editorial Team and reviewed for factual accuracy against the official settlement website PowerSchoolNavianceSettlement.com and court records on May 21, 2026. Last Updated: May 21, 2026

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Legal claims and outcomes depend on specific facts and applicable law. For advice regarding a particular situation, consult a qualified attorney.