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Meta announced an expansion of Instagram’s School Partnership Program that adds a centralized hub for school-related accounts, including school Channels, School Stories and Notes, clubs and teams pages, and a student directory. Nearly 17,000 schools have joined the program, which Meta runs with ISTE+ASCD, and high school students are verified through UNiDAYS.
Meta is expanding Instagram’s School Partnership Program with a new centralized hub for school-related accounts and a set of student-facing features, including school Channels, School Stories and Notes, club and team pages, and a student directory, the company announced on its Newsroom blog. The program, launched last year with education organizations ISTE+ASCD, has signed up nearly 17,000 schools so far, according to Meta.
The expansion follows feedback from school administrators, educators, and parents about how difficult it is to keep students informed about what is happening across their school communities, Meta said. Schools that sign up as Instagram school partners will get access to Channels for quick updates to followers, with posting restricted to school administrators, and School Stories and Notes visible to all verified students, which administrators can monitor and remove.
School partners will also receive prioritized reporting: reports of potential Community Standards violations submitted by schools will be moved up the review queue, and schools will receive status updates and notifications when Instagram takes action on a report. Instagram will additionally provide educational resources for educators, parents, guardians, and students on navigating the platform safely.
Verified students at participating schools will get their own features: Clubs and Teams pages that administrators, educators, and students can create as centralized hubs for events and announcements, such as a “Central High School Mathletes” page; the ability to view School Stories and Notes with announcements, game results, and event reminders; and a Student Banner and Directory showing classmates at their school. Meta said the directory is visible only to other students and teen followers the student follows back.
Why Schools and Parents Are Watching This
The announcement comes as Meta faces sustained pressure over teen safety on its platforms. The company said it recently reached an agreement with 52 bipartisan state Attorneys General in the US that will add new restrictions supporting teens and parents. Positioning schools as trusted reporting partners gives educators a faster channel to flag issues like online bullying, which was the program’s original focus.
For school communities, the centralized hub is an attempt to move announcements, schedules, and club activity into a space many teens already use daily. Meta said the features are designed for communication outside classroom hours, and noted that Teen Accounts already let parents block Instagram use during school hours.
How the Program Started and Grew
Meta launched the School Partnership Program last year in partnership with the International Society for Technology in Education and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (together ISTE+ASCD). Its initial purpose was to make it easier for educators to report potential teen safety issues, including online bullying, directly to Meta.
The program sits alongside Meta’s broader youth-safety push, including Teen Accounts introduced across Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, and Threads, which apply age-appropriate defaults and parental controls. Middle and high schools in the US can join the program through Instagram’s account settings under ‘Account type and tools’ or ‘Business tools and controls.’
“We want the same thing as parents and educators: to ensure teens have safe, age-appropriate experiences online, and that the time teens spend on our apps is meaningful.”
— Meta Newsroom announcement
What Meta Has Not Yet Detailed
Meta did not say when the new features will roll out to all participating schools, nor whether the program will expand beyond the US. The company also did not provide details on how quickly prioritized reports will actually be reviewed, or how it will handle disputes over student verification through UNiDAYS, such as cases where students cannot verify enrollment.
Effectiveness claims — such as the program’s impact on bullying or teen safety — are not supported by independent evaluation in the announcement, and no third-party research on the new features was cited. The exact privacy protections around the student directory, beyond visibility limits Meta described, were not fully specified.
Rollout and Adoption Ahead
Middle and high schools in the US can sign up now via Instagram’s account settings, and Meta directs schools to about.instagram.com/community/educators for instructions. Adoption among the roughly 17,000 partner schools, student uptake of verification through UNiDAYS, and how quickly clubs and teams pages are created will indicate whether the centralized hub gains traction.
Meta said it will continue partnering with schools on youth safety, and parents can monitor their teen’s school participation — including join and leave notifications — through the platform’s Family Center. Further details on rollout timing and any international expansion have not been announced.
Key Questions
What new features is Instagram adding for schools?
School partners get Channels for administrator-only updates, School Stories and Notes visible to verified students, prioritized reporting with status updates, and educational resources. Verified students can access clubs and teams pages, school announcements, and a student directory with a school banner.
How does Instagram verify that a student actually attends a school?
Meta said it uses the third-party validator UNiDAYS to verify high school students before they can join their school’s community. Students who are not verified do not get access to the features.
Can schools control what appears in these school communities?
Yes, according to Meta. School administrators can monitor and remove School Stories and Notes, and administrators and educators can remove Club and Team accounts, Stories, and Notes. Only administrators can post to school Channels.
Who can see the student directory?
Meta said the Student Banner and Directory is visible only to other students at the school and to teen followers the student follows back.
How can a school join the program?
Middle and high schools in the US can sign up through Instagram settings under ‘Account type and tools’ or ‘Business tools and controls,’ or learn more at about.instagram.com/community/educators.
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