Privacy Policy

Information We Collect

When you browse school data on PlainSchools, your privacy is protected. We gather usage insights through Umami, a cookieless analytics system that does not record any personal information. The only metrics available to us are high-level summaries — total visits per page, where traffic originates, and general device usage patterns — all fully anonymized.

Cookies & Tracking

PlainSchools does not set first-party cookies. Third-party services used on this site may set cookies:

• Google AdSense — uses cookies to serve ads based on your visits.
• Cloudflare — may set security cookies (__cf_bm) to distinguish humans from bots.
• Google Analytics (GA4) — uses cookies to measure traffic and usage.

Your light/dark theme preference is stored in localStorage, which never leaves your device.

Advertising

We display advertisements through Google AdSense. Google and its advertising partners may use cookies and web beacons to serve ads based on your prior visits. You can opt out of personalized advertising at Google Ads Settings, aboutads.info, or NAI opt-out. EEA visitors: EDAA opt-out.

Cookies We Use

• Strictly necessary — required for the site to function.
• Analytics — anonymized traffic measurement (Google Analytics, Umami).
• Advertising — set by Google AdSense and partner ad networks.
• Functional — remember your preferences (dark mode, language).

Data Sources

All data displayed on this site comes from publicly available school data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data. No private or proprietary data is used. No personally identifiable information from these datasets is stored or displayed.

Editorial Independence

Articles and profiles on PlainSchools are compiled by our editorial team from official source data. Raw NCES data is transformed into readable profiles through our continuous editorial pipeline, then validated against the source before publication. We do not accept payment, sponsorship, or promoted placement from schools, districts, states, or education companies. Our only revenue source is contextual display advertising served by Google AdSense — advertisers do not influence which schools we cover or how we present data.

Third-Party Services

• Cloudflare — CDN, security, hosting (privacy policy)
• Google AdSense — advertising (privacy policy)
• Google Analytics — traffic measurement (privacy policy)
• Umami — privacy-focused, cookie-free analytics (privacy policy)

Your Rights (GDPR / CCPA)

• Know what data is collected about you
• Request access, correction, or deletion of your data
• Opt out of personalized advertising (see Advertising section)
• Use browser privacy features or ad blockers to limit tracking
• Lodge a complaint with your supervisory authority

EEA visitors may be presented with a consent dialog. California residents may opt out under CCPA.

🗄️ Data Retention

We retain analytics data for 26 months. Advertising cookies follow Google AdSense's standard retention policy. To exercise your rights, contact us via our Contact page.

Children's Privacy

PlainSchools does not knowingly collect information from children under 13.