IE 11 Not Supported

For optimal browsing, we recommend Chrome, Firefox or Safari browsers.

Over 9,000 N.H. Residents Affected by PowerSchool Breach

The software company PowerSchool estimated that a data breach of its systems in December involved the personal information of approximately 9,384 New Hampshire residents, including Social Security numbers.

Data Breach
(TNS) — Education technology giant PowerSchool has begun notifying individuals affected by a data breach late last year that may impact millions of students and teachers across North America, including more than 9,000 in New Hampshire.

PowerSchool provided an update Monday saying it had begun filing legally required regulatory notifications following the breach, which involved attackers using a stolen account credential to access the company's customer support portal — home to sensitive student and teacher data.

In a letter to New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella dated Jan. 27, Edward McNicholas of the D.C. law firm Ropes and Gray LLP says PowerSchool estimates the security incident occurred between Dec. 19 and 28, and involved the personal information of approximately 9,384 Granite State residents.

"This was not a ransomware event," the letter reads. "No systems were encrypted and PowerSchool's operations and support for school districts in your state have continued uninterrupted."

McNicholas says the personal information involved varies by individual (students, former students and teachers) but includes some combination of the following for any given person: the individual's name, contact information, Social Security number, date of birth, limited medical alert information and other related information.

"As soon as PowerSchool learned of the incident, it engaged cybersecurity response protocols and mobilized senior leadership and third-party cybersecurity experts to conduct a forensic investigation of the scope of the incident and to monitor for signs of information misuse," the letter reads. "PowerSchool has also reported the incident to law enforcement. We are not aware at this time of any identity theft attributable to this incident."

PowerSchool says on its website that its technology is used by more than 60 million students.

The California -based company said it provided this week's update "for broad awareness, and no further action is required from our customers at this time."

"In the coming days, PowerSchool will begin to provide notification of the cybersecurity incident to current and former students (or their parents/guardians as applicable) and educators whose information was determined to be involved," the company said in an online post. "Importantly, these notices will include instructions for involved individuals on how to enroll in the credit monitoring and identity protection services that are being offered by PowerSchool."

In the letter to Formella, PowerSchool says it has engaged Experian to offer two years of complimentary identity protection and/or credit monitoring services to all students and educators whose information was involved.

In a statement issued earlier this month, the New Hampshire Department of Education said it's aware of the cybersecurity breach and will continue to monitor the situation.

"There are many school districts statewide that contract with PowerSchool, a student information system, and it is our understanding that they have been notified about the cybersecurity incident," the statement says. "All cybersecurity incidents are taken very seriously, especially those that could potentially involve student data."

©2025 The New Hampshire Union Leader (Manchester, N.H.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Sign Up Today

Don't miss a headline and stay on top of the latest EdTech trends.