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Strategic Student
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Research-driven K-12 support

See every student.
Act strategically.

Free tools that turn the numbers you already have into a next step for one student or a whole school.

Explore the free tools → Try Attendance What-If
Alex, 7th grade12 weeks into the school year
At risk
4
Absence rate so far6.7%
Can still miss and stay under 10% this year13
Now try it with a real student →
Make sense of it

Curious about a number you saw?

Pick a topic, type a number, and see what it signals in elementary, middle, and high school.

% of days missed

What it signals at each school level

K-5 · Elementary

6-8 · Middle

9-12 · High

Cut points: Attendance Works (attendance), the UChicago Consortium (high school grades and course failures), and Balfanz and the Everyone Graduates Center (middle grades warning signs, from large-city research). Referral counts are local rules of thumb, not research cutoffs.

Free data tools

Thirteen free tools, one question each

Everything runs in your browser, and every answer updates as you type.

Support Needs EstimatorWhich warning signs does this student show, and where should support start? Freshman On-Track CheckIs this 9th grader on track to finish freshman year ready for 10th grade? Attendance What-IfIs this student chronically absent, and how many more days can they miss this year and stay under 10%? Absenteeism Goal PacerIs your school on pace to reach its chronic absence goal? Intervention RecommenderA student is struggling. Which supports fit your role and their needs? Progress GrapherIs the intervention working? Plot the scores and see. Growth vs. Achievement ExplorerMy student grew. Why did their percentile drop? Score TranslatorWhat does this score mean, and how do I explain it to a family? Grad Rate What-IfHow many students is one point of your graduation rate, and what if a few more graduate? Gap FinderWhich student groups are furthest from everyone else, and by how many students? Discipline DisproportionalityIs discipline landing on one group more than others? Is This Difference Real?Is the change or gap you see bigger than normal ups and downs? Small Numbers Reality CheckHow much should you trust a rate built on a small group? Intervention Library200+ supports, each labeled by strength of evidence. What should we build next?Tell us the question you still cannot answer.
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The mission

Improve our world by helping educators and school leaders act strategically.

Strategic Student builds tools that turn knowledge into strategy, and strategy into confident decisions, for students, educators, education supporters, school leaders, and school districts. Founded and operated by public education practitioners.

The Data Guide

Every K-12 data term, explained

Every major topic in K-12 data, with the right chart and plain words. Look up a term, or go deep on a topic.

Attendance Growth and Achievement Assessment Literacy Graduation Pathway MTSS and Interventions Behavior and Climate Gaps and Groups College and Career Early Literacy English Learners
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Research

The research behind the tools

Every tool stands on published research. Browse the libraries and free resources from across the field.

Intervention Library

200+ supports across eight categories and every MTSS tier, each labeled by strength of evidence. Filter by need, tier, and evidence.

Browse the library →

Research Library

The studies behind the tools. 100+ peer-reviewed sources from leading K-12 researchers, searchable by topic.

Explore the research →

Curated resources

Free tools and guides from across the field.

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Stay in the loop

Updates on tools and research that help students succeed

No spam. Just updates on tools that help students.