Castle Learning
Product by Harris Education Solutions
Facts checked: Not yet checked
Our take (not a Learning Standard rating). This label applies to learning-science judgments throughout this overview.
Our take (not a Learning Standard rating)
Castle Learning functions primarily as an assessment and review bank rather than a direct instructional tool. While its massive question library supports retrieval practice for your child, it lacks the interactive scaffolding required to introduce new concepts effectively. We have not yet formally evaluated this platform.
Pros
- Provides extensive question banks that enable frequent retrieval practice across core academic subjects.
- Allows educators to align assignments directly with standardized test preparation goals.
- Consolidates homework, review, and assessment within a single accessible platform.
Cons
- Functions as a testing tool rather than an instructional platform for teaching new concepts.
- Relies heavily on multiple-choice formats that do not assess deep conceptual understanding.
- Pricing and access are restricted to institutional purchases rather than individual parent subscriptions.
What Do We Know About Castle Learning?
Castle Learning is best utilized as a supplemental practice tool for your child rather than a primary teaching resource. The platform relies heavily on testing and review mechanisms, offering over 170,000 questions across math, science, humanities, and social sciences. Because it focuses on assessment rather than direct instruction, your child will not find video lessons, interactive manipulatives, or guided tutorials here. Instead, it leverages retrieval practice, a learning science principle where actively answering questions strengthens memory retention. While this is highly effective for preparing for standardized tests or reviewing material already covered in class, it will not help a student who is actively struggling to grasp a new concept from scratch. Schools typically purchase this software to align homework and quizzes with state standards. If your child's school uses Castle Learning, you should encourage them to use it for spaced repetition: logging in regularly to practice older topics rather than just cramming for tomorrow's exam. Note that The Learning Standard has not yet formally evaluated this application for exact efficacy metrics.
How Does Castle Learning Work?
Castle Learning uses an assessment-driven pedagogical approach centered on retrieval practice and repeated testing. Teachers select from a massive database of pre-written questions to build custom assignments, quizzes, and homework sets aligned with specific state standards. When your child logs into the system, they are presented with these targeted question sets. As they answer, the system logs their performance to generate data reports for the teacher. The mechanics are highly traditional, functioning as a digital worksheet or practice exam. Students receive immediate right-or-wrong feedback, which learning science shows is critical for correcting misconceptions before they take root. However, the platform relies almost entirely on text-based questions and standard multiple-choice or short-answer formats. It lacks the adaptive learning algorithms found in more modern platforms that automatically adjust difficulty based on real-time student performance. The system is entirely driven by teacher input, meaning the quality of the learning experience depends heavily on how the educator structures the practice sessions.
Strengths and tradeoffs of Castle Learning
The biggest strength of Castle Learning is its massive, standards-aligned question bank that facilitates continuous retrieval practice, while its biggest weakness is the complete lack of initial instructional scaffolding. Retrieval Practice is heavily supported by the platform's 170,000-question repository, allowing teachers to constantly quiz students on previously learned material. This active recall is one of the most robustly supported methods in learning science for transferring knowledge into long-term memory. Spaced Repetition is also possible if teachers intentionally design cumulative assignments, though the platform does not automate this process. On the downside, the platform suffers from a lack of Worked Examples. When your child encounters a difficult problem, the system tests their knowledge but does not walk them through the cognitive steps required to solve it. Furthermore, it operates primarily through rigid, multiple-choice testing, which promotes recognition rather than deep, generative understanding. The system functions excellently as a diagnostic tool to show educators what your child knows, but it falls short as an intervention tool to help them learn what they do not know.
Who Might Benefit From Castle Learning?
Best for middle and high school students who need rigorous, standards-aligned test preparation alongside direct classroom instruction. Because the platform relies entirely on assessment-based practice rather than interactive teaching, it serves best as a homework and review mechanism for students who have already been taught the foundational concepts. It is highly useful for educators seeking an efficient way to generate quizzes and track classroom comprehension metrics. It is not recommended for young learners who require visual manipulatives or self-guided learners looking to explore new subjects independently.
Data Transparency
Does Not Meet Data Transparency Standard
Castle Learning does not meet our data transparency standard. Its privacy policy does not document basic protections, including a COPPA or FERPA commitment and parents' right to delete their child's data.
17 of 35 checks passed
Evaluated October 2026
Castle-Learning-Data-Privacy-Security-Policy-2022 →Level 1 · Basic protections
Does not sell data or target ads at students, limits sharing, and lets parents see and delete their child's data.
Not documented: a COPPA or FERPA commitment, parents' right to delete their child's data
Level 2 · Parent control (meets the standard)
Families can get their data out, know who processes it, and know how long it is kept.
Not documented: data export, self-service deletion
Level 3 · Direct data access
Families or schools can pull their own data through an API, in a stated format.
Not documented: an API for retrieving their own data, a named export format
View all 35 checks
Parent Access3/8
Does the policy mention parents specifically?
“Parents and Teachers: When using the Service, we encourage parents, guardians, and teachers to spend time with their children, especially if the child is 12 and under”
Can parents view their child's data?
“Customer service and training personnel are trained to only release student information to authorized school/district personnel or parents through a series of validation methods.”
Can parents modify their child's data?
The policy lets users, not specifically parents, correct information depending on school settings.
Can parents delete their child's account?
The policy only provides deletion at end of contract when the customer requests it, and does not give parents a deletion right.
Is there a dedicated Children's Privacy section?
“## Protecting Children”
Does it reference COPPA compliance?
The policy does not mention COPPA.
Does it reference FERPA compliance?
The policy does not mention FERPA.
Is parental consent required for child accounts?
The policy says personal information should be submitted only with consent of a parent, guardian, or teacher, so it does not require parental consent specifically.
Data Portability1/5
Can users access their personal data?
“Depending on options specified by school representatives for the school version of Castle’s websites, users have the ability to correct or change some or all the information specified when the subscription was created.”
Can users download/export their data?
The policy does not address users downloading or exporting their data.
Is there a self-service data access tool?
The policy does not describe a self-service tool for accessing data.
Is a specific data format mentioned for export?
The policy does not mention an export format.
Is there an API for data access?
The policy does not mention an API for data access.
Data Minimization1/6
Is data collection itemized?
“• First and Last Name – this information is used to identify students and teachers in various student, teacher, and administrator reports.”
Can the app be used without a real name?
The policy says the school or purchaser supplies students' first and last names.
Can the app be used without an email?
The policy says the school may supply student email addresses (optional), and Google Classroom emails are retrieved.
Does it state collection is limited to what is necessary?
The policy limits how data is used but does not say collection is limited to what is necessary.
Is IP address anonymized or truncated?
The policy does not address IP address anonymization.
Is location tracking explicitly excluded?
The policy does not address location tracking.
Third-Party Protection6/7
Does it explicitly state no selling of data?
“The personal information supplied to Castle will not be given, sold, rented, loaned, or otherwise disclosed to any third parties, except when we have your permission or under special circumstances”
Are third-party providers named?
“Our web hosting provider is Rackspace, one of the leading hosting providers.”
Are providers contractually restricted?
“Subcontractors’ are required to sign Non-Disclosure Agreements and must return or destroy all Castle property and data at the end of their contracts.”
No-targeted-advertising commitment?
“These demographics will always represent aggregate information and will never identify a specific user. Castle does not display any paid advertising on their websites.”
Is AI/ML data sharing addressed?
The policy does not address AI or machine learning.
Child-specific sharing restriction?
“Customer service and training personnel are trained to only release student information to authorized school/district personnel or parents through a series of validation methods.”
Cookies/tracking limited or opt-out?
“Castle does not use third party cookies. Most browsers allow you to refuse to accept cookies.”
Deletion & Retention2/5
Can users delete their account?
“All student data will be deleted at end of contract if requested by the customer.”
Self-service deletion mechanism?
The policy describes no self-service deletion mechanism for accounts.
Specific data retention timeline?
“Each school year, student data from approximately 16 months prior to the new school year is deleted from the database.”
Auto-deletion of inactive accounts?
The policy describes deletion based on data age and contract end, not deletion of inactive accounts.
Post-deletion handling described?
The policy does not describe what happens to data after deletion, such as backups.
Advertising4/4
Advertising model explicitly disclosed?
“Castle does not display any paid advertising on their websites.”
Free from third-party advertisements?
“Castle does not display any paid advertising on their websites.”
Children excluded from ad targeting?
“Castle does not display any paid advertising on their websites.”
Ad-free option available?
“Castle does not display any paid advertising on their websites.”
What This Means
The policy review did not meet our data transparency standard. The checks above show the documented findings and unknowns. A missing statement does not establish how the app handles data in practice.
About this evaluation: Based on automated analysis of Castle-Learning-Data-Privacy-Security-Policy-2022 against 35 policy-disclosure questions, including questions adapted from the Common Sense Privacy Program's published evaluation questions. TLS is not affiliated with Common Sense Media, and this is not a Common Sense rating. Quoted text is copied from the policy; unquoted notes are our summary. Results describe what the policy documents, not the company's actual practices. Privacy policies can change: this review reflects the version we analyzed and does not determine legal compliance.
Sources and review method
TLS combines product information and editorial analysis to explain how Castle Learning works, its tradeoffs, and the questions to ask before choosing it. Product features, an instructional rationale and evidence of learning outcomes are different kinds of information.
Formal Learning Standard assessment: not yet completed. Data Transparency findings are reported separately and do not establish learning effectiveness. Read our methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions About Castle Learning
Is Castle Learning free?
No. Castle Learning requires a paid institutional license, typically purchased by school districts. Parents cannot usually buy individual subscriptions. Contact the vendor directly for specific pricing details.
Is Castle Learning good for elementary students?
Castle Learning is better suited for middle and high school students. Its text-heavy, assessment-based format lacks the interactive manipulatives and visual scaffolding that younger learners require to grasp foundational concepts.
What does Castle Learning teach?
Castle Learning does not directly teach. It provides practice and assessment questions for math, science, social studies, and humanities to reinforce material already covered in the classroom.
Has Castle Learning been evaluated by The Learning Standard?
Castle Learning is currently pending evaluation. We have not yet tested it against our rigorous rubric. You can read more about our testing process on our methodology page.
How does Castle Learning compare to Khan Academy?
While Khan Academy provides direct instruction through video lessons and mastery-based progression, Castle Learning functions strictly as a practice and assessment database managed by classroom teachers. Khan Academy teaches new concepts; Castle Learning tests existing knowledge.
Has The Learning Standard evaluated Castle Learning?
TLS has not yet completed a Learning Standard evaluation of how well Castle Learning teaches. Its privacy policy has been reviewed for Data Transparency and does not yet document the basic protections (Level 1).
Is Castle Learning COPPA compliant?
A COPPA reference was not found in the reviewed privacy policy. This does not determine whether the app complies with COPPA. Policy review note: The policy does not mention COPPA.
Is Castle Learning FERPA compliant?
A FERPA reference was not found in the reviewed privacy policy. This does not determine whether the app complies with FERPA. Policy review note: The policy does not mention FERPA.
Does Castle Learning have a children's privacy policy?
The reviewed policy includes a dedicated children's privacy section. Policy review note: The policy has a section headed "Protecting Children".
Does Castle Learning sell student data?
The reviewed policy states that the app does not sell data. This is a policy statement; actual data practices were not verified. Policy review note: Castle states personal information will not be sold.
Can you delete your data from Castle Learning?
The reviewed privacy policy describes account deletion. We have not tested the deletion process. Policy review note: Student data is deleted on request from the school customer.
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