Students across Ontario, both past and present, are being offered free identity protection and credit monitoring following a major data breach affecting 75 school boards across Canada, including those in Toronto, Peel, Durham, and York.
The breach, which occurred between December 22 and December 28, 2024, involved PowerSchool, a third-party software provider used by school boards across North America. Hackers potentially accessed highly sensitive student information, including:
- Names, home addresses, and phone numbers
- Dates of birth and gender
- Ontario Education Numbers (OEN) and student ID numbers
- Grade levels and school history
- Medical alerts (e.g., allergies, injuries)
- Emergency contact details
In addition to students, teachers and school staff may have been affected, with names, email addresses, and employee numbers compromised.
A bulletin sent to families confirmed that student information was compromised, with records dating as far back as 1965 potentially exposed.
The Peel District School Board—one of Canada’s largest—stated that its cybersecurity team immediately took action to protect critical systems. PowerSchool has since confirmed that the stolen data was deleted and was not posted online.
To support those affected, PowerSchool is offering two years of free identity protection services through Experian. Additionally, students over 18 will receive two years of free credit monitoring from TransUnion.
Families can find instructions on how to enroll in these services on PowerSchool’s website. Meanwhile, school boards continue to investigate the breach and reinforce cybersecurity measures to prevent future incidents.