ClassDojo
Unicorn · $1.3BYC S12San Francisco, US · Founded 2011 · 100 employees · Hiring · 19 known investors
ClassDojo is a global community platform connecting over 50 million teachers and families to share learning moments through photos, videos, and messages. The platform serves schools and families worldwide, providing a safe online space for children to learn through play and discovery.
Also known as Class Dojo
Founders & leadership· Y Combinator alumni (S12)
ClassDojo was founded in 2011 by Sam Chaudhary and Liam Don.
Investors · 19
Also in the syndicate · 4
Company profile
researched Aug 2026ClassDojo is a communication and community platform for pre-K through 8 classrooms, and increasingly for whole schools and districts. Teachers use it to message families (with automatic translation into 190+ languages), post photos, videos and updates to a private Class Story feed, add calendar events with automatic reminders, award Points tied to behaviors and skills, and give students their own Portfolios; a Teacher Toolkit adds classroom utilities such as attendance sheets and timers [0][1][2]. The company describes itself as a global community of more than 50 million teachers and families sharing children's learning moments in school and at home [3]. Public marketing states the product is loved by more than 45 million students and parents and is free for teachers forever [0][1].
The product has expanded from a single-classroom app to schoolwide and district functionality. Schoolwide features include PBIS-aligned Schoolwide Points, Signups for conferences, parties and field trips, one-way school announcements with translation and read receipts, a unified inbox across classes, combined school and class feeds, and switching between multiple schools from one account [4]. For 2026, ClassDojo added Canva-based newsletter creation inside the post composer, multi-class Story posting, a cleaner interface for older students, and teacher-to-student messaging for ages 13+ limited to eligible rostered schools in select pilot districts, where the school leader must enable it in settings [2]. Rostering connects a school's Student Information System to ClassDojo to sync students, classes, staff and families, and is offered through ClassDojo for Districts [2].
Historically the product combined classroom-to-home sharing (portfolios, photos, videos, messages) with social-emotional skill building via in-classroom feedback and activities on topics such as growth mindset, empathy and mindfulness [5]. In late 2018 the company added Beyond School, an optional family subscription for at-home learning experiences [5]. Forbes reported in 2022 that the company was building a virtual space for children [7].
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Founder mafia
The ClassDojo mafia →6 people who came through ClassDojo went on to found or lead other companies.
Competitors · 8
by search overlapCompanies competing with ClassDojo for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
Timeline · 15
launches, deals, and filingsNew features announced include automatic message translation in 190+ languages, Canva-built newsletters inside ClassDojo, multi-class Story posts, teacher-student messaging for ages 13+ in eligible rostered middle and high schools, and an interface designed for older students.
Introduced Schoolwide Points (PBIS-aligned), Signups for conferences and events, school announcements with translation and read receipts, a unified school-wide messaging inbox, combined school and class feeds, multi-school account switching, and enhanced teacher join verification.
Forbes reported in July 2022 that ClassDojo, valued by Tencent at $1.25 billion, was rolling out its own virtual space for kids in August, positioning it against Meta and Roblox.
$125M source ↗
Round co-led by GSV and SignalFire with participation from prior investors General Catalyst and Uncork Capital, bringing total raised to $65 million.
$35M source ↗
Chosen by the British startup community in Silicon Valley.
In Q4/late 2018 ClassDojo began rolling out Beyond School, an optional paid subscription inside the existing app giving families at-home learning experiences; the core product remains free for teachers, children and families.
Forbes reported ClassDojo raised $1.6 million from Paul Graham, Ron Conway, Jeff Clavier and others.
$1.6M source ↗
Sam Chaudhary and Liam Don were listed in 2012 and again in 2013.
Founders met at a startup weekend in 2011 and were accepted three months later into Imagine K12, an education-focused accelerator that became part of Y Combinator; they relocated to the Bay Area and launched the first version of ClassDojo in week eight of the program.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- ClassDojoclassdojo.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does ClassDojo do?
- ClassDojo is a free school communication and community app connecting teachers, families and students worldwide.
- Who founded ClassDojo?
- ClassDojo was founded by Sam Chaudhary, Liam Don in 2011.
- Who are ClassDojo's investors?
- ClassDojo's investors include Felicis Ventures, Flucas Ventures, GSV Ventures, Imagine K12, Kapor Capital, Kortschak Investments L.P., Lerer Hippeau, SignalFire and 7 more.
- Where is ClassDojo headquartered?
- ClassDojo is headquartered in San Francisco, US.
















