- Free ChatGPT subscriptions were given to all verified K-12 Teachers in the U.S., such as those under FUHSD, as part of OpenAI’s ChatGPT for Teachers initiative.
- The subscription opens access to perks including uploading larger files and unlimited messages — features not previously accessible without a subscription.
- Teachers are looking to further integrate generative AI like ChatGPT for Teachers in their curricula.
Starting in November 2025, FUHSD obtained a new ChatGPT subscription called ‘ChatGPT for Teachers’ as part of OpenAI’s efforts to extend subscriptions to all verified K-12 teachers in the United States until June 2027. With the new subscription, premium perks like unlimited messages and large document uploads are available to teachers who choose to utilize the tool.
“We had been using Gemini, which was included in our Google apps,” FUHSD technology lead Menko Johnson said. “But a lot of teachers were using ChatGPT and paying for a monthly subscription. Since OpenAI offered it for free and it was also contained in our ecosystem, we went ahead and took them up on the offer.”
The district is still working to provide all FUHSD teachers a subscription. Some have only recently received their subscriptions, and some are still testing its new capabilities.
“Just last month, I was able to get my subscription activated,” computer science teacher Brad Fulk said. “But even prior to that, I used it all the time on my own. Last year, I utilized my own API key for my AP Computer Science Principles class to allow them to integrate OpenAI into an app they created.”
Artificial intelligence use in classrooms has long been a topic of debate. According to the National Education Association, 83% of K-12 teachers used generative AI in 2024, an 32% increase from the 2022-23 school year. Some teachers say that it reduces the hassle of basic tasks like creating essay prompts or coming up with example questions. However, others may choose to not use AI in order to model originality.
“I encourage students to use AI to brainstorm the procedure and process for a particular task,” chemistry teacher Lester Leung said. “The task is very hard, usually something novel, and so I want AI to be a thought partner with them in developing a process or getting to a particular value or ratio.”
Currently, OpenAI’s upgraded chatbots are used by almost 150,000 instructors to draft lesson plans and simplify directions for students.
“According to most conversations I’ve had with teachers, AI enables them to do things that they couldn’t do quickly or effectively before,” Johnson said. “We had a professional development meeting, and teachers were talking about how they could use it for texts that are hard for EL students to understand. They put it into AI and leveled it down to a more comprehensible level.”
Overall, while the potential of AI in the classroom is up for discussion, the district’s implementation of ChatGPT for Teachers is a testament to AI’s increasing influence on education.
“We just want to show teachers what those tools are good at, and let them explore and come up with different methods,” Johnson said. “I don’t think that any of us can say we’re going to put AI back in the bottle.”
