Your students' data is safe here.
And we'll show you exactly how.
What actually happens to the information you trust us with — in plain language, with the full technical detail for your school board's IT team further down.
What we promise you
Straight answers about your students' data.
The AI never sees your students' names
Each name is swapped for a code like PRENOM42 before anything is sent for drafting.
See how →Your gradebook stays in Canada
Marks, notes, and backups are stored and encrypted on Azure servers in Canada.
Never sold. Never used to train AI.
Your students' information is not a product, and it never trains an AI model.
You're in control
Download or delete all your data anytime — and you approve every comment before it's used.
Privacy or security question? privacy@gradefully.com
What happens to a grade you enter
The whole journey, start to finish — with the privacy step built right into the middle.
You enter it
A mark, a note, an observation — typed into your gradebook.
Stored in Canada
Encrypted in transit and at rest on Azure servers in Canada.
Name swapped for a code
Only when you ask for a comment — the student's name becomes PRENOM42.
AI drafts a comment
The model writes from the grades and notes — never from a name.
Back to you
The name is restored on your screen. You read, edit, and approve.
Aiden has shown strong growth in lab work this term and is ready for more independent inquiry.
PRENOM42 has shown strong growth in lab work this term and is ready for more independent inquiry.
The code is swapped back to the real name on your screen — you never see PRENOM42, and the AI never sees Aiden.
For your school board's IT team
Where data lives, what reaches the AI, and how it's protected.
See the full technical detail
Data map · what we send the AI · access & encryption · retention · subprocessors · frameworks · contact
Where your data lives
| Data | Where it's stored | Region |
|---|---|---|
| Gradebook — marks, notes, observations, rosters | Azure SQL Database (encrypted at rest) | Canada |
| Encrypted backups | Azure geo-redundant backup (Canadian region pair) | Canada |
| Teacher sign-in identity | Microsoft Entra (name, email, role) | US |
| AI comment drafting | OpenAI API — name removed first (see below) | US |
| Anonymous usage analytics | PostHog — cookieless, no student data | US |
What we send the AI — and what we don't
To draft a comment, the model receives:
- Course and grade level, category and overall averages, per-assignment grades, and missing-work count
- The teacher's notes, strengths and next steps, and learning-skills ratings
- The student's name — replaced with a code before the request leaves our servers, restored only on your screen
Never sent:
- The private anecdotal log — dated behaviour and incident notes stay in Canada and never reach the AI
- Any data used to train or improve AI models (OpenAI's API does not train on submitted data)
Access & encryption
- Encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS) and at rest (Azure SQL transparent data encryption)
- The database accepts no passwords at all — connections require a Microsoft Entra identity, so there's no database password to steal or leak
- Exactly one person can reach the production database
- Teachers sign in with their Microsoft or Google account, so their own organization's multi-factor and security rules apply
Keeping & deleting your data
- Export a full copy of your data at any time — a single spreadsheet, from Settings → Privacy in the app
- Delete your data at any time — deletion is permanent, and it works from the same screen even if your subscription has lapsed
- Your data stays only as long as your account does
- The record of each AI request is erased after 90 days; only counts, timings and the model name are kept
If something ever goes wrong
If a breach ever put student data at real risk of harm, we would notify affected teachers as quickly as possible and report to Canada's Office of the Privacy Commissioner, in line with PIPEDA. We keep a record of security incidents.
Frameworks we design around
- Ontario's MFIPPA and Canada's PIPEDA — Gradefully is designed around their principles
- Quebec's Law 25 — for teachers in Quebec, including a designated privacy contact
- Designed around these frameworks; not formally certified (for example, SOC 2)
Who we work with (subprocessors)
| Provider | What they do | Region |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Azure | Hosting, database, sign-in identity | Canada |
| OpenAI | AI comment drafting (name removed first) | US |
| PostHog | Anonymous, cookieless usage analytics | US |
| Brevo | Mailing-list signup (marketing site only) | US |
| Usercentrics | Cookie-consent management | US |
Documents & contact
A data processing agreement (DPA) and a one-page data-elements summary for your privacy review are available on request.
Last reviewed July 2026