A Milestone Worth Celebrating: Verkada is Trusted by Schools Serving 20 Million Students

Today marks a significant milestone in our journey to protect people and places: Verkada now partners with schools and universities that collectively serve 20 million students and 2.5 million teachers and staff. This achievement represents more than numbers – it reflects the trust that educators, administrators, and families place in our technology to create safer learning environments.

The Evolution of School Safety

The landscape of school safety has transformed dramatically over the past decade. Modern challenges – from campus violence and unauthorized access to everyday operational concerns – require solutions that are both sophisticated and simple to use. Today's education leaders are seeking technology that enhances safety without compromising the learning environment or student privacy.

Technology That Works in Real-Time

The schools we partner with are embracing AI-powered tools that enhance safety in more efficient and privacy-protecting ways. Our integrated approach combines AI-enabled cameras for enhanced situational awareness, environmental sensors that help identify issues like vaping and bullying, and intercom and guest management systems that monitor and control entry points. When seconds matter, access control tools and alarms allow administrators to initiate a lockdown via a panic button, web browser, or mobile app. 

Collaboration and connectivity are particularly crucial in educational environments. Our recent integration with Redbag enables silent, two-way communication between classrooms and emergency responders while providing real-time video access during lockdowns. This builds on our existing partnerships with popular education tools such as Clever and ClassLink, creating a comprehensive ecosystem that supports both safety and learning.

The impact of these solutions is best understood through the experiences of the educators who use them daily:

• At Mountain View Los Altos High School District, Bob Fishtrom, Director of IT Services, notes: "As a former school administrator, Verkada Intercom – paired with Guest – is one of the most powerful tools I've seen for campus safety."

• From Bath Spa University, Andy Williams, Head of Facilities and Services, emphasizes the importance of usability: "I'm certain that any member of a team could come in and find what they need in seconds, no matter their level of technical skill. Simplicity is key in the adoption of a new tool, which is what made the value of Verkada immediately clear to me and my team."

• At La Cañada Unified School District, Jamie Lee Lewsadder, Associate Superintendent of Technology Services, highlights the operational benefits: "We can prioritize active areas and monitor multiple feeds at once – entrances, exits, and hallways. Whoever is making the 911 call can quickly assess and relay real-time information to emergency dispatch."

Privacy and Trust at the Forefront

We understand that effective school safety technology must balance security with privacy and trust. That's why we prioritized building features like Live Face Blur on video feeds and configurable privacy zones that block specific areas from being recorded. Granular controls and permissions give school administrators the ability to limit access to sensitive features, helping protect both student safety and privacy.

Looking Forward

Reaching schools that collectively serve 20 million students is a milestone that reinforces our commitment to the education community. From elementary schools to universities, institutions of all sizes are finding value in technology that's easy to deploy, simple to use, and designed with both safety and privacy in mind.

As we look to the future, we remain dedicated to working alongside educators, administrators, and safety professionals to ensure that every school can be a place where students learn, educators teach, and families feel confident in their community's safety.