Apple Announces 'Classroom' Coming to Mac, Reveals New 'Schoolwork' App for Educators

Apple during its education-focused event in Chicago today announced that its existing iOS "Classroom" app will be making the move to Mac, beginning with a beta this June.

classroom mac app
Classroom is a "teaching assistant" that helps teachers manage their students' iPads, as well as guide kids through lessons, keep them on track, and share their work. Using the app, teachers can launch apps, books, and websites on all student devices simultaneously, and send or receive documents. Classroom also allows teachers to view their students' screens so that they "stay focused," and other administrative options like password resets.

ipad schoolwork app
At the same time, the company revealed a new cloud-based app called "Schoolwork" that lets teachers assign handouts and track the progress of their students. Apple said that Schoolwork "builds on the success" of the Classroom app and both apps will be combined to help educators "get the most out of integrating Apple technology into schools."

“Creativity sparks a deeper level of engagement in students, and we’re excited to help teachers bring out that creativity in the classroom,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.

“When you combine the power of iPad, the creativity of Apple Pencil, over a million iPad apps in the App Store, the rich curriculum in Everyone Can Code and Everyone Can Create, and unique Classroom and Schoolwork apps that support students and help schools manage technology in the classroom, we believe we can amplify learning and creativity in a way that only Apple can.”

Using Schoolwork, teachers will be able to make handouts that include PDFs, links, and other documents, as well as check in on the progress of every student for a specific assignment. Schoolwork will integrate with third-party apps using Apple's ClassKit API, acting as a hub of sorts for a classroom's projects and assignments. Schoolwork will be available for teachers in June.

There will also be a new "Apple Teacher" professional learning program available online, aimed at helping teachers build skills, chart their progress, and get inspired to launch new lesson plans. The program will allow teachers to earn badges shaped like gold stars, encouraging them to continue using the program and evolve their classroom.

Related Roundup: iPad
Buyer's Guide: iPad (Buy Now)
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

Apple Glass

Apple Smart Glasses: Everything We Know So Far

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:21 am PDT by
Google recently made waves by showcasing a set of lightweight smart glasses featuring deep Gemini integration and an optional in-lens display. The demo has reignited interest in Apple's own smart glasses project, which has been the subject of rumors for nearly a decade. Here's a recap of where things stand. Current Development Status Apple is actively working on new chips specifically...
Apple Glasses Purple Feature

Apple Smart Glasses Launching in 2026

Thursday May 22, 2025 12:22 pm PDT by
Apple is planning to launch a set of smart glasses by the end of 2026, reports Bloomberg. The glasses will be comparable to the Meta Ray-Bans and the Android XR glasses that Google showed off earlier this week. Apple's smart glasses are expected to include cameras, microphones, and AI capabilities, much like the Meta Ray-Bans. The glasses will be able to take photos, record video, provide...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's CarPlay Ultra Is Here – Does Your iPhone Support It?

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:17 am PDT by
Apple's recently announced CarPlay Ultra promises a deeply integrated in-car experience, but not all iPhone users will be able to take advantage of the new feature. According to Apple's press release, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. This means if you're using an iPhone 11, iPhone XR, or any older model, you'll need to upgrade your device to access...
maxresdefault

OpenAI Buys Jony Ive's AI Startup to 'Completely Reimagine What It Means to Use a Computer'

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:27 am PDT by
OpenAI is acquiring io, the hardware-based AI startup co-created by Jony Ive, OpenAI announced today. Ive has been working with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on io for two years, and the duo expects to develop a family of AI devices. In a video shared by OpenAI, Altman and Ive outlined their partnership and what they expect to create as a result of the merger. "I have a growing sense that everything ...
iPod shuffle generations

Kuo: Jony Ive's Futuristic OpenAI Device Like a Neck-Worn iPod Shuffle

Thursday May 22, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The big news in the technology world this week is that ChatGPT maker OpenAI is working more closely with Apple's former design chief Jony Ive on a futuristic AI device. The company is remaining tight lipped about the device, but Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has shared some alleged details about its design. In a social media post today, Kuo said the device will be "slightly larger" ...
WWDC 2025 Banner

Apple Announces WWDC 2025 Schedule, Including Keynote Time

Tuesday May 20, 2025 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced a more detailed schedule for its annual developers conference WWDC, which runs from June 9 through June 13. The schedule confirms that Apple's keynote will begin on Monday, June 9 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, with a live stream to be available on Apple.com, in the Apple TV app, and on YouTube. During the keynote, Apple is expected to announce iOS 19, iPadOS 19, macOS 16,...
macOS 16 visionOS Inspired Feature 1

macOS 16: Everything We Know So Far

Tuesday May 20, 2025 7:31 am PDT by
The Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple's annual developer and software-oriented event, is less than three weeks away. We haven't heard a great deal about macOS 16 ahead of its announcement this year, so we could be in for some major surprises when June 9 rolls around. Here's what we know so far about the next major update to Apple's Mac operating system. macOS 16 Name? Every year ...

Top Rated Comments

iFanaddic Avatar
94 months ago
I wish “profiles” on iPads weren’t only for schools.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ThunderSkunk Avatar
94 months ago
Every time I see a bunch of smiling kids herded together and being molded and trained that the purpose of their life is to be organized in a hierarchy by an authority figure and have their productivity monitored and its worth graphed for comparison and valuation, I become optimistic about the impending collapse of this old british class culture and its failure to develop beyond the industrial revolution. What a beautiful disaster this century is going to put its kids through.

Nice that there's an app for that.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SmugMaverick Avatar
94 months ago
So they're copying Google's classroom support app and charging the same for the price of two chrome books...

Oh dear Tim, maybe look at public school kids and not private school.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pubb Avatar
94 months ago
Beta in June, just in time for most schools in North America to be let out. I guess ready for the fall, assuming you have beta testers in teachers willing to work over the summer.

But with the iPad still costing schools the price of two Chromebooks, don't see Apple gaining much ground just becuase of a couple apps and pencil support.
Teachers willing to work over the summer? It will never happen. We stop doing anything at the end of June and only start back on the first day of school. Oh wait, no. I and every other teacher I have ever met spends ********s of time prepping for September.

As for the technology, Chromebooks can't print when on my school's networks. iPads can.

Also, my school's networks block (either intentionally or not) Bonjour. So for example, I cannot sync my iPhone and personal laptop on the school's network. I don't see the teacher app getting around that, but I might be pleasantly surprised.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kemal Avatar
94 months ago
Apple are doing it to sell iPads, etc. Google are doing it to sell ads to the K-12 students once they turn 18. Ads based on those data collected over the previous 12 years.

I choose Apple.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TehFalcon Avatar
94 months ago
I wish “profiles” on iPads weren’t only for schools.
They aren't just for schools..
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)