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PBS LearningMedia
By PBS and local public TV stations. Visit PBS LearningMedia
Desk research from the maker's own pages. Not yet tried by us. Checked 2026-10-24.
PBS LearningMedia is a free library of standards-aligned videos, interactive lessons, images and lesson plans drawn from PBS shows and local stations, from pre-K through grade 12. Teachers search by subject and grade, build lessons, and assign them to classes; students sign in to see their assignments and watch or answer questions. Each local station runs its own branded version of the site. Parents can browse and watch most resources without an account.
Our take: A trustworthy free source of short educational videos for teachers and curious families; check your local station's version for state-specific collections.
Checked in a browser
A browser check on 2026-10-25: what loads, the ads and trackers we saw, and what a child meets first. Not a hands-on test.
| Child safety: 4 out of 5 | No ads or chat; a sign-up / log-in link and social links (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter) in the footer. |
|---|---|
| Data: 4 out of 5 | Only Google Analytics and Tag Manager (with Google's analytics beacon stats.g.doubleclick.net) and the Sentry error service loaded; no ad networks. |
| Ease: 3 out of 5 | A teacher-facing site: large cards with headings, but text-heavy and organized by grade and subject for adults; a 'Is Rocky Mountain PBS your local station?' prompt comes first. |
| Cost honesty: 5 out of 5 | Free; no upsell seen. |
What we found
- 8 third-party hosts on 6 sites; the only Google ad-family host was stats.g.doubleclick.net, which is part of Google Analytics
- 9 cookies set, none from third-party domains
- No ad frames; the first screen asks which PBS station is local and leads with 'For Teachers'
- Content cards include an Election Central collection and Super Why! early-reading lessons
From the test: A free, ad-free teacher site that loads only Google Analytics; it is built for teachers to pick resources, not for a child to browse alone.
| Ages it suits | pre-K to grade 12 |
|---|---|
| What its terms say about age | LearningMedia's own terms page needs JavaScript and did not load for us. PBS's general terms say PBS Online is not meant for under-13s and users under 18 need a parent's permission; PBS's student privacy notice says teachers who have students make accounts confirm that parents consent. (terms) |
| Price | Free. Free (Oct 2026); the site says all its teacher tools are free, and some stations offer extra premium collections. |
| Works on | Web |
| Account | No account needed |
| Ads | None |
| In-app purchases | None |
| The AI in it | No AI features found on the pages we read. |
What's good
- Large free library from trusted public media
- Videos and lessons for every grade
- Teacher tools to assign and track work
- Browsing needs no account
Watch for
- Its own terms and privacy pages need JavaScript and did not load for us
- Quality varies across thousands of items
- Video-heavy; screen time adds up
Data and privacy
PBS's privacy policy says it does not collect, use or disclose students' personal information without parent consent unless the law allows, and treats student data under FERPA rules when educators set up accounts. LearningMedia links its own privacy policy and student privacy notice, which did not load for us. Read the privacy policy.
Does it work?
The maker's own claims only; no independent study of PBS LearningMedia was found in our reading.
In the Big Index
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Where these facts come from
- https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/
- https://pbs-education-utils.bento-live.pbs.org/about/about-trust-privacy/
- https://www.pbs.org/about/about-pbs/privacy-policy/
- https://www.pbs.org/about/about-pbs/terms-of-use/
Prices, terms and features change. Nobody paid to be listed, nothing here is an affiliate link, and Peabody never rates itself. Where we and the maker disagree, the maker's own pages are the ones to trust.