I’ve already heard from several school leaders about this latest change from Google, so if you’re wondering what’s going on—you’re not alone.
Here’s the deal: Starting April 30, 2025, Google will stop showing reviews and ratings for general education schools on Google Business Profiles. That means any reviews your school has collected—yes, even the glowing ones—will disappear. And moving forward, families won’t be able to leave new reviews on your school’s Google listing.
If you manage your school’s Google Business Profile, you may have already gotten the email. But even if you haven’t seen it yet, this update applies to any school categorized as a general education provider (elementary, middle, or high school).
So… what now?
1. Don’t change your Google category.
Tempted to switch categories just to keep the review feature? I get it—but don’t do it.
Being correctly categorized helps ensure your school shows up in the right search results when families are Googling schools in your area. Changing it might make your listing less visible—or worse, penalized. Better to stay in your lane and protect your visibility.
2. Save your standout reviews.
If you’ve built up a solid collection of 4- and 5-star reviews, you don’t have to say goodbye!
Copy and paste your best ones into a doc, spreadsheet, or testimonial folder. You can still use them on your website, in print materials, social media, and email campaigns. Those reviews are still gold—you just have to move them to a new home.
3. Update your reviews strategy.
Google might be off the table, but there are still great places where parent reviews carry weight. We recommend focusing on:
- Niche
- Private School Review
- GreatSchools
Pick one to prioritize—maybe the one with the fewest reviews or the lowest average rating—and start encouraging happy families to post there. Also, take a quick look at your website to see if you’re displaying Google Reviews anywhere. If so, make a plan to swap them out before April 30.
Still sorting through what this means for your school?
No problem. Reach out anytime—I’m happy to help you think through how this shift affects your reputation strategy and what to focus on next.
P.S. Need a better way to collect feedback and testimonials?
A Parent Satisfaction Survey is a great tool to do both at once. It gives you actionable insights and positive parent quotes you can use across your marketing.
There’s still time to run one before the school year ends—just avoid mid-May through mid-September, when response rates usually drop.
Let us know if you’d like to get one in motion.
