Are grades considered education records under FERPA?

Grades are considered education records under FERPA because they are directly related to a student's academic performance and are maintained by an educational institution. Under FERPA, education records include any records that are maintained by an institution that contain personally identifiable information about a student, and grades clearly fall into this category.

FERPA protects the privacy of students' education records and grants students certain rights regarding access to and the protection of these records. Therefore, since grades reflect a student's performance and are an integral part of their academic record, they are indeed classified as education records under the law. This classification includes grades from both post-secondary institutions and K-12 education, emphasizing the importance of student privacy regardless of the educational level.