CommonLit

CommonLit is a nonprofit literacy resource for teachers and schools, with a free text library and English language arts curriculum. The Text Library offers teachers thousands of literary works and other texts from diverse and contemporary authors. CommonLit 360 is a full-year, standards-aligned curriculum for grades 6–12, integrating reading, writing, speaking, and listening around full-length texts and grade-level tasks. It includes three benchmark assessments for tracking reading growth and proficiency during the school year. CommonLit lists integrations with Clever, ClassLink, Canvas, and Google Classroom; Canvas is limited to eligible paid school packages. The Google Classroom integration can import classes and students, post assignments to the class stream, and export scores to the gradebook. The free Digital plan includes the Text Library and 360 curriculum. Paid school plans require a one-year commitment and cost $4,200 a year, $7,200 a year, or $12,800 a year. CommonLit works through supported browsers on computers, Chromebooks, tablets, and mobile devices. Its instructional materials address grades 3–12, while CommonLit 360 serves grades 6–12.

CommonLit pairs a free text library and curriculum with paid school options and classroom integrations. Schools considering a paid plan should note its one-year commitment and the grade range of CommonLit 360.

CommonLit suits teachers and schools looking for literacy materials and ELA instruction for students in grades 3–12. CommonLit 360 is specifically for grades 6–12.

CommonLit is a nonprofit literacy platform combining a large free reading library with structured ELA instruction for schools. It suits teachers and school systems serving grades 3–12, especially those needing a standards-aligned, full-year program for grades 6–12. The free offering is useful on its own, while paid tiers add varying levels of training, reporting, and implementation help.

Overview

CommonLit’s core value is the combination of breadth and instructional structure. The Text Library gives teachers thousands of literary works and texts from diverse and contemporary authors at no charge. That makes it a practical source of reading material for classrooms that need variety without a procurement process.

CommonLit 360 is the more comprehensive option: a full-year, standards-aligned ELA curriculum for grades 6–12. It is designed around authentic full-length texts and grade-level tasks rather than isolated passages, with reading, writing, speaking, and listening taught together. Schools serving younger students can still use CommonLit’s broader instructional materials for grades 3–12, but the 360 curriculum does not cover those lower grades.

Key features

Three benchmark assessments in CommonLit 360 provide checkpoints for reading growth and proficiency during the school year. Comprehension and fluency practice add routine skill work around the core texts. The result is a more coherent instructional path than a library alone, although schools wanting only occasional texts may not need the full curriculum.

CommonLit lists Clever, ClassLink, Canvas, and Google Classroom integrations. Google Classroom can import classes and students, post CommonLit assignments to the Classroom stream, and export scores to its gradebook. Canvas integration is restricted to eligible paid school packages, so schools using Canvas should confirm eligibility before choosing a plan.

The service runs on laptops, Chromebooks, desktops, tablets, and mobile devices through supported browsers, with Android, iOS, and web access. There is no offline access. A CommonLit class has no student-number limit, but the support center recommends keeping classes at 100 students or fewer for best performance.

CommonLit says it uses technical, organizational, and physical safeguards for personal information, while noting that absolute security cannot be guaranteed. Its trust center provides SOC 3 materials for download and SOC 2 Type 2 materials by request.

Pricing

CommonLit Digital is free for teachers and students. It includes the Text Library and CommonLit 360, making it the logical choice for individual educators or schools starting without a paid-services budget. The free tier does not include the paid plans’ school-focused support and administrative additions.

Spark costs $4,200 per school per year with a one-year commitment. It includes the Text Library, CommonLit 360, Reading & Writing Mini Units, the assessment series, and up to two Library or Assessments virtual trainings. It fits schools that want the instructional package and limited onboarding without administrator reporting.

Core costs $7,200 per school per year, also with a one-year commitment. It adds the Administrator Data Dashboard and up to four CommonLit 360 virtual trainings to Spark’s materials. Choose it when school leaders need centralized data and more curriculum training.

Elevate costs $12,800 per school per year with a one-year commitment. It includes the same core materials and dashboard as Core, plus four implementation support sessions per year. This tier is aimed at schools that need continuing rollout guidance rather than occasional training. Paid school plans list priority teacher support and a dedicated success manager.

Platforms

CommonLit supports Android, iOS, and web access. Browser-based device support covers laptops, Chromebooks, desktops, tablets, and mobile devices, but work that must continue without an internet connection will require another solution.

Who it's for

CommonLit is a strong fit for teachers seeking diverse, ready-to-use texts, and for schools that want a complete grades 6–12 ELA sequence with assessments. Spark, Core, and Elevate make progressively more sense as a school’s need for training, data visibility, and implementation support grows. It is less suitable for organizations requiring offline lessons or a full-year curriculum below grade 6.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Thousands of free texts reduce the cost of building a varied reading program.
• Pros: CommonLit 360 connects reading, writing, speaking, and listening around full-length works.
• Pros: Benchmark assessments and the Core/Elevate dashboard support progress monitoring.
• Pros: Google Classroom can handle roster imports, assignment posting, and grade export.
• Cons: CommonLit 360 serves grades 6–12, narrower than the platform’s overall grades 3–12 audience.
• Cons: Paid plans require a one-year commitment, and the higher tiers may exceed the needs of teachers who only want texts.
• Cons: There is no offline access; Canvas support is limited to eligible paid packages.

Alternatives

For a broader directory of educator materials, browse Teacher Resource Libraries. Readers focused specifically on reading tools can compare Reading Apps.

Myatt & Co is a freemium Android, iOS, and web service with a free selection of films and a $£22 monthly plan for all films and resources; choose it instead when film-based materials are the priority.

Scootle is free on iOS and web, with guest access and education or university email registration, making it a simpler no-cost resource hub.

BusyTeacher offers 18,421 free printable resources without registration, or an $$80 one-time package of 80 PDF e-books; pick it for printable worksheets rather than a sequenced curriculum.

ReadWriteThink provides free educational materials across Android, iOS, and web.

Topmarks is a free multi-platform site, with the Hit the Button Maths app sold for $$3.99 once; it suits broad classroom activities beyond literacy.

Twinkl offers a $$7.49 monthly membership with more than 1,000,000 resources and unlimited downloads, for buyers who want a very large general teaching library.

Australian Teacher is a free web resource for teaching materials, with downloading and printing subject to its copyright terms.

Classroom Secrets has a free plan plus paid monthly and annual options for schools seeking another resource-library model.

Verdict

Choose CommonLit if you want a free, diverse text collection or a structured grades 6–12 ELA curriculum with assessments and classroom integrations. Look elsewhere if offline access, younger-grade full-year coverage, or avoiding a one-year paid commitment matters more than CommonLit’s training and implementation support.