Educational Testing Service data breach affects California students

Educational Testing Service (ETS) has notified students and families in California of a data breach involving the theft of personal information from a secure file transfer protocol (SFTP) site. The site was used to exchange statewide assessment data with the California Department of Education (CDE).

An investigation revealed that an unauthorized party used a compromised login credential to access and copy files between May 22 and September 18, 2026. The breach was discovered on September 25, 2026. The affected population includes all students enrolled during the three previous school years, as well as current students and former students who left California schools since 2006 without a confirmed transfer.

Compromised data may include names, birth dates, residential addresses, schools, districts, and grade levels. Other sensitive information involved includes statewide and local student identifiers, gender, race or ethnicity, primary language, country of origin, English learner status, and details regarding disability or Section 504 status.