Best AI Tools for The New School Year

 This school year AI will have a strong presence in classrooms. I know the landscape isn’t perfect yet. There are valid concerns, ethical questions, and school AI policies that still feel scrambled. But one thing is clear: as educators, we can’t ignore this shift.

AI offers us a chance to enhance teaching and create deeper learning experiences for our students.

I’ve been reviewing dozens of AI tools over the past year, and many teachers have asked me which ones are worth trying. To help, I’ve put together a curated list of some of the best AI tools for education right now.

A quick reminder:

• Don’t let the number of tools overwhelm you.
• Choose only what fits your teaching style and context.
• Don’t go with novelty, go with pedagogy. Start with a needs assessment, then select the tools that meet your goals.

I am not affiliated with any of the tools in this list. This is based entirely on my experience and research.

Best AI Tools for The New School Year

Here are our top suggestions for AI tools to try out this new school year:

• Khanmigo : An AI teaching assistant from Khan Academy that helps students with personalized tutoring and gives teachers lesson support, grading help, and class management insights.
• Diffit : A tool that instantly adapts articles, worksheets, or any text to different reading levels, making it easier to differentiate instruction for diverse learners.
• SchoolAI : Provides a safe AI environment for classrooms where students can interact with guided chatbots, while teachers track progress and maintain control over conversations.
• MagicSchool: A teacher productivity hub with dozens of AI tools for lesson planning, rubric creation, IEP support, parent communication, and more.
• Twee: Designed for language teachers, Twee generates warm-up questions, texts, vocabulary activities, and discussion prompts for engaging language lessons.
• NotebookLM: A research assistant from Google that lets you upload documents and then ask questions, generate summaries, or build outlines directly from your sources.
• Poe: A platform that gives you access to multiple AI models (including Claude, GPT-4, and others) in one place, making it easy to compare responses and pick the best for lesson prep or student support.
• Curipod: Lets teachers create interactive lessons, polls, and presentations in seconds, turning static content into engaging, student-driven learning experiences.
• TeachAid: Focused on accessibility and inclusivity, this tool helps create adapted materials and supports teachers in designing resources that meet diverse learning needs.
• ChatGPT / Claude: General-purpose AI assistants that can help teachers brainstorm lessons, generate practice questions, draft rubrics, summarize articles, or role-play as historical figures for class activities.
• Brisk Teaching: Integrates with Google Docs, Slides, and Classroom to speed up feedback, differentiate assignments, and check for AI-generated student work.
• Eduaide: A versatile planning assistant that generates lesson ideas, assessments, feedback, and enrichment activities, helping teachers save time while keeping instruction aligned to learning goals.
• Canva: Beyond design, Canva’s AI tools help teachers quickly create lesson visuals, posters, infographics, and interactive worksheets that are polished and classroom-ready.
• FigJam: A collaborative whiteboard by Figma where students and teachers can brainstorm, map ideas, and co-create projects in real time.
• MirrorTalk: An AI speaking coach that helps students practice presentations, debate skills, or language fluency by giving instant feedback on clarity, pacing, and confidence.
• Snorkl: A tool that captures students’ thought processes through audio explanations, giving teachers deeper insight into reasoning and making formative assessment easier.
• Quizizz AI: Expands the popular quiz platform with AI-generated practice questions, adaptive quizzes, and gamified assessments tailored to class content.
• Napkin AI: Turns messy notes, text, or data into clean visuals like flowcharts, mind maps, and infographics—perfect for making complex ideas more understandable for students.
• Padlet: A collaborative online board where teachers and students can post notes, images, videos, or links to brainstorm, share resources, and build projects together.
• Mylens AI: An AI-powered research assistant that helps teachers and students organize readings, summarize sources, and extract key insights for assignments or projects.
• ElevenLabs: A text-to-speech tool that generates realistic voices, useful for creating audio versions of lessons, accessibility supports, or storytelling activities.
• Synthesia AI: Creates professional-looking instructional videos with AI avatars and voiceovers, making it easy to produce explainer content without needing cameras or editing skills.

Here is a downloadable PDF version of the best AI tools for the new school year.

By Med Kharbach, PhD | Last Update: August 30, 2025