Figma expands K-12 Chromebook program beyond the beta
Following a year-long beta with Google for Education, Figma is making its design and collaboration tools available free to all K-12 districts in the United States. The program, which initially served select US high schools, is now open to any educator or school leader via figma.com/education/chromebooks.
The expansion includes access for younger students, as well as free Figma Enterprise licenses for K-12 districts. The enterprise tier is designed to give administrators and teachers the controls needed to manage classes and ensure student safety within the Figma environment. The partnership is also extending globally, starting with Google-affiliated schools in Japan.
The beta program, which worked with 50 districts across the US—from large urban systems like Portland Public Schools to smaller rural ones like Ferris ISD in Texas—was intended to test whether professional design software could help students build foundational skills such as problem-solving, iterative thinking, and collaboration. The results pointed to broader uses: students used Figma’s canvas for visual storytelling, combining diagrams, images, mind maps, and videos into their projects. They also created designs for nonprofits and built app prototypes for local government services, while educators used FigJam to make lesson plans and group activities more interactive.
Impact on classroom dynamics
Teachers involved in the beta report that the tools affected more than just coursework. David Curran, a STEAM teacher in San Luis Obispo, CA, said that quiet students became more confident and engaged through contributing in Figma and FigJam’s digital spaces, with some emerging as class leaders. Similarly, teachers noted that introverted students who were "hungry for connection after years of remote learning" used stickies, comments, and emotes to build rapport that sometimes translated into in-person friendships.
Special education teachers also saw benefits. Meredith Greene, a special education teacher in Newton Public Schools in Massachusetts, said FigJam helped her students diagnosed with moderate to severe autism improve social skills and executive functioning. She observed that even non-verbal autistic students became more engaged, calling the tool “invaluable" for helping students reach their full potential.
The visual nature of the tools appears to increase student motivation as well. Libby Griffin, a technology teacher at Anaheim High School, noted that her students are more eager to learn and sometimes create side projects at home. In some cases, students who had previously disengaged found renewed purpose through design work and a new interest in technology careers.
A framework for AI-era learning
The beta period coincided with the rapid rise of generative AI in education, which has led many educators to question the value of text-based assessments when tools like ChatGPT are readily available. Teachers told Figma that AI can obscure what a student actually knows and how they arrived at an answer.
Figma and FigJam present a different model: instead of prompting a chat interface, students actively assemble media—diagrams, images, and other visual elements—to demonstrate their understanding. This visual storytelling approach aligns with skills such as communication, collaboration, and iterative thinking, which remain relevant as AI changes how schoolwork is produced. As Margaret Powers, Director of Curriculum & Learning Innovation at The Agnes School in Philadelphia, put it, introducing students to tools like Figma early can shift how they interact and help prepare them for "the future, no matter what it holds."
