Member Eligibility, Benefits, & Fees
“In today’s digital education environment, cybersecurity has become an essential requirement. Membership in K12 SIX provides districts with a reliable partner focused on advancing K-12 cybersecurity – and membership serves as a cornerstone of our cybersecurity program.”
The independent, non-profit K12 SIX serves as the Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) for the K-12 sector. Membership applications to the K12 Security Information eXchange (K12 SIX) are open to U.S. K-12 organizations, including school districts, charter schools and charter management organizations, private/independent schools, regional and state education agencies, and other state/regional nonprofit K-12 support organizations, as appropriate. K-12 sector vendors are not eligible for K12 SIX membership, but will benefit from membership in the Global Resilience Federation cross-sector information sharing community, Business Resilience Council.
| Member-Only Products and Services | Description |
|---|---|
| Cyber Alerts | Accessible on demand in K12 SIX member portal (mobile/desktop); priority alerts delivered via email. Sourced by K12 SIX analysts from: • Private intelligence providers (such as Cyware, Flashpoint, HackNotice, and PolySwarm) • Other ISACs/ISAOs including Global Resilience Federation (GRF) member communities (BRC, EASE, LS-ISAO, MFG-ISAC, OT-ISAC, and ProSIX) • Federal and state government sources, including CISA and the FBI • OSINT |
| Emergency Notifications | For issues that require immediate action, via phone, email, and SMS |
| Secure Out-of-Band Communications | For real-time collaboration and information sharing. Cross-platform (mobile/desktop) via ArmorText: K-12 specific and cross-sector channels |
| Real-time Intelligence Feeds (IOCs) | Accessible via the K12 SIX MISP threat intelligence and sharing platform |
| Regular Reporting & Analysis | • Daily Cyber Threat Awareness Report • Daily Physical Security/Geopolitical Event Report • Weekly K12 SIX Newsletter • Weekly Vulnerability Report • Weekly Ransomware Report • Monthly K-12 Vendor Monitoring Report (in partnership with HackNotice) |
| Member-to-Member Sharing | • Weekly Member-to-Member ‘Water Cooler’ • Confidential handling of threat intelligence submissions • Confidential handling of requests for information (RFIs) |
| Regular Briefings & Meetings | • Bi-Weekly K12 SIX Technical Working Group Meetings • Monthly K12 SIX Member Briefing • Monthly Cross-Sector Theat Intelligence Briefing |
| Conferences | • Annual National K-12 Cybersecurity Leadership Conference • Annual Summit on Security & Third-Party Risk (Cross-Sector) |
| Ad Hoc Meeting and Briefings | As warranted, in response to fast-breaking developments requiring immediate action (e.g., significant vulnerabilities affecting members, K-12 vendor security issues, etc.) |
| K12 SIX Document/Best Practices Resource Library | Accessible on demand in K12 SIX member portal (mobile/desktop) |
“Cybersecurity in K-12 is just too big and too underfunded for any one district to handle on its own. What makes K12 SIX so valuable is that it gives us a way to come together—sharing knowledge, support, and threat intelligence so we can all do a better job protecting our schools.”
K12 SIX operations are funded primarily via annual membership fees, supplemented by corporate sponsorships. We do not receive financial support for our operations from the federal government, do not rely on the federal government for threat intelligence, and the federal government does not constrain or influence our threat intelligence coverage or capabilities. This funding model ensures K12 SIX remains a vendor-neutral, trusted advisor and partner to our membership.
Annual membership fees are based on K-12 organization type/student enrollment:
< 2,500 student enrollment: $1,000
< 5,000 student enrollment: $2,500
< 10,000 student enrollment: $5,000
< 25,000 student enrollment: $7,500
25,000 or greater student enrollment: $15,000
Regional/state education agencies/non-profit support organizations: $1,500
Membership applications are accepted online here. Direct inquires about membership benefits, fees, or eligibility here.
“Within just a few months of joining, our district received actionable intelligence that directly helped us prevent a potential cyber incident. If you’re responsible for protecting a learning environment, joining K12 SIX isn’t optional—it’s essential.”