History of the TLD

.school is a generic top level domain created under ICANN’s New gTLD Program. It was delegated into the DNS root zone in 2015 after Donuts won the contention for the string and became the registry operator. It launched with typical new gTLD phases including a sunrise period for trademark holders before general availability.

Main Use and Industry Position

.school is designed to clearly signal an education focus. It is used by schools, tutoring centres, online learning platforms, teachers, students, and related educational organisations. It is open for registration by any individual or organisation regardless of formal accreditation or location, and is intended to build authority and relevance in the education sector.

Comparison to Other TLDs

.school sits alongside other education related extensions like .edu, .college, and .academy. Unlike .edu it has no strict eligibility criteria and is open globally, which improves accessibility but may reduce perceived exclusivity. Compared to broader TLDs like .com and .org it communicates educational intent more directly but has narrower recognition and usage.

Pros and Cons of the TLD

Pros

• Immediately signals education focus and relevance

• Open registration with no strict requirements

• Suitable for a wide range of formal and informal educational projects
  
  

Cons

• Not as widely recognised as legacy extensions like .com

• Perceived value limited to education context

• Some shorter names may already be taken
  
  

Registration Criteria

Anyone can register .school domains. There are no formal accreditation checks and no geographic restrictions. Basic syntax rules apply such as allowed characters and length.

Summary

.school is a flexible generic top level domain for education and learning oriented websites. It has open registration and typical technical rules, and is positioned as a relevant choice for schools, educators, and education related communities that want a domain with clear meaning.