Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, is making a strategic push into education with the launch of WordPress.com Education, a free suite designed for teachers and their students. Announced at the annual WordCamp US conference on Monday, this initiative aims to equip the next generation of web creators with hands-on experience in website building.
The Education suite provides each student with a full WordPress.com site, including a free domain name (available on .blog or .art extensions) and access to plugins. Teachers can enroll their classes for the first year at no cost, with no credit card or trial required—making it accessible even to underfunded schools.
Designed for the Classroom, Built for Real-World Skills
The Student plan is not a watered-down version of WordPress.com. It includes 6 GB of storage, automated backups, staging sites, and developer tools such as SFTP/SSH, phpMyAdmin, and Studio Sync. This allows teachers to integrate WordPress into courses focused on web development, as well as project-based learning where students can collaborate on website-building assignments.
Automattic’s move addresses a broader trend: while WordPress powers roughly 43% of all websites globally, many young people today first establish their online presence through social media platforms rather than traditional CMS tools. By introducing WordPress in the classroom, Automattic aims to train future web professionals and strengthen its ecosystem's relevance among emerging creators.
Affordable Path to Continued Use
After the initial free year, students can opt to continue with the service for $2 per month (or $24 annually). If they choose not to subscribe, their content remains intact—their site simply reverts to a free WordPress.com plan with a standard domain, and all posts, pages, comments, and media stay accessible.
Automattic reports that the program was piloted with 5,000 students across 27 countries, with 88.9% of educators stating that access to the program improved their students' employability. As digital skills become increasingly vital in the job market, this initiative positions WordPress.com as a key player in bridging the gap between education and professional web development.
via TechCrunch