Class Website Essentials: What to Put There and What to Skip

The Class Website Nobody Visits

Most teacher-built class websites fall into one of two failure modes: they are either empty after October, or they are so overstuffed with information that parents cannot find what they need.

A useful class website is narrow, maintained, and designed around what parents actually look for.

What to Include

1. Contact information

Your name, email, and your preferred response time. This should be on the landing page, not buried in an "About" tab.

2. Class schedule

A simple weekly schedule showing when major subjects are covered, special classes (art, PE, music), and lunch/recess times.

3. Homework expectations

One paragraph. How much to expect per night, what to do if a student is stuck, late work policy.

4. Upcoming dates

A list or calendar of the next two to four weeks. Test dates, project due dates, field trips, spirit days. Update this at least biweekly.

5. Current unit overview

One to two sentences on what the class is studying right now in each major subject. This gives parents a hook for dinner conversation with their kid.

6. Links to key resources

Reading logs, online practice platforms, parent portal login. If families need to access something regularly, link it here.

What to Skip

• Long explanations of your teaching philosophy (save that for back to school night)
• Photo galleries that never get updated
• Downloadable PDF copies of every worksheet you have ever used
• Complex navigation menus

Every extra section is one more thing to maintain and one more obstacle between a parent and what they need.

Keeping It Alive

The biggest challenge with class websites is maintenance. Set a recurring calendar reminder — every other Friday, five minutes — to check that dates are current, the unit overview reflects what you are actually teaching, and any broken links are fixed.

A website that is six weeks out of date signals to parents that it is not worth checking. A website that is always current becomes a habit.

Platform Options

• Google Sites — free, easy, integrates with Google Classroom
• Seesaw or ClassDojo — if you are already using one of these, the parent-facing page can serve as your website
• Canva websites — more visually polished, slightly more effort

Pick the platform your school already supports. Familiarity beats features.