Based on the most recent update from Google, public reviews and ratings will no longer be available for educational institutions across Google Search and Google Maps starting April 30, 2025. However, this decision pertains only to profiles marked as general education.” Further announcements will be provided through Google Business Profiles.
The update provided yesterday addresses primary and secondary schools, as well as postsecondary educational institutions across the globe. They will no longer be able to access reviews and ratings as this change has taken immediate effect.
This decision comes after Google faced great difficulty battling inappropriate content such as impersonation and prank reviews on school profiles.
By disabling the review feature, Google attempts to foster a more controlled and professional digital environment for these institutions.”
Why the Change?
Public reviews on school profiles have been at times misappropriated, with fabricated ratings and defamatory comments damaging a school’s standing.
This change reflects Google’s tendency to focus more on listings to provide information for users, which is authenticated rather than user-driven feedback. Google has suggested that it is working on other ways for the community to interact with educational data, possibly collaborating with some educational rating bodies that use more thoughtful approaches.
Furthermore, the company initially outlined that reviews of other educational business activities, such as tutorial centers, examination preparation firms, and private educational consulting services, will remain the same since they function more typically as businesses.
Also Read: Optimising Content for Google AI Overviews (AIO)
What It Means for Schools
For institutions currently situated under the “General Education” classification, no reviews and ratings will be visible after the removal date. However, schools can keep the reviews by changing their profile category, thus bypassing this limitation.
Community Response
The announcement has sparked differing reactions. Some educators support the change, arguing that moderation of irrelevant or harmful reviews is cumbersome. However, some others believe that legitimate feedback from parents and students can benefit the transparency of a review system.
This is in response to other companies in the technology sector reconsidering the impact of user-generated content on public institutions. Last year, Meta enforced tighter validation thresholds for reviews of healthcare services and government services on Facebook and Instagram.
Looking Ahead
Google has yet to specify if other feedback systems will evaluate the model’s alternatives. Now, schools need to update and verify their profiles to keep relevant information properly.
Star ratings and reviews are no longer accepted, but other documents, such as information updates and announcements, can be posted by educational institutions on their Google Business accounts.