Newsreel Classroom vs Newsela
You want current events your whole class can read, including the kids who read below grade level. Newsela and Newsreel Classroom both try to solve that, in different ways.
Pick Newsela if your school already pays for it, or if you need a big library of leveled texts for ELA, social studies and science in grades 3 to 12. Pick Newsreel Classroom if you want today's news as a short daily assignment for grades 5 to 12, written by vetted journalists, with a quiz attached. A lot of teachers who have Newsela still want a daily news habit, and the two can sit side by side.
We make Newsreel Classroom. Every Newsela fact below comes from Newsela's website, checked October 25, 2026. If their site doesn't cover something, the table says so.
Newsreel Classroom and Newsela side by side
Checked October 25, 2026
| Newsreel Classroom | Newsela | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $49 a month per classroom of up to 35 students. Schools and districts get volume pricing. | Newsela Lite costs nothing for teachers whose school has no subscription. Paid pricing "varies based on the number of students served and the products purchased." Prices aren't listed. |
| Who it's for | Teachers of grades 5 to 12, in any subject. | Grades 3 to 12. |
| Who writes the content | Newsreel's own news team. Each story carries the journalist's name. AI drafts quiz questions and runs the dictionary, as our AI use policy discloses. | "Authentic, real world content from trusted sources." Listed content partners include the Associated Press, The Washington Post and Scientific American. |
| Format | New short news stories every day, plus the full archive. | More than 18,000 printable texts and videos, split across ELA, social studies, STEM and writing products. |
| Quizzes and assessment | Each story comes with a quiz and a poll. Scores show up in the teacher dashboard. | Embedded reading comprehension quizzes and writing prompts. More assessment through Formative. |
| Ads | None. Newsreel doesn't sell student data. | Not listed on their site. |
| Google Classroom | Yes. Import classes and students, or share a join code. | Yes, listed with Canvas, Schoology and ClassLink. On Newsela Lite, sync works if the district has set Newsela up as a trusted app. |
| Reading levels | Three. The lower levels keep the original reporting and add plain-language help and a built-in dictionary. | Five. |
| What students need | A class code or a Google Classroom import. It runs in any browser. | Not listed on their site. |
| Standout feature | Contested stories appear as they're being argued, with an opposing views section and no left/right labels. | Range. One platform covers reading in several subjects, with assessment and analytics tools sold to districts. |
Where Newsela is better
- It covers far more ground. Newsela has more than 18,000 texts and videos across ELA, social studies, science and writing. Newsreel Classroom is daily news only.
- It has five reading levels to our three, and it starts at grade 3. We start at grade 5.
- Teachers without a school subscription can use Newsela Lite at no cost. It's a small, rotating set of news articles, but it costs nothing. Newsreel Classroom is a paid plan.
- Districts can add assessment through Formative and analytics through Schoolytics, and Newsela lists Canvas, Schoology and ClassLink integrations.
- Paid Newsela accounts can download data. Our scores live in the dashboard for now, and export is on the roadmap for this school year.
Where Newsreel Classroom is better
- Our news team publishes new stories every day, so students read about what happened this week.
- Every reading level keeps the original reporting. The lower levels add plain-language help and a dictionary, so striving readers work with the same journalism as everyone else.
- Each story comes with a quiz and a poll. You pick a level and a due date, and scores arrive as students finish.
- Stories lay out the opposing views and what's at stake, without left/right labels.
- NAMLE named Newsreel Classroom its 2025 Media Literacy Resource of the Year, and it's part of Generation Citizen's Digital Media Literacy Toolkit.
This is what a Newsreel Classroom assignment looks like on a student screen.
How to use both
Many classrooms don't have to choose. Keep Newsela for the texts in your unit, and use Newsreel Classroom as the daily news opener: one short story and a quiz, done in about ten minutes.
When your unit topic turns up in the news, search the Newsreel archive for a matching story. Pair it with the Newsela text and ask students how the news changes what they read in the unit.
For more options, see our guides to free Newsela alternatives and the best current events websites for students, or read how Newsreel Classroom works.
See what your students would read today
Newsreel Classroom is a news source built to raise a generation that can think for itself about the news. Each day's stories come at three reading levels, with a quiz and poll attached.
See today's Classroom storiesFrequently asked questions
Is Newsela free?
Newsela Lite is a no-cost version for teachers whose school or district doesn't have a Newsela subscription. It gives you a rotating set of news articles picked by Newsela staff, at five reading levels, and each article expires after four weeks. The full library needs a paid school or district license.
How much does Newsela cost?
Newsela doesn't publish prices. Its FAQ says pricing varies based on the number of students served and the products purchased, so schools get a quote from sales. Newsreel Classroom is $49 a month for one classroom of up to 35 students.
What is a good alternative to Newsela for current events?
If you mostly use Newsela for news, a daily news source may fit better. Newsreel Classroom publishes new stories every day at three reading levels, each with a quiz and poll. CNN 10 is a no-cost daily news video. Our guide to free Newsela alternatives lists more.
How many reading levels does Newsela have?
Newsela publishes texts at five reading levels. Newsreel Classroom has three, and its lower levels keep the original reporting while adding plain-language help and a built-in dictionary.
Does Newsela work with Google Classroom?
Yes. Newsela lists Google Classroom as an integration, along with Canvas, Schoology and ClassLink. On Newsela Lite, sync works if the district has set Newsela up as a trusted app. Newsreel Classroom can import your classes and students from Google Classroom, or you can share a join code.
Can I use Newsela and Newsreel Classroom together?
Yes. A common setup is Newsela for unit texts and Newsreel Classroom for a short daily news assignment. The Newsreel archive helps you find a news story that matches the unit you're teaching.
Sources (checked October 25, 2026): newsela.com/faq; help.newsela.com, Newsela Lite (Free Account); newsela.com; newsela.com/partners. Newsreel facts: Classroom FAQ and Classroom plans.