A parent account and a teacher account in Prodigy are two different tools for two different jobs. The parent account follows one child at home, shows that child’s progress, and manages membership. The teacher account runs a whole class at school, hands out a class code, sets work, and reads reports for every student. Pick the one that matches your role, because the wrong account will not show the pages you need.
What a parent account does
A parent account is built around one child, or a few children in the same family. You create it with your email, then link your child to it from the parent dashboard. Once the child is linked, you can see how much they played, which skills they practised, and how they are doing in math. You can also change the child password, set the grade level, and manage membership from the same place. Membership is the parent side of Prodigy: Core, Plus and Ultra are bought through the parent account, never through a teacher account.
A parent account is free to create, and the free version already covers progress reports and account controls. You only pay if you choose a membership, and the membership adds game extras such as extra pets, gear and members only areas. It does not change the math questions. For the login steps, read Prodigy login for parents, and for the full tour of the controls, see Prodigy parent dashboard.
What a teacher account does
A teacher account is built around a class, not a single child. It is free, including class creation, assignments, goals and reports, and teachers never need to pay for the classroom tools. You create the class, Prodigy gives you a class code, and your students enter that code once to join. From the teacher dashboard you can set assignments by skill or standard, set goals, and read a report for each student that shows what they answered and where they struggle. You can also add students from Google Classroom or Clever if your school uses either one.
Teachers do not buy memberships for the class, and a teacher account cannot see a child’s home membership or home play in the same detail a parent can. The two accounts look at the same child from different sides: the teacher sees classroom work, the parent sees home play. For the login steps, read Prodigy login for teachers.
Parent vs teacher, side by side
The table below sums up the difference in one glance. If you only remember one row, remember the first: a parent account follows a child, a teacher account runs a class.
| Feature | Parent account | Teacher account |
|---|---|---|
| Who it follows | Your own child or children | A whole class of students |
| Cost | Free, membership is optional and paid | Free, classroom tools included |
| Main screen | Parent dashboard | Teacher dashboard |
| Joining | Link a child from the dashboard | Students join with a class code |
| Reports | Progress for your child | Reports for every student in class |
| Assignments | Not available | Set skills, goals and assessments |
| Membership | Buy and manage it here | Not bought here |
| Grade level | Set it for your child | Set it per student or class |
Which account do you need
Choose a parent account if you are signing up for your own child at home. You want progress reports, grade controls and membership, and you do not need to set classwork. Choose a teacher account if you are setting Prodigy up for students at school. You want a class code, assignments and reports, and you do not need to buy anything. If you are a tutor working with a few children, a parent account usually fits better, because you follow each child one by one and there is no class to run.
Students never need either account. A student account is the third kind, and it is the one that actually plays the game. Parents and teachers manage student accounts from their own side, and the student only needs a username and password, or a Google or Clever login, to play.
Can one person hold both accounts
Yes, one person can hold both a parent account and a teacher account, and many teachers who are also parents do exactly that. The clean way to do it is with two different email addresses, so each login opens the right dashboard without any mix up. Sign in at prodigygame.com and pick the role that matches what you want to do in that moment. If you sign in and see the wrong dashboard, you are almost certainly in the other account, so sign out and sign in with the other email.
What to do if you picked the wrong one
If you created a teacher account but you only wanted to follow your child, do not try to turn it into a parent account, because the roles cannot be switched. Create a parent account with your email instead, link your child to it, and leave the teacher account unused. If you created a parent account but you need classroom tools, create a teacher account with a school email and set up your class there. In both cases the fix is a new account, not a settings change, and it only takes a few minutes.
If the problem is that you cannot sign in at all, check the basics first: the right email, the right password, and caps lock off. Password trouble has its own guide, Prodigy account passwords guide, and the reset steps are in Prodigy password reset and account recovery.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a parent and a teacher account in Prodigy?
A parent account follows your own child at home, shows their progress, and manages membership. A teacher account runs a whole class, hands out a class code, sets assignments, and reads reports for every student.
Is a Prodigy teacher account free?
Yes. Teacher accounts are free, including class creation, assignments, goals and reports. Only optional parent memberships are paid.
Does a parent account cost money?
Creating a parent account is free, and progress reports and account controls cost nothing. You only pay if you choose a membership, and the math questions stay free either way.
Can a teacher also have a parent account?
Yes. Use a different email address for each account so the two dashboards never get mixed up, and sign in with the email that matches the role you need.
I made the wrong account type. Can I change it?
No, an account cannot switch roles. Create a new account of the right type with your email, link your child or set up your class there, and leave the old account unused.
Related guides
This site is an independent guide. It is not the official Prodigy site, and it is not affiliated with Prodigy Education.
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