The Nueva School Data Breach Exposes Personal Information

The Nueva School, a nationally recognized nonprofit independent PreK-12 school for gifted learners in the San Francisco Bay Area, disclosed a data breach that occurred in June 2026.

The breach was reported to the California Attorney General on Oct. 30, 2026. The school began notifying affected individuals by written notice on Oct. 30, 2026.

The Nueva School detected suspicious activity within a portion of its network and took steps to secure its systems. The school launched a comprehensive investigation with the assistance of third-party forensic specialists to determine the full nature and scope of the activity.

The investigation determined that between June 13 and June 22, 2026, certain files within the school's network were accessed and copied without authorization. The school's detection of the suspicious activity came while the unauthorized access was still ongoing.

After identifying the affected files, the school began a review of their contents to determine what personal information was involved and which individuals were affected.

On July 18, 2026, a ransomware group known as Qilin posted a claim of responsibility for the attack on the dark web. The group claimed to have obtained the school's data.

The personal information exposed in the breach included names along with additional categories of personal data that varied by individual.

The Nueva School's response to the breach

The school is offering affected individuals complimentary identity monitoring services at no cost through Kroll.

Affected individuals can activate these services by visiting Kroll's enrollment page and entering the membership number included in their written notification letter. Each letter contained a specific enrollment deadline.

The school has also set up a dedicated assistance line for people with questions about the incident. The phone number is 844-971-8625, available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Central Time, excluding major U.S. holidays.