Your classroom tools. Your computer. Your judgment.
Local School helps you draft lessons, classroom materials, and feedback using local AI on your computer. Choose a tool, give it classroom context, and review the result before using it.
This guide introduces Apple Silicon Mac, Intel Mac, and Windows PC release options. The detailed workflows below document version 0.6.0 on Apple Silicon; Intel Mac and Windows screens, storage locations, and hardware requirements still need release-specific documentation. No public download is on this site yet. Start with fictional examples, and follow your school's requirements before using student information.
1. Choose your desktop version
When checkout opens, one $20 purchase will include Apple Silicon Mac, Intel Mac, and Windows PC downloads. Choose the installer for your computer; none of the downloads is available on this website yet.
- Apple Silicon Mac: An M-series chip. The 0.6.0 preview steps below apply here. Check the Apple menu → About This Mac for Chip.
- Intel Mac: A separate installer will be listed when checkout opens; hardware and setup requirements will be published before then.
- Windows PC: A separate installer will be listed when checkout opens; hardware and setup requirements will be published before then.
You'll need internet for the app and initial model download. Once a model is downloaded and loaded, you can generate drafts offline. No separate AI app or Local School account is required.
2. Install Local School
Download the installer for your selected platform when checkout opens. The following ZIP steps are specifically for the documented Apple Silicon Mac preview; Intel Mac and Windows installation steps will be published with their downloads:
- Download the Local School Mac ZIP from the release page.
- Double-click the ZIP to extract it.
- Move Local School.app into Applications.
- Open Local School.
If macOS blocks a preview build, stop and request the signed release. Do not disable your Mac's security protections.
3. Download and load a model
A model is the AI software that creates your drafts. It runs inside Local School. The model choices and memory suggestions below were documented on Apple Silicon; Intel Mac and Windows details will follow before checkout opens.
Open Model library and choose an option:
| Model | Download | Suggested memory (Mac preview) | Start here if… |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quick start | About 1.1 GB | 8 GB or more | You want to try the tools with a smaller download. |
| Larger model | About 4.7 GB | 16 GB or more | You have more memory available and want to evaluate the larger model. |
Choose Download model ↓. Keep the app open while it downloads. Once the download is verified, choose Load model and wait for LOADED ON THIS MAC.
Downloading and loading are separate steps. On later visits, use the model already downloaded on your computer and load it when needed. Performance depends on your computer and the length of your request. Neither model has been validated for dependable grading.
4. Create your first classroom draft
- Open Teacher toolkit.
- Choose Lesson planner.
- Select Try an example, or complete the required fields with your own lesson context.
- Select Create draft locally.
- Read the draft and edit it in Make it yours. Check facts, timing, directions, and fit for your students.
- Check I have reviewed this draft for accuracy and classroom use.
- Choose Word document (.docx) and select Export reviewed draft ↗. Pick a save location.
Some tools display their output only after the whole draft is ready. You can use Stop to cancel generation.
Export before closing. Inputs and drafts stay available while you switch tools, but this version does not save projects. Changing a tool's inputs clears its previous draft; export anything you want to keep first.
5. Add your curriculum as reference material
Use a course outline, unit guide, or classroom reading to give Local School more relevant context.
- Open Curriculum library.
- Select Add documents from this Mac (the label in the documented preview; other builds may differ).
- Choose a PDF, Word (.docx), Markdown, or plain-text document.
- Select Preview text and check that the imported text is complete.
- Check Use for responses for each document you want to include. New documents are not selected automatically.
- Return to a teacher tool or Ask Local School. Name the topic clearly in your request.
Local School searches selected documents for matching passages and includes relevant excerpts when they fit. Check the source excerpts listed with the response. Search can miss information, and a listed reference does not prove every generated claim is correct.
This supplies reference material; it does not retrain the model. Scanned pages, images, and diagrams are not read. Use a document with selectable text, and check the preview. Curriculum text and selections stay saved locally between sessions.
6. Explore the assessment tools
Paper feedback
Open Teacher toolkit → Assess → Paper feedback. Select Load sample paper for a fictional demonstration, or enter an assignment, rubric, and paper. You can paste a paper or use Import .txt; this tool does not currently import Word or PDF directly.
Select Draft feedback. Review the evidence, scores, and wording, then edit the feedback. Check the review box before exporting. You make the final assessment decisions.
Defend Your Learning
Open Teacher toolkit → Assess → Defend Your Learning. Paste a paper or select Import student paper to use a PDF, Word, Markdown, or text file. Check imported text before generating.
The tool creates five comprehension questions and a separate teacher guide grounded in the paper. It uses only that paper, even when curriculum documents are selected elsewhere.
Review the questions and teacher guide before use. Exports include the guide, so remove teacher answers from student copies. Use the questions to discuss understanding—with appropriate thinking time and support. They cannot establish whether a student used AI or who wrote the paper.
7. Choose an export format
| Format | Useful for |
|---|---|
| Word (.docx) | Editing and adapting your draft in a word processor. |
| PDF (.pdf) | Printing or sharing a fixed-layout copy. |
| Plain text (.txt) | Copying into another classroom tool. |
| Markdown (.md) | Keeping text with Markdown formatting markers. |
| Web document (.html) | Opening the exported document in a browser. |
All 17 teacher tools support these formats. Exports are text documents; slide outlines do not become PowerPoint files, and text-based tables do not become formatted Word tables. Review the exported file before sharing it.
What stays on your device?
The storage behavior below has been documented in the Apple Silicon 0.6.0 preview. Check release-specific privacy details for Intel Mac and Windows PC before using student information.
- AI generation: Runs inside Local School. Papers and prompts are not sent to a cloud AI service.
- Model downloads: Connect to Hugging Face for public model files. Papers and messages are not included in these downloads.
- Drafts, papers, and chat: Held in the app session and cleared when the app closes. Export work you want to keep.
- Curriculum library: Extracted text, filenames, and selections are saved locally. The app does not encrypt this library. Removing a document moves its extracted text to Trash; original files and existing exports remain unchanged.
- Exports: Saved wherever you choose. A folder synced with iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox, or another service may upload the exported file.
Open Privacy & storage in the app for more detail. Local processing does not replace your school's approval process or your device's security and backup settings.
Quick fixes
| If you see… | Try this |
|---|---|
| No model loaded, or generation is unavailable | Open Model library and choose Load model for a downloaded model. |
| A slow response | Allow more time, close other memory-heavy apps, or try Quick start with a shorter request. |
| An import with missing text | Check Preview text. Use selectable text rather than scanned pages or images. |
| A request that's too long | Shorten it intentionally and check what you removed. The app does not silently shorten oversized input. |
| An unavailable export button | Wait for generation to finish, review the draft, and check the review box. Editing the draft requires review again. |
| An incomplete or failed response | Do not treat it as finished. Try a shorter request or generate again and review the new result. |
| A chat reply missing earlier context | Include the necessary context in your next message. Each request is independent in this version. |
Need help?
For help, email team@localschool.ai. Support is email only; we do not offer phone or live chat support. We’re a small team, so responses may take time. We appreciate your patience.
Include your platform (Apple Silicon Mac, Intel Mac, or Windows PC), tool name, app version, model, memory, and the error wording. Use a fictional example to reproduce the issue. Do not send student papers, names, grades, or other student information; remove it from screenshots too.
Need help? team@localschool.ai · Email only. We're a small team; responses may take time.