---
title: Student search
category: student-management
order: 6
lastUpdated: 2026-06-08
featureAvailability: GA
roles: [admin, facilitator]
navigationPath: Students  •  Header search bar
relatedArticles: [student-management/student-records, student-management/merging-students]
---

## At a glance

- **Who uses it:** Admins and facilitators looking up a specific student or filtering the directory.
- **When to use it:** Daily — searching is the fastest way to land on a student record.
- **Permissions required:** Same scope as student records — admins see school-wide; facilitators see their caseload.
- **Navigation path:** Students list, or the global search bar in the header (press `/` to focus).

## Two ways to search

### Global search (header)

Searches across students, cases, and notes you have permission to see. Useful when you don't know whether the thing you're looking for is a student name, a case ID, or a phrase in a note.

### Students list filters

Combine search with filters on the **Students** page:

- **Search box** — name, preferred name, student ID, or alias.
- **Grade** — single grade or band.
- **Classroom teacher.**
- **Active cases** — any / none / 1+ / 2+.
- **Needs attention** — students flagged by attention rules.
- **Sort** — by name, last activity, attention flags.

[SCREENSHOT: students-list-filters]
_Students list with the filter bar expanded, showing search by name plus Grade and Needs attention filters applied._

## Tips & best practices

- Search by preferred name first — that's what teachers see and remember.
- Use the **Needs attention** filter weekly to triage your watch list.
- Use **Saved views** on the students list for recurring searches ("My 5th-grade math students with 1+ case").

## Common mistakes

- Typing partial student IDs and assuming no match — search uses prefix matching; very short prefixes return many results.
- Searching by legal name when the rest of the school uses a nickname — search both fields, but the preferred name is the day-to-day name.

## Related articles

- [Student records](/help/student-management/student-records)
- [Merging students](/help/student-management/merging-students)

## FAQ

**Why don't I see all students at my school?**
Facilitators see only students attached to their caseload. To see school-wide, you need the admin role.

**Does search include closed cases?**
Yes — search spans every case you have permission to see, regardless of status.