Quickstart

Prerequisites

A SchoolScout account with API access
An API key from Settings > API Keys

1. Get Your API Key

In the dashboard UI, go to Settings > API Keys and create a key. You will use it in the Authorization header:

Authorization: Bearer sk_live_your_key_here

2. List Districts

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  'https://schoolscout.ai/api/v1/districts?limit=5'

Response:

{
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "550e8400-...",
      "name": "Denver Public Schools",
      "student_count": 92000,
      "status": "completed",
      "_access": { "is_unlocked": true }
    }
  ],
  "pagination": {
    "total": 178,
    "limit": 5,
    "offset": 0,
    "has_more": true
  }
}

3. Search Contacts

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  'https://schoolscout.ai/api/v1/contacts?search=superintendent&limit=10'

4. Get Buying Signals

Once a district is unlocked, access its intelligence data:

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  'https://schoolscout.ai/api/v1/districts/DISTRICT_ID/buying-signals'

Response includes contracts, pain points, and funding opportunities:

{
  "contracts": [...],
  "painPoints": [...],
  "funding": [...]
}

5. Build a Pipeline

Create a list to organize your prospects:

curl -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  'https://schoolscout.ai/api/v1/lists' \
  -d '{"name": "CO Tech Buyers", "entity_type": "district"}'

Add districts to the list:

curl -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  'https://schoolscout.ai/api/v1/lists/LIST_ID/items' \
  -d '{"entity_ids": ["DISTRICT_ID_1", "DISTRICT_ID_2"]}'

Next Steps

Browse the API Reference for all available endpoints
Learn about the data model
Understand the credit system
Review rate limits for your plan
Set up MCP integration for AI-powered access