Independence
Trade Schools Review is independently operated by a small editorial team in Atlanta, Georgia. We are not owned by, affiliated with, or contractually obligated to any educational institution, recruiting agency, or for-profit education group. Editorial decisions — including which schools to list, how to describe them, and how to rank them — are made by our editorial team alone.
How we make money
The site is supported by display advertising and, where applicable, contextual sponsored content. Display ads are clearly labeled as advertising and are served through third-party ad networks. Any sponsored content will be marked “Sponsored” at the top of the unit and visually separated from editorial listings. Schools cannot pay for inclusion, cannot pay to be ranked higher, and cannot influence the wording of their listing.
Sourcing standards
Every school listed on the site is verified against at least one of the following: (1) the current IPEDS Institutional Characteristics dataset from the U.S. Department of Education; (2) a state licensing board or accreditor directory; (3) the school’s own current website. If we cannot verify a school’s existence and current operating status, we do not list it.
Accuracy and corrections
We aim to keep listings accurate, but data does drift — tuition changes, programs are added or dropped, schools merge or close. We re-verify each listing at least once every twelve months. Reader-reported corrections are reviewed by Tyler Brooks within five business days. Where a correction is verifiable, we apply it and update the listing’s “last verified” date. Where it isn’t, we respond to the reporter explaining what we found.
Use of AI in our editorial process
We use large language models to help compile candidate school lists from public data, draft initial summaries, and normalize messy source content into our structured format. Every paragraph that appears on a school profile, city page, or guide is reviewed by a member of our editorial team before publication. We do not publish unedited model output. We do not use AI to generate synthetic outcome data, fictional employer names, or invented student testimonials.
What we don’t publish
We do not publish: invented student reviews; outcome statistics (placement rate, salary, graduation rate) without a verifiable source; specific employer names unless they appear on the school’s own published placement disclosures; or claims about a school’s quality, reputation, or fit for a particular student. Where outcome data is required by federal or accreditor disclosure rules and the school publishes it, we may cite it with attribution.
User submissions and reviews
When we accept user-submitted reviews, they are reviewed by our editorial team before publication. We remove reviews that contain personal attacks, fabricated claims, or content that violates a person’s privacy. We do not edit the substance of a review to make a school look better or worse, but we may correct typos or factual inaccuracies about the school (e.g. wrong program length, wrong address).
Privacy
When you contact us through the contact form or by email, we use your information only to respond to your inquiry. We do not sell user data to schools or to third parties. Please see our Privacy Policy for the full statement.
How to reach us
For corrections, listing requests, or other editorial matters, email [email protected]. For general inquiries, use our contact form. Our editorial mailing address is 756 W Peachtree St NW #4, Atlanta, GA 30332.
This policy was last reviewed by the editorial team and is subject to change. For specific data sources and the school-listing process, see our Methodology page.