API Documentation — ThinkKits

Authentication

All API requests require an API key passed in the X-API-Key header. Keys are tied to a tier that determines your rate limits and available endpoints.

curl -H "X-API-Key: tk_your_key_here" \
  https://api.thinkkits.com/schools/search?q=Lincoln

API keys are available to Professional and Business platform subscribers. You can also purchase standalone API access through the Developer Portal.

Base URL

Production: https://api.thinkkits.com — Interactive docs: https://api.thinkkits.com/docs (Swagger UI)

API Tiers & Rate Limits

Free

$0

10 requests/day
100/month
School search only
No bulk export

Standard

$49/mo

500 requests/day
10,000/month
All GET endpoints
CSV export (1K rows)

Premium

$199/mo

5,000 requests/day
100,000/month
All endpoints + AI
Bulk export (10K rows)

Enterprise

Custom

Unlimited requests
Dedicated support
Custom integrations
SLA guarantee

Error Handling

The API returns standard HTTP status codes. Error responses include a detail field with a human-readable message.

Code	Meaning
`200`	Success
`400`	Bad request — invalid parameters
`401`	Unauthorized — missing or invalid API key
`403`	Forbidden — endpoint not available on your tier
`404`	Not found — school or resource doesn't exist
`422`	Validation error — missing required data on the school
`429`	Rate limit exceeded — wait and retry
`500`	Server error — contact support

// Error response format
{
  "detail": "School not found"
}

School Intelligence

GET /schools/search Free Autocomplete school search by name

Search for schools by name. Returns matches ranked by enrollment. Use for autocomplete and lookup.

Query Parameters

Param	Type	Required	Description
`q`	string	Required	Search query (min 2 chars)
`limit`	int	No	Max results (default: 10, max: 50)

Example

GET /schools/search?q=Lincoln+Elementary&limit=5

// Response
{
  "results": [
    {
      "nces_id": "170993000917",
      "name": "Lincoln Elementary School",
      "city": "Springfield",
      "state": "IL",
      "school_level": "Elementary",
      "enrollment": 485
    }
  ]
}

GET /schools/{nces_id} Free Full school profile with intelligence scores

Returns a complete school profile including demographics, funding scores, bright spot status, and lead tier.

Path Parameters

Param	Type	Description
`nces_id`	string	12-digit NCES school ID

Response Fields

Field	Type	Description
`nces_id`	string	NCES school identifier
`name`	string	School name
`city`, `state`	string	Location
`school_level`	string	Elementary, Middle, High
`enrollment`	int	Total student count
`frl_pct`	float	Free/reduced lunch percentage
`math_proficiency`	float	State math assessment proficiency %
`bright_spot_tier`	string	BRIGHT_SPOT or null
`lead_tier`	string	HOT, WARM, NURTURE, MONITOR
`funding_program_count`	int	Number of eligible funding programs
`funding_score`	float	Composite funding eligibility score (0-100)

GET /schools/{nces_id}/peers Standard Find demographically similar schools

Returns schools with similar enrollment, FRL rate, and school level, ranked by math proficiency. Useful for benchmarking and identifying high-performing peers.

Query Parameters

Param	Type	Default	Description
`frl_band`	int	10	FRL percentage band width (1-30)
`limit`	int	15	Max peer results (1-50)

Response

Returns target (the school), peers (list of similar schools), best_peer_math, and gap_to_best.

GET /schools/{nces_id}/health Premium Composite 0-100 health score

Computes a composite health score from funding adequacy (40%), academic performance (30%), and equity indicators (30%). See our Methodology page for the full formula.

Response includes

Field	Description
`health_score`	Composite 0-100 score
`health_tier`	THRIVING, STABLE, AT_RISK, CRITICAL
`funding_sub`	Funding dimension score (0-100)
`academic_sub`	Academic dimension score (0-100)
`equity_sub`	Equity dimension score (0-100)
`risk_factors`	Array of identified risk areas
`strengths`	Array of identified strengths

GET /schools/{nces_id}/needs Premium AI needs assessment combining all data

Comprehensive needs assessment combining demographics, funding, equity, staffing, and achievement data. Returns risk factors, strengths, recommended interventions, and matching funding programs.

GET /schools/{nces_id}/equity Premium Equity profile — discipline, access, staffing

Returns school-level equity indicators from CRDC data: suspension rates, AP course access, counselor availability, pupil-teacher ratio, and equity score — plus state averages for comparison.

GET /bright-spots Standard Schools outperforming demographics

Returns schools flagged as bright spots — outperforming expectations given their demographics and funding level.

Query Parameters

Param	Type	Description
`state`	string	Filter by 2-letter state code
`min_frl`	float	Minimum FRL percentage (0-100)
`level`	string	Elementary, Middle, High
`limit`	int	Max results (default: 25, max: 100)

Funding & Grants

GET /schools/{nces_id}/funding Free Funding eligibility for a school

Returns all federal funding programs a school is eligible for, with program name, annual pool size, strength of eligibility, and funding type.

// Response
{
  "nces_id": "170993000917",
  "eligible_programs": [
    {
      "program_id": "TITLE_I_A",
      "name": "Title I Part A",
      "pool": 18400000000,
      "strength": "DIRECT",
      "funding_type": "FORMULA"
    }
  ],
  "count": 5
}

POST /purchase/qualify Standard Check if a purchase qualifies for funding

Describe a purchase in plain English and get back matching funding categories, eligible programs, legal citations, and confidence scores.

Request Body

{
  "description": "Math manipulative kits with base-ten blocks and fraction tiles for grades 3-5"
}

Response

Returns matches array with category, confidence (HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW), matched keywords, and funding_programs with program ID, name, strength, justification, and annual pool.

GET /grants/programs Free List available grant programs

Returns all federal funding programs available for AI grant writing, with program ID, name, and CFDA number.

Valid program IDs: TITLE_I_A, TITLE_II_A, TITLE_III_A, TITLE_IV_A, IDEA_B, 21ST_CCLC, PERKINS_V

POST /grants/write Premium AI-generated grant narrative (.docx)

Generates a complete grant application narrative with 7 sections: Executive Summary, Statement of Need, Goals, Project Design, Evaluation Plan, Budget Justification, and Sustainability Plan. Returns a downloadable .docx file.

Request Body

{
  "nces_id": "480003012035",
  "program_id": "TITLE_I_A",
  "project_description": "Math manipulative kits for grades K-5 aligned to CCSS"
}

Response: Binary .docx file download.

POST /reports/justification Premium Audit-ready justification report (.docx)

Generates a funding justification document with school demographics, eligible programs, standards alignment, per-pupil cost analysis, and compliance citations. Returns a downloadable .docx file.

Request Body

{
  "nces_id": "010000500871",
  "purchase_description": "STEM math manipulative kits for grades 3-5"
}

Data & Analytics

GET /query/ask Premium Natural language data query

Ask questions in plain English and get structured results. The AI translates your question into a graph query, executes it, and returns data.

Query Parameters

Param	Type	Description
`q`	string	Natural language question (e.g., "Title I schools in Texas with declining enrollment")

GET /export/schools Enterprise Bulk export filtered school data

Export up to 25,000 school records as JSON or CSV. Filter by state, level, FRL range, enrollment, lead tier, bright spots, and alerts.

Query Parameters

Param	Type	Description
`state`	string	2-letter state code
`level`	string	Elementary, Middle, High
`min_frl`, `max_frl`	float	FRL percentage range (0-100)
`min_enrollment`	int	Minimum enrollment
`lead_tier`	string	HOT, WARM, NURTURE, MONITOR
`bright_spot_only`	bool	Only bright spot schools
`limit`	int	Max rows (default: 5000, max: 25000)
`fmt`	string	`json` or `csv`

GET /districts/{leaid}/spending Standard District spending breakdown

Returns F-33 finance data for a district: total expenditure, instructional/admin/capital splits, per-pupil spending, revenue sources (federal/state/local), and state averages for comparison.

GET /spending/compare Standard Compare spending across districts

Rank districts by per-pupil spending, instruction percentage, admin percentage, or total expenditure. Filter by state or run nationally.

Query Parameters

Param	Type	Description
`state`	string	Filter to a single state
`sort_by`	string	`perPupil`, `instructionPct`, `adminPct`, `totalExp`
`limit`	int	Max results (default: 25, max: 100)

GET /equity/gaps Premium Find largest equity gaps by state

Identifies schools with the most significant equity gaps in a state, measured by equity score, suspension rate, AP course access, or pupil-teacher ratio.

Query Parameters

Param	Type	Description
`state`	string	Required — 2-letter code
`metric`	string	`equityScore`, `suspensionRate`, `apCourseCount`, `pupilTeacherRatio`
`limit`	int	Max results (default: 25)

Vendor & Sales Intelligence

POST /leads/from-purchase Standard Build targeted school lead lists

Given target funding programs, returns schools eligible for those programs, ranked by lead score. Perfect for vendor territory planning and prospect list building.

Request Body

{
  "program_ids": ["TITLE_I_A", "TITLE_IV_A"],
  "product_description": "STEM manipulative kits",
  "state": "TX",
  "level": "Elementary",
  "min_enrollment": 300,
  "lead_tier": "HOT",
  "limit": 100
}

Response includes contact info (principal, phone, address), lead scores, and funding program matches for each school.

GET /market/summary Premium TAM, lead tiers, funding coverage

Market intelligence summary showing lead tier distribution, total student counts, average FRL rates, and bright spot distribution. Filter by state or run nationally.

Query Parameters

Param	Type	Description
`state`	string	Optional 2-letter state code

GET /vendors/erate Premium Top E-Rate vendors by commitment volume

E-Rate vendor rankings by total commitment amount. Filter by state and funding year. Shows vendor name, commitment count, total amount, top states, and service types.

Query Parameters

Param	Type	Description
`state`	string	Filter by state
`funding_year`	int	Filter by E-Rate funding year
`limit`	int	Max results (default: 25)

GET /vendors/erate/{vendor_name} Premium Detailed vendor commitment data

Full E-Rate commitment history for a vendor: recipient schools, amounts, service types, discount rates, and years active. Includes summary statistics.

GET /shortages Standard Teacher shortage areas by state

Returns DOE-designated teacher shortage areas. Without a state filter, returns all states with their shortage subjects. With a state filter, returns subjects and count of schools with math teacher shortages.

Geography

GET /states/{abbr}/profile Standard Comprehensive state profile

Returns state-level aggregates: total schools, districts, enrollment, average FRL, math proficiency, school level distribution, funding programs, top 5 bright spots, largest schools, and top districts.

GET /districts/search Free Autocomplete district search

Search districts by name. Returns NCES ID, name, state, total schools, and enrollment.

Query Parameters

Param	Type	Description
`q`	string	Required — search query (min 2 chars)
`limit`	int	Max results (default: 10)

POST /reports/district Premium AI District Intelligence Report (.docx)

Generates a comprehensive district intelligence report as a downloadable .docx. Includes all schools, aggregate stats, funding analysis, and AI-generated insights.

Request Body

{
  "district_nces_id": "4807020"
}

AI Tools

POST /agent/chat Premium Chat with the ThinkKits AI agent

Full conversational AI agent with access to all platform tools. Supports multi-turn conversation with history. The agent can search schools, analyze funding, generate reports, and answer complex questions.

Request Body

{
  "message": "Find Title I elementary schools in Georgia with 500+ enrollment",
  "history": []
}

Returns response (text) and tool_calls (count of tools the agent used).

POST /extract/document Premium AI document extraction (image/text)

Upload an invoice, quote, email, or product document (image or text). AI extracts the purchase description, vendor, amount, quantity, and unit price. Use as input for /purchase/qualify.

Request

Multipart form upload with a file field. Supports images (JPEG, PNG) and text documents.

Account & Marketplace

GET /marketplace/tiers Public List API tiers and pricing

Returns all available API tiers with daily/monthly limits, pricing, and descriptions. No authentication required.

GET /marketplace/usage Any Key View your API usage statistics

Returns your usage statistics including daily and monthly request counts, remaining quota, and historical usage over the specified time period.

Query Parameters

Param	Type	Description
`days`	int	Lookback period (default: 30, max: 365)

GET /standards/certify Standard Standards coverage certification

Returns curriculum standards data for a state and subject, including total standards, framework names, grade distribution, and ThinkKits product alignment percentage.

Query Parameters

Param	Type	Description
`state`	string	Required — 2-letter state code
`subject`	string	Subject name (default: Mathematics)