AncestryClassroom FAQ

Why do you need my school’s public IP addresses?
Ancestry uses a school’s external IP addresses to log users into the site. IP authentication is the industry standard for online resources and therefore quite common in libraries, colleges, etc. By providing us with your locations’ public IP addresses our site will be able to look for traffic from your network coming in. When this happens, the site will automatically log you in based on your IP. There will be no usernames/passwords for you or your students to deal with. Ancestry will not use your IP address information for any other purpose beyond authentication.

Are my students not allowed to create their own trees on the classroom site?
No, students are prohibited from creating their own trees on the site. This is because we strive to be COPPA compliant so no personal information from students can be saved directly on the site. Should your curriculum require that your students build family trees, the Resources tab has printable charts and forms that will allow them to keep track of information using pen and paper. They are also free to print and/or save most of the records they find while using the site. This can be helpful when trying to build reports or use history.

Can other teachers and librarians use the site or just one class?
We typically setup Classroom accounts in one of two ways.
  1. For a whole school building.
  2. For a whole district.
Requesting access for a school would provide everyone at that location with the ability to access the resources included in the grant. If you initially requested access for a single school and want to upgrade to a district-wide setup, just let us know and we can typically accommodate the setup change. Due to the way most school networks are implemented we highly recommend requesting a district setup from the start, if possible. This will typically end up requiring less work from both yours and our side as well as provide a more seamless integration for your schools.

Additional Resources – Please don’t forget that the AncestryClassroom site itself has many resources located on the Resources and Associates tabs. You can find things like lesson plans, research tips, and more on this site.

I'm having an issue with the site. What should I do?
If you are having trouble with certain items like logging in or a function not working properly, the first thing you should try is clearing your browser's cache and cookies. This step alone will resolve many of the more common problems that can arise while browsing the web. You can find help with performing this task in the following support article: Managing Your Cache and Cookies

If the issue does not improve, please refer to the troubleshooting guide below.

Does the grant offer DNA kits to schools?
At this time we are declining to sell AncestryDNA kits to K12 locations or any environment that may potentially involve minors in order to help protect the privacy and online security of those individuals. The only way for your students to take an AncestryDNA test would be for them to go through their own parent/guardian at home.

Can my college or university sign up for AncestryClassroom?
AncestryClassroom is only to be used in primary and secondary schools. Post-secondary institutions should contact ProQuest to purchase Ancestry Library Edition. Click here for more information.

I'm in college now. How can I keep using Ancestry?
If you're enrolled in an accredited U.S. college or university, you can subscribe to Ancestry's World Explorer Student Plan for just $4.99/month. Click here for more information.


AncestryClassroom Troubleshooting

My setup is supposed to be IP authenticated but when I try getting to the service, I see a login page. What can I do?
Seeing a login page when trying to get to AncestryClassroom when you’re supposed to be automatically logged in by IP (Internet Protocol) authentication typically means that Ancestry has the incorrect IP address or range of IP addresses in our system for your setup. To rectify this issue, please check with your IT or network personnel to ensure you’ve provided us with the correct IP address(es). If access was working at one time and suddenly isn’t any longer, it’s usually a good indicator that something has changed on your network such as being assigned new IPs by your network team or internet service provider. If you have already verified that Ancestry has the correct IPs and it’s still not working, it’s possible that there could be a firewall, proxy service, or some other security blockage that’s preventing our login cookies from being created in your browsing session. You may need to have your IT department whitelist the URLs found at the end of this document in all applicable places. If you were getting a login screen and Ancestry has since added new IPs to your account, you may need to clear your browser’s cache/cookies to resolve any residual effects.

When I try viewing a record on AncestryClassroom, why am I getting a page that says, “We're sorry. The page you tried to access is no longer available.”?
All AncestryClassroom setups must have record access to our system. As stated in our Terms, AncestryClassroom accounts last for 3 years and are automatically renewed thereafter. However, there are some scenarios in which this process might not occur as intended. If you see the “access is no longer available” message, please contact us at [email protected] so that we may review your setup.

Another reason you may be seeing the above message is that there are problems with one or more pages on the website. If you have verified with us that your access is active, please provide the exact steps you’re taking to see the error page. This will help us troubleshoot the problem from our end. Screenshots are helpful.

AncestryClassroom looks strange when I visit. All of the images and text are out of place, no matter which browser I use. What’s wrong?
It’s possible that there could be a firewall, proxy service, or some other security blockage that’s preventing the site from rendering correctly. You may need to have your IT department whitelist the URLs found at the end of this document in all applicable places. If this does not correct the problem, please see the next question below.

I’m having some other issue with AncestryClassroom. What can I do?
Most schools or school districts have either an internal IT department or an outsourced IT provider they can turn to for general computer or networking troubles. If you’re having an issue with a particular website (whether AncestryClassroom or others) it’s always a good idea to make sure everything is in order on your end first. This can include having your IT providers ensure things like Java and Javascript are enabled and operating correctly on your computers and web browsers, making sure your operating system is up-to-date, etc. If you have checked the basics and are still having trouble with the site, try a different web browser and/or a different computer to see if you can replicate the problem under various conditions. If the issue is happening across multiple browsers (even after clearing cache/cookies) and on different computers, there’s a chance that there could be an issue with the site or your network configuration. If the issue is only happening on a single computer or bank of computers, it’s likely an internal issue for your IT people to work on. If you’ve tried various things already and think there could be site problems, feel free to email [email protected] so we can investigate. Please include the following:
  • Which browsers you’ve tried and what versions they were
  • What operating systems you were on
  • What troubleshooting steps you’ve tried so far
  • Screenshots of the problem
  • A description or screenshots of any error messages you are seeing
These items will help us diagnose your problem and arrive at a resolution quicker. If you don’t feel confident having a technical conversation, your IT staff is welcome to email us directly.

What are the minimum requirements to use AncestryClassroom?
Generally speaking, there is no third-party software you need to install on your computers in order to use AncestryClassroom. Because it is a website on the Internet, you can access it from almost all modern web browsers without the need of anything special. That said, there are a few pieces of software and certain browser settings that can affect your experience.

  • Browser: You’ll want to make sure you have an up-to-date web browser. Please see this support article for more information on which browsers we support: Recommended Web Browsers
  • JavaScript: Ancestry relies heavily on scripted functions all over our sites. By default, scripts should be turned on in your browser but some network administrators turn them off as a security precaution. If this is the case for your computers, we would recommend checking with your IT/networking teams and request that they whitelist Ancestry’s sites so that you get the best experience.
  • PDF Reader: There are documents in the Charts & Forms section that are in PDF format which must be opened with a PDF reading program. Many modern web browsers come with a PDF viewer extension preinstalled but if yours has been disabled or otherwise not accessible you may wish to obtain something like Adobe Reader so that you may take advantage of these resources.
  • Proxy Services: Please be aware that Ancestry does not directly support these and there are numerous issues that could arise if you have one implemented on your network. This is especially true if your service is of older design and/or does not work with JSON coding elements or has the URL rewrite option turned on.
  • Other Items: There are various other programs and settings that can affect your web browsing experience like having the most up-to-date graphics drivers for your hardware, having the most recent printer drivers, making sure all essential operating system updates have been downloaded and installed, etc. By and large your IT/networking teams should be managing these things, but if you think there may be a problem with any one component, please let them know so they can start checking it.

List of domains for adding to firewalls, proxy servers, security software, etc.
These must all be whitelisted in any applicable location. Note that due to the dynamic nature of our setup, Ancestry cannot supply a list of corresponding IP addresses for these domains.

  • ancestrycdn.com
  • ancestry.ca
  • ancestry.co.uk
  • ancestry.com
  • ancestry.com.au
  • ancestry.de
  • ancestry.fr
  • ancestry.ie
  • ancestry.it
  • ancestry.mx
  • ancestry.nl
  • ancestry.no
  • ancestry.pl
  • ancestry.se
  • ancestrycdn.com
  • ancestryclassroom.com
  • ancestryclassroom.com.au
  • ancestryconference.com
  • ancestryheritagequest.com
  • ancestryinstitution.ca
  • ancestryinstitution.co.uk
  • ancestryinstitution.com
  • ancestryinstitution.com.au
  • ancestryinstitution.de
  • ancestryinstitution.fr
  • ancestryinstitution.se
  • ancestryinstitutionstage.fr
  • ancestryk12.com
  • ancestrylibrary.ca
  • ancestrylibrary.com
  • ancestrylibrary.com.au
  • ancestrylibrary.de
  • ancestrylibrary.se
  • ancestrylibraryedition.co.uk
  • archives.com
  • findagrave.com
  • fold3.com
  • genealogy.com
  • newspapers.com
  • progenealogists.com
  • rootsweb.ancestry.com
  • rootsweb.com