---
title: "Guides"
description: "Step-by-step guides for partners integrating with the Education Data Platform — from first call to production."
url: "https://education.gough.run/guides"
image: "https://education.gough.run/_og/d/c_Ocean.takumi,title_Guides,description_~U3RlcC1ieS1zdGVwIGd1aWRlcyBmb3IgcGFydG5lcnMgaW50ZWdyYXRpbmcgd2l0aCB0aGUgRWR1Y2F0aW9uIERhdGEgUGxhdGZvcm0g4oCUIGZyb20gZmlyc3QgY2FsbCB0byBwcm9kdWN0aW9uLg,props_eyJ0aGVtZSI6eyJtb2RlIjoibGlnaHQiLCJjb2xvcnMiOnsicHJpbWFyeSI6IiM2NmFhMjMifX19,p_Ii9ndWlkZXMi,s_KrxzVxxw3MlxflA4.png"
---

## Guides

Step-by-step guides for partners integrating with the Education Data Platform — from first call to production.

## [Welcome](#welcome)

Whether you're building a parent-facing dashboard, an analytics pipeline, or an AI assistant that understands school data, the Education Data Platform gives you the building blocks to integrate quickly and safely.

These guides cover everything from registering an application and getting credentials, to using the three API styles (REST, GraphQL, MCP) for different consumer needs. Each guide includes runnable examples — copy, paste, adapt.

## Getting started

Document APIs

Find your way around the API catalog — read OpenAPI specs, browse the supplementary Markdown documentation, and use Try-It-Out to test endpoints without writing any client code.

[Read more](https://education.gough.run/guides/document-apis)

Publish APIs

Register your application, choose a subscription tier, and receive credentials. Then make your first authenticated request to any of the published APIs.

[Read more](https://education.gough.run/guides/publish-apis)

API Versioning

Understand our versioning strategy: how breaking changes are introduced, what counts as backward-compatible, and how long supported versions remain available.

[Read more](https://education.gough.run/guides/publish-apis/versioning)

## Frequently Asked Questions

Which API should I use — REST, GraphQL, or MCP?

Use REST when you need stable, well-defined endpoints for traditional integrations (dashboards, scheduled reports). Use GraphQL when your client needs flexible, query-driven access (specific fields, deeply nested data). Use MCP when you're building AI agents that need to call tools through the standard Model Context Protocol.

All three share the same authentication, rate limiting, and data model. You can mix and match in the same integration.

How are rate limits enforced?

Rate limits are applied per subscription tier (free / standard / premium) at the gateway.

For GraphQL specifically, requests are also evaluated for query cost using node quantifiers — large or deeply nested queries cost more, regardless of how many physical requests you send.

How do I get access to additional schools?

Your application is provisioned with access to a specific list of schools at onboarding. To add additional schools, request a quota change through your partner support channel. The list is reflected in the `schools` claim of your JWT and enforced at the API layer.