In the previous version of the site, users were asked to rate their teachers on a scale of 1 to 5 in the categories of easiness, helpfulness, knowledge, and clarity, with the latter two factoring into an "overall quality" score.
Because those categories were so broad and influenced by the predisposition of the reviewer, a new survey was developed in consultation with educational psychologists, teachers, and students themselves.
To complement the new survey and comply with GDPR, the site was entirely rebuilt and launched prior to the 2019–20 school year with a new look and feel.
[3] In 2003, the New York State United Teachers sought a court injunction to shut down the site, though the request was denied on free speech grounds.
In April 2007, the British education secretary Alan Johnson said that the online harassment of teachers performed by sites such as RateMyTeachers.com needs to stop.