Points and Levels

A paper staircase where each step carries a star, and the stars get bigger toward the top.

Points and levels give members a visible sense of progress inside your community. They work best when they reward contributions that genuinely help other people.

What it is

On Skool, a member earns one point when another person likes their post, comment, or reply. Giving a like does not earn the point, receiving the like does.

Points move members through nine levels. A member's level belongs to that specific community, so progress does not carry from one group to another.

You can connect course access to a level. This lets useful participation lead to deeper material when that relationship makes sense for the member journey.

The level thresholds

As of July 2026, the nine levels begin at these point totals:

Level 1: 0 points
Level 2: 5 points
Level 3: 20 points
Level 4: 65 points
Level 5: 155 points
Level 6: 515 points
Level 7: 2,015 points
Level 8: 8,015 points
Level 9: 33,015 points

Skool advances the member automatically when they reach the next threshold. Their current level appears by their name or on their profile.

How it works

The basic loop is straightforward:

A member writes a post, comment, or reply.
Someone finds it useful and likes it.
The author receives one point.
Their total moves toward the next level.
A new level may open a course if you configured a level lock.

The useful part of this loop is not the point itself. It is the signal that another member found the contribution worth noticing.

Use Post Format And Engagement to invite better questions, examples, and replies. Use Course Completion Drivers to make an unlocked course lead somewhere meaningful.

Designing level unlocks

Keep the first valuable material available to a new member. A level lock should feel like a clear next step, not a barrier placed before the community has helped them.

A Level 2 or Level 3 unlock can make early progress visible, but only use one when the reward fits the effort and the contribution you want to encourage.

Explain the thresholds and the reward before asking members to work toward it. If your group uses custom level names, make them easy to understand.

Use Classroom Course Structure to keep locked courses connected to a clear learning path. Let Leaderboards And Gems show progress without making the leaderboard the main purpose.

Best practice

Tell members exactly what earns a point.
Reward helpful contribution through genuine likes, not arranged exchanges.
Keep essential rules and orientation open to everyone.
Make the first unlock achievable and useful.
Use level names that fit your community and remain easy to interpret.
Pair a milestone with a useful next action, not a demand for more posts.
Introduce the system gently during Member Onboarding.
Compare point activity with Retention And Churn before deciding the system works.
Respect members who learn quietly. Skool says removing inactive or Level 1 members does not improve Discovery rank.

Pitfalls

Asking for likes turns contribution into a points transaction.
Rewarding volume can fill the feed with weak posts and comments.
Hiding thresholds makes course access feel arbitrary.
Placing essential content high on the ladder can block new members from value.
A point total is not the same as learning, retention, or revenue.
Levels are not portable between communities.
Ordinary points and levels are separate from Skool Games revenue ranking.
Skool has not explained what gems do, so do not promise members a specific meaning for them.