diff --git a/lms/envs/aws.py b/lms/envs/aws.py
index a197cbd480..9421097531 100644
--- a/lms/envs/aws.py
+++ b/lms/envs/aws.py
@@ -349,8 +349,8 @@ ANALYTICS_SERVER_URL = ENV_TOKENS.get("ANALYTICS_SERVER_URL")
 ANALYTICS_API_KEY = AUTH_TOKENS.get("ANALYTICS_API_KEY", "")
 
 # Analytics data source
-ANALYTICS_DATA_URL = ENV_TOKENS.get("ANALYTICS_DATA_URL")
-ANALYTICS_DATA_TOKEN = AUTH_TOKENS.get("ANALYTICS_DATA_TOKEN", "")
+ANALYTICS_DATA_URL = ENV_TOKENS.get("ANALYTICS_DATA_URL", ANALYTICS_DATA_URL)
+ANALYTICS_DATA_TOKEN = AUTH_TOKENS.get("ANALYTICS_DATA_TOKEN", ANALYTICS_DATA_TOKEN)
 
 # Zendesk
 ZENDESK_USER = AUTH_TOKENS.get("ZENDESK_USER")
diff --git a/lms/envs/common.py b/lms/envs/common.py
index e50fe6fb77..e5b37a0a8f 100644
--- a/lms/envs/common.py
+++ b/lms/envs/common.py
@@ -259,6 +259,11 @@ FEATURES = {
     # Show a "Download your certificate" on the Progress page if the lowest
     # nonzero grade cutoff is met
     'SHOW_PROGRESS_SUCCESS_BUTTON': False,
+
+    # Analytics Data API (for active student count)
+    # Default to false here b/c dev environments won't have the api, will override in aws.py
+    'ENABLE_ANALYTICS_ACTIVE_COUNT': False,
+
 }
 
 # Used for A/B testing
@@ -1653,3 +1658,7 @@ ADVANCED_SECURITY_CONFIG = {}
 ### External auth usage -- prefixes for ENROLLMENT_DOMAIN
 SHIBBOLETH_DOMAIN_PREFIX = 'shib:'
 OPENID_DOMAIN_PREFIX = 'openid:'
+
+### Analytics data api settings
+ANALYTICS_DATA_URL = ""
+ANALYTICS_DATA_TOKEN = ""
diff --git a/lms/envs/dev.py b/lms/envs/dev.py
index 999f046271..83484cbfbf 100644
--- a/lms/envs/dev.py
+++ b/lms/envs/dev.py
@@ -266,7 +266,7 @@ ANALYTICS_API_KEY = ""
 
 ANALYTICS_DATA_URL = "http://127.0.0.1:8080"
 ANALYTICS_DATA_TOKEN = ""
-FEATURES['ENABLE_ANALYTICS_ACTIVE_COUNT'] = True
+FEATURES['ENABLE_ANALYTICS_ACTIVE_COUNT'] = False
 
 ##### segment-io  ######
 
diff --git a/lms/envs/devstack.py b/lms/envs/devstack.py
index 330725df2e..3da4768c5c 100644
--- a/lms/envs/devstack.py
+++ b/lms/envs/devstack.py
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ ANALYTICS_API_KEY = ""
 
 ANALYTICS_DATA_URL = "http://127.0.0.1:8080"
 ANALYTICS_DATA_TOKEN = ""
-FEATURES['ENABLE_ANALYTICS_ACTIVE_COUNT'] = True
+FEATURES['ENABLE_ANALYTICS_ACTIVE_COUNT'] = False
 
 
 ################################ DEBUG TOOLBAR ################################