diff --git a/creativeschool/settings.py b/creativeschool/settings.py
index 623748d..cf4eec1 100644
--- a/creativeschool/settings.py
+++ b/creativeschool/settings.py
@@ -84,9 +84,14 @@ WSGI_APPLICATION = 'creativeschool.wsgi.application'
 # Database
 # https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/3.0/ref/settings/#databases
 
+DATABASE_URL = os.getenv("DATABASE_URL")
+
+if not DATABASE_URL:
+    raise RuntimeError("DATABASE_URL environment variable is not set")
+
 DATABASES = {
     "default": dj_database_url.parse(
-        os.environ["DATABASE_URL"],
+        DATABASE_URL,
         conn_max_age=600,
     )
 }