What’s allowed? What’s restricted? What are schools required to teach?

Explore state and district policies by grade, compare requirements, and see what could change next.

Independent research by Stewart Brown · K–8 computer science, AI literacy & education partnerships · About Stewart

October 2026 editionUpdated Oct 8, 2026Scope & limitations

Device access, limits on use and required learning

Device access

88% of public schools

Reported a device for every student through a 1:1 computing program in 2024–25.

NCES school survey

Limits on use

9 states with findings

Adopted limits on school-issued devices, instructional screen time or student AI. Personal-phone rules are separate.

Topics and states

School-issued devices: 5
Arizona, California, Iowa, Tennessee, Utah

Screen time: 6
Alabama, Connecticut, Iowa, Minnesota, Tennessee, Utah

Student AI: 1
Oklahoma

Topic counts overlap. Each state counts once in the total.

Explore restrictions

Required learning

21 states with findings

Require instruction or demonstrated competency in computer science, AI or digital literacy for at least one grade or cohort.

Subjects and states

Computer science: 16
Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, Nevada, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia

AI literacy: 0
No matching reviewed finding.

Digital literacy: 11
Alabama, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia

Subjects overlap. Standards alone, course offerings and optional resources are excluded.

Explore required learning

Where do limits and learning overlap? 3 of the 9 states with documented limits also have a documented learning requirement. For the other 6, this tracker has no matching statewide learning requirement recorded. Requirements may cover different grades and subjects.

Dates, coverage and what this comparison means

The device figure measures schools in 2024–25. The policy figures count states in the research release of Oct 8, 2026, including adopted requirements starting later. They exclude proposals and D.C.

Device access does not measure classroom use. Required learning does not establish what students have learned, and computer science or digital literacy requirements do not automatically include AI literacy. These figures do not form a time series or establish that device adoption caused restrictions.

Limits and required learning: Alabama, Iowa, Tennessee.

Limits found; matching required learning not documented: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Utah. Missing findings are research gaps, not proof that schools do not teach these subjects.

Definitions and coverage · Dated policy changes

Start with the national picture

What changed in 2026?
Compare up to 3 states
Change the topic, grade or timing

The map compares limits on use with requirements to teach.

All K–12 · Published findings; coverage is partial

Limits and learning · All K–12

Passed, including requirements starting later
Alabama: Limits + required learning documentedAlaska: Limits found; learning not documentedArizona: Limits found; learning not documentedColorado: Limits found; learning not documentedFlorida: Limits found; learning not documentedGeorgia: Limits found; learning not documentedIndiana: Limits + required learning documentedKansas: Limits found; learning not documentedMaine: Limits + required learning documentedMassachusetts: No matching policies documentedMinnesota: Limits found; learning not documentedNew Jersey: Limits + required learning documentedNorth Carolina: Limits + required learning documentedNorth Dakota: Limits + required learning documentedOklahoma: Limits found; learning not documentedPennsylvania: No matching policies documentedSouth Dakota: No matching policies documentedTexas: Limits + required learning documentedWyoming: Limits found; learning not documentedConnecticut: Limits found; learning not documentedMissouri: Limits found; learning not documentedWest Virginia: Limits + required learning documentedIllinois: Limits + required learning documentedNew Mexico: Limits found; learning not documentedArkansas: Limits + required learning documentedCalifornia: Limits found; learning not documentedDelaware: Limits found; learning not documentedDistrict of Columbia: Limits found; learning not documentedHawaii: Limits found; learning not documentedIowa: Limits + required learning documentedKentucky: Limits + required learning documentedMaryland: Limits found; learning not documentedMichigan: Limits found; learning not documentedMississippi: No matching policies documentedMontana: No matching policies documentedNew Hampshire: Limits + required learning documentedNew York: Limits found; learning not documentedOhio: Limits found; learning not documentedOregon: Limits found; learning not documentedTennessee: Limits + required learning documentedUtah: Limits found; learning not documentedVirginia: Limits + required learning documentedWashington: No matching policies documentedWisconsin: Limits found; learning not documentedNebraska: Limits + required learning documentedSouth Carolina: Limits + required learning documentedIdaho: Limits + required learning documentedNevada: Limits + required learning documentedVermont: Limits found; learning not documentedLouisiana: Limits + required learning documentedRhode Island: Limits + required learning documentedALAKAZCOFLGAINKSMEMNNCNDOKPASDTXWYMOWVILNMARCAHIIAKYMIMSMTNYOHORTNUTVAWAWINESCIDNVLA1210642101161112251112

Small states & D.C.

Limits + required learning documented21Limits found; learning not documented24No matching policies documented6

1 Number of selected districts with matching evidence. State fill describes statewide evidence. District markers describe local findings separately.

Select a state for grades, dates and sources. Legend totals include D.C. A missing finding is a research gap, not proof that no policy exists. Learning means required CS, AI or digital-literacy instruction or demonstrated competency; standards and course offerings are separate. Coverage & method

State rules and learning policies are the focus. Device provision and approved AI tools are documented only where verified. Gray means an evidence gap, not no policy. Check coverage

How to read the map

A statewide action may cover a specific grade, school type or cohort. The overview includes all affected K–12 grades; details show the actual scope. A current action takes priority over an upcoming action. District evidence is a selected sample and is never treated as a statewide rule.

Counts include adopted future duties. “Upcoming only” means there is no current matching state requirement in the published findings; a state with both current and upcoming requirements counts once under current. The combined view adds personal-device rules to required student instruction. The school-technology view covers instructional screens, school-issued devices and student AI access conditions, including requirements for local policies. Required learning covers instruction or demonstrated competency in computer science, AI or digital literacy; it excludes course offerings, standards alone and optional resources.

Learning categories distinguish instruction, course availability, standards alignment and resources. “Varies by grade” means the personal-device rules differ across grade bands. Proposals appear separately from adopted requirements. Policy details distinguish documented funding from related support programs.

Map geometry: US Atlas / US Census. Attribution

Definitions and national totals: phones, instructional technology and required learning

Personal-device rules

43 states with findings

Statewide restrictions or duties to set local rules; includes adopted future starts.

Which states count?

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

50-state denominator; D.C. has its own profile. Reviewed findings in this collection, not a certification of exhaustive coverage. Categories overlap.

Instructional-tech limits

10 states with findings

School devices, instructional screens or student AI. Separate from ordinary phone rules.

Which states count?

Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah.

50-state denominator; D.C. has its own profile. Reviewed findings in this collection, not a certification of exhaustive coverage. Categories overlap.

Required learning

21 states with findings

CS, AI or digital-literacy instruction or demonstrated competency for a covered grade or cohort; includes future starts.

Which states count?

Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia.

50-state denominator; D.C. has its own profile. Reviewed findings in this collection, not a certification of exhaustive coverage. Categories overlap.

National, all-grade totals. Different questions, different counts. Phone restrictions do not automatically limit school-issued technology. Learning requirements can cover specific grades or cohorts. Definitions & counting method

Selected district examples · local detail

What the detail reveals · selected district examples

Access and understanding are separate decisions.

These districts show why “allows AI” or “bans AI” cannot tell the whole story.

Fairfax County, VA

Teach about AI without student chatbot use

Elementary generative-AI use is prohibited on district devices; secondary exceptions need written authorization.

K–12: one digital-literacy lesson each quarter. Grade 2 examines how data affects AI responses; grade 8 evaluates bias in teacher-provided output. Students do not use AI tools in these lessons.

See grades, exceptions and sources →

Sources checked 2026-10-05

New York City, NY

Restricted access, required AI learning

Student-facing generative AI is prohibited through grade 8. High-school access is limited to approved programs.

Grades 9–12: two required 45-minute modules cover how AI works, privacy, bias and school use.

See grades, exceptions and sources →

Sources checked 2026-10-04

Jeffco, CO

Approved tools, with classroom conditions

Grades 6–12 have Gemini access, but teachers decide assignment use. Other named chatbots are blocked. Device access and digital-citizenship lessons have their own grade-specific rules.

See grades, exceptions and sources →

Source checked 2026-10-05

Compare Fairfax and NYC side by side · Find another district

Examples, not national prevalence. Required teaching is not evidence of classroom delivery or student understanding.

More research: learning, policy history and public views