---
title: "K-12 Computer Science Standards by State, With AI"
description: "K-12 computer science standards in all 50 states and DC: which states have adopted them, which put AI into them, and the five concepts most states build on."
canonical: https://learn.modernagecoders.com/computer-science-standards-by-state
source: src/pages/computer-science-standards-by-state.html
---
> K-12 computer science standards in all 50 states and DC: which states have adopted them, which put AI into them, and the five concepts most states build on.

In short

Most US states have K-12 computer science standards. Reading the state pages of Code.org (2025), 2025 State of AI + CS Education, we count 44 states with standards adopted, Nebraska in progress, and six without: DC, Maine, Minnesota, Oregon, South Dakota and Vermont. Only four states emphasize AI in their CS standards: Colorado, North Dakota, Ohio and Virginia. Six more were revising toward it. Modern Age Coders teaches this live online for US students, in a batch or one to one, and the first class is free.

Learn what the standards describe

## Three courses mapped to the standards’ core ideas

Programming, data, computing systems and the impact of computing, taught live and in order.

[![Coding for Kids course thumbnail](/images/kids-coding.webp)  CSSB / 01 Coding for kids Ages 6 to 12. Algorithms and programming through games and apps. Open the syllabus →](/courses/kids-coding-blocks-masterclass)[![Python for Teens course thumbnail](/images/python-teens.webp)  CSSB / 02 Python for teens Ages 13 to 18. Programming plus data and analysis. Open the syllabus →](/courses/python-complete-masterclass-teens)[![AP Computer Science Principles course thumbnail](/images/ap-computer-science-principles.webp)  CSSB / 03 AP CS Principles Grades 9 to 12. Every core concept, and the AP exam. Open the syllabus →](/courses/ap-computer-science-principles-exam-prep-course)

Every state and DC

## Which states have computer science standards

Three policies from each state page of the 2025 report. "In progress" means the state had begun writing or revising but had not published when the data were finalized on December 1, 2025.

| State | K-12 CS standards | AI emphasized in CS standards | State CS plan |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Alabama | Yes | No | Yes |
| Alaska | Yes | No | Yes |
| Arizona | Yes | No | No |
| Arkansas | Yes | No | Yes |
| California | Yes | No | Yes |
| Colorado | Yes | Yes | No |
| Connecticut | Yes | No | Yes |
| Delaware | Yes | No | No |
| District of Columbia | No | No | No |
| Florida | Yes | No | No |
| Georgia | Yes | No | Yes |
| Hawaii | Yes | No | Yes |
| Idaho | Yes | No | Yes |
| Illinois | Yes | No | No |
| Indiana | Yes | No | Yes |
| Iowa | Yes | In progress | Yes |
| Kansas | Yes | No | No |
| Kentucky | Yes | In progress | Yes |
| Louisiana | Yes | No | Yes |
| Maine | No | No | Yes |
| Maryland | Yes | No | Yes |
| Massachusetts | Yes | No | Yes |
| Michigan | Yes | No | No |
| Minnesota | No | No | Yes |
| Mississippi | Yes | No | Yes |
| Missouri | Yes | No | Yes |
| Montana | Yes | No | No |
| Nebraska | In progress | No | Yes |
| Nevada | Yes | No | Yes |
| New Hampshire | Yes | No | Yes |
| New Jersey | Yes | No | Yes |
| New Mexico | Yes | No | Yes |
| New York | Yes | No | Yes |
| North Carolina | Yes | No | Yes |
| North Dakota | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ohio | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Oklahoma | Yes | No | Yes |
| Oregon | No | In progress | Yes |
| Pennsylvania | Yes | No | No |
| Rhode Island | Yes | No | Yes |
| South Carolina | Yes | No | No |
| South Dakota | No | In progress | No |
| Tennessee | Yes | In progress | Yes |
| Texas | Yes | No | No |
| Utah | Yes | No | Yes |
| Vermont | No | No | No |
| Virginia | Yes | Yes | No |
| Washington | Yes | No | Yes |
| West Virginia | Yes | No | Yes |
| Wisconsin | Yes | In progress | In progress |
| Wyoming | Yes | No | Yes |

Source: Code.org (2025). 2025 State of AI + CS Education, [state report pages](https://advocacy.code.org/stateofdigitalfluency/) (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). The organisation now trades as CodeAI. Statuses are our reading of each published toggle; the AI column matches the report’s printed total of four. We have no connection with Code.org or with any state.

### The six "No" rows

The District of Columbia, Maine, Minnesota, Oregon, South Dakota and Vermont show no adopted K-12 CS standards in the 2025 data, and Nebraska shows standards in progress. Schools in those places still teach computer science; they simply lack a statewide set of grade-band expectations under the report’s rubric.

South Dakota is a useful reminder that one column rarely tells the whole story. Its state page says AI concepts are already in its elementary and middle school CS standards and that "high school standards development is in progress".

### Standards are not requirements

Having standards does not mean every student must take computer science. Standards describe what a CS course or unit should cover; a graduation requirement decides who must take one. A state can have detailed standards and no requirement at all.

For a parent, standards are most useful as a checklist: if your child’s school offers CS, the state standards tell you what a good course in that grade band should include.

AI in the standards

## The four states that put AI into their CS standards

The report counts a state only if its CS standards either name a specific AI strand or topic, or integrate AI concepts and skills through every grade band. Four did.

| State | How the report describes it |
| --- | --- |
| Colorado | Standards "position AI as one of six core strands" across elementary, middle and high school |
| North Dakota | AI concepts emphasized across its elementary, middle and high school "Computer Science & Cyber Security standards" |
| Ohio | Frames AI as one of six strands that cut across elementary, middle and high school CS standards |
| Virginia | "emphasizes AI concepts in the state’s elementary, middle, and high school computer science standards" |

| State | What the state page says |
| --- | --- |
| Iowa | Marked in progress; the page lists AI in standards among next steps |
| Kentucky | A "current revision" of its CS standards is under way |
| Oregon | Marked in progress; the state also has no adopted K-12 CS standards in the report |
| South Dakota | AI already in elementary and middle standards; high school standards in progress |
| Tennessee | "in the process of revising its computer science standards to emphasize AI" |
| Wisconsin | A draft including AI went out for public comment in September 2025 |

A note on dates: the report’s data were finalized on December 1, 2025. Wisconsin planned to finalize its standards by the end of 2025, so its status may well have changed since. Check the state education department for the version in force.

The shared framework

## Why most state standards look alike: the five core concepts

Many states wrote their standards from the K-12 Computer Science Framework, a set of conceptual guidelines developed by national organizations with state representatives. It is not itself a set of standards, which is why each state’s version differs in detail.

| Five core concepts | Seven core practices |
| --- | --- |
| Computing Systems | Fostering an Inclusive Computing Culture |
| Networks and the Internet | Collaborating Around Computing |
| Data and Analysis | Recognizing and Defining Computational Problems |
| Algorithms and Programming | Developing and Using Abstractions |
| Impacts of Computing | Creating Computational Artifacts |
|   | Testing and Refining Computational Artifacts |
|   | Communicating About Computing |

### How the framework is organized

The framework sets expectations for each concept at four grade band endpoints: the end of grades 2, 5, 8 and 12. The practices are written as a narrative of growth rather than split by grade.

Its FAQ says plainly that "The framework is not a set of standards." States turn it into measurable performance expectations, and that is where their versions diverge.

### One state as an example

North Carolina’s standards are "derived originally from the CSTA standards" and built around the same five concepts. They are organized by grade band from kindergarten to grade 8 (K-2, 3-5 and 6-8) and by course in high school, starting with "Introduction to Computer Science (ICS)".

Expect a similar shape in most states: grade bands through middle school, then course-based standards in high school.

Sources: [K-12 Computer Science Framework](https://k12cs.org/) and its FAQ; NC Department of Public Instruction, NC Computer Science Standards. Read 17 October 2026.

Reading your state’s standards

## How to read a state CS standard in five minutes

Our short guide for parents opening a state standards document for the first time.

1. **Find your child’s grade band.** Most states group kindergarten to grade 8 into bands such as K-2, 3-5 and 6-8.
2. **Look for the concept label** on each line, often an abbreviation of one of the five concepts, such as Algorithms and Programming.
3. **Read the verb.** "Create", "debug" and "analyze" ask far more than "identify" or "describe".
4. **Check for AI.** In a few states it is a named strand; in most it appears, if at all, inside Data and Analysis or Impacts of Computing.
5. **Compare with the school course.** Ask which standards the course covers and how student work is assessed against them.

### Revision cycles matter

CodeAI’s newer rubric, revised on September 24, 2026, treats standards as historic if they "have not been revised within the past 5 years". Computing changes quickly, so the age of a document is worth noticing.

That newer rubric was published after the 2025 data, so the table on this page does not use its tiers.

### What standards leave out

Standards describe outcomes, not lessons. They will not tell you which language a school uses, how many hours a week CS gets, or whether a teacher is trained in it.

Those questions belong to the school. The standards simply give you the vocabulary to ask them.

Practice set

## Five middle school tasks, one per core concept

Our own practice set for grades 6 to 8. Each task matches one of the five concepts, so a student can see what a standard asks in practice. Answers are discussed in class, not printed here.

| Concept | Task | What it shows |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Computing Systems | List what happens, step by step, between pressing a key and a letter appearing on screen | Hardware and software working together |
| Networks and the Internet | Explain why a large file is split into packets, using a mailed jigsaw as the comparison | How data travels |
| Data and Analysis | Record a week of daily temperatures and find the mean and median (see the code below) | Summarising data |
| Algorithms and Programming | Write a loop that prints the 7 times table up to 70, then change it to any number | Loops and variables |
| Impacts of Computing | Name one benefit and one risk of a school using face recognition for attendance | Weighing technology’s effects |

### For grades 3 to 5

Do the same five tasks out loud or on paper, with block code for the loop. The concepts are the same; the tools are simpler.

### For grades 6 to 8

Write the loop and the data task in real code, and write two sentences for the impact task.

### For high school

Extend each one: a packet simulation, a full data report, and a written argument with sources.

Data and Analysis in code

## A Python example for the data task

The data task from the practice set, in a few lines of Python. It uses only the standard library, so it runs anywhere Python 3 is installed.

***temperatures.py (our example)**Python 3*

```
import statistics

# one week of noon temperatures in degrees Fahrenheit (our sample data)
temps = [61, 64, 58, 70, 73, 66, 59]

print("mean:", round(statistics.mean(temps), 1))
print("median:", statistics.median(temps))
print("warmest day:", temps.index(max(temps)) + 1)
```

Output: mean 64.4, median 64, warmest day 5. The sum is 451 and 451 / 7 = 64.43, so the mean rounds to 64.4. Sorting gives 58, 59, 61, 64, 66, 70, 73, and the middle value is 64.

### Which standards this touches

Data and Analysis, through collecting and summarising data. Algorithms and Programming, through variables, lists and built-in functions.

The extension question "why might the mean and median differ?" moves the task from following steps to analysing, which is what higher-level standards ask for.

### Make it harder

Ask the student to read the temperatures from a file instead of typing them, then to chart them. Both steps appear in high school standards in many states.

Then ask what would change with thirty days instead of seven. Larger samples are where summary statistics start to earn their keep.

Where students are

## Four stages through the standards

How students usually move through what the standards describe.

| Stage | What it looks like |
| --- | --- |
| 1. Explorer | Uses block code to make things move and respond |
| 2. Builder | Writes loops and conditions, fixes simple bugs |
| 3. Analyst | Works with data, files and functions in a typed language |
| 4. Designer | Plans, builds and tests a project for real users |

### For parents

Stages do not map neatly to grades. A keen fifth grader can be a builder; a tenth grader new to CS starts as an explorer.

The five concepts are a better guide than any single grade label.

### For students

If something in your school’s CS course feels too easy or too hard, find its concept in the table and ask for the next step.

Projects that touch several concepts at once teach the most.

The catalogue

## Nine courses across the grade bands

Grouped by grade band; each one runs live with the same teacher each week, as a group class or privately.

I

### Elementary

Grades 3 to 5

CSSB / E / 01

#### Scratch coding

Algorithms in blocks.

[Open the syllabus](/courses/scratch-programming-complete-course)

CSSB / E / 02

#### Computational thinking

Logic and patterns.

[Open the syllabus](/courses/problem-solving-and-computational-thinking-for-kids)

CSSB / E / 03

#### AI literacy for kids

How AI works, age-appropriately.

[Open the syllabus](/courses/ai-literacy-for-kids-course)II

### Middle school

Grades 6 to 8

CSSB / M / 01

#### Python for kids

The first typed language.

[Open the syllabus](/courses/python-ai-kids-masterclass)

CSSB / M / 02

#### Web development for kids

Pages, networks and the internet.

[Open the syllabus](/courses/kids-ai-web-development-course)

CSSB / M / 03

#### Maths through coding

Data and number in Python.

[Open the syllabus](/courses/maths-through-coding)III

### High school

Grades 9 to 12

CSSB / H / 01

#### Python for teens

Programming and data in depth.

[Open the syllabus](/courses/python-complete-masterclass-teens)

CSSB / H / 02

#### AP CS Principles

All five concepts.

[Open the syllabus](/courses/ap-computer-science-principles-exam-prep-course)

CSSB / H / 03

#### AI and machine learning

Where the standards are heading.

[Open the syllabus](/courses/ai-ml-masterclass-teens)

How lessons run

## Live lessons organised by concept, not by worksheet

Weekdays or weekends, flexible: choose your batch, or for a very personalised plan choose 1-on-1 at your convenience, weekend mornings or weekdays.

Weekdays

After-school times across US time zones.

Weekends

Longer project sessions suit weekends.

1-on-1

Aligned to your state’s grade band.

### Concept by concept

Each unit names the standard it serves.

### One teacher

The same person every week.

### Code that runs

Ideas become working programs.

### AI with care

Age-appropriate tools only.

### Every state

Live online, nationwide.

### Two formats

Groups of fifteen to twenty, or private.

Student work

## What our students have made

Projects from our learners that cover programming, data and design. More on the [student labs](/student-labs) page.

![NutriLife AI nutrition coach project screenshot](/images/projects/nutrilife.webp)

AI and ML

#### NutriLife

An AI nutrition coach that reads what you eat and works you toward a target.

by Bhavya · [Open it](https://nutrilife-bhavya.lovable.app)

![Misti AI chatbot for maths and coding screenshot](/images/projects/misti.webp)

AI and ML

#### Misti

A chatbot that answers mathematics and programming questions, built and deployed by a student.

by Harshit · [Open it](https://misti.modernagecoders.com)

![GuardianX AI internet safety assistant screenshot](/images/projects/guardianx.webp)

AI and ML

#### GuardianX

An assistant that helps a young person recognise unsafe situations online.

by Vivaan · [Open it](https://guardianx-cybersaver.lovable.app)

![SkyCast weather forecast application screenshot](/images/projects/skycast.webp)

Web app

#### SkyCast

A weather forecasting site with live conditions for any location.

by Krish

Fees

## Fees

Monthly billing in US dollars, with no term contract. Families often use a few months of classes to fill a gap the school year leaves in one concept.

Free first class

USD 0

no card required

- A free first lesson
- A concept-by-concept check
- No card details

Book it

Group batch

USD 100

a month, billed in US dollars

- Fifteen to twenty learners
- One regular teacher
- Choose your batch
- Monthly

Start here

One to one

USD 150

a month, billed in US dollars

- A teacher to yourself
- Matched to your grade band
- Flexible times

Enquire

What families say

## Rated 4.9 across 547 Google reviews

Parents’ Google reviews, as written.

★★★★★

"The one step solution for my son. Modern Age Coders make learning coding so simple that kids love it. The teachers explain complex concepts clearly with practical exercises and interactive content."

Ria Mukherjee

Parent

★★★★★

"Modern Age Coders has been a game-changer for me. I struggled to grasp IT concepts and coding before joining, but their classes transformed everything. I can now confidently write complex programs with ease."

Samriddha Mondal

Student

★★★★★

"One of the most wonderful education centres out there. Education is not limited to school syllabus but focuses on skill development."

Vansh Agarwal

Student

★★★★★

"My child Dhairya is really enjoying the Modern Age Coders classes. This is his first online class and he eagerly looks forward to it. I can already see his improvement, and the teachers are very cooperative."

Sonam Oswal

Parent of Dhairya

★★★★★

"Modern Age Coders have wonderful teachers who teach in a clear, easy and practical way. The teacher boosts students' confidence and inspires them to learn without hesitation."

Sonu Goyal

Parent

★★★★★

"I highly recommend this computer coding class! The teachers are incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about coding."

Ritu Kedia

Parent

Questions from families

## Computer science standards: common questions

### How many states have K-12 computer science standards?

Reading the state pages of Code.org (2025), 2025 State of AI + CS Education, we count 44 states with adopted standards and Nebraska in progress. DC, Maine, Minnesota, Oregon, South Dakota and Vermont were marked as not having them.

### Which states include AI in their computer science standards?

Four, according to the 2025 report: Colorado, North Dakota, Ohio and Virginia. Iowa, Kentucky, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wisconsin were marked as in progress.

### What are the five core concepts?

Computing Systems; Networks and the Internet; Data and Analysis; Algorithms and Programming; and Impacts of Computing. They come from the K-12 Computer Science Framework, which many states used to write their standards.

### Are standards the same as a graduation requirement?

No. Standards describe what a CS course should cover in each grade band. A graduation requirement decides whether every student must take one. A state can have one without the other.

### What does it mean when a state is in progress?

In the report, it means the state had publicly begun creating or revising standards but had not published them when the data were finalized on December 1, 2025.

### Is the K-12 CS Framework a set of standards?

No. Its own FAQ says the framework is not a set of standards. States use it to write measurable standards of their own.

### My state has no standards. Does that matter for my child?

It mainly means schools have less shared guidance. Many still teach strong CS. The five core concepts are a sensible checklist for any course, wherever you live.

### Do your classes follow a particular state's standards?

Our courses cover the five core concepts that most state standards share, and in 1-on-1 classes the teacher can align topics to your state's grade band.

### When can my child take classes?

Weekdays or weekends, flexible: choose your batch, or for a very personalised plan choose 1-on-1 at your convenience, weekend mornings or weekdays.

### Are you connected with Code.org or a state department?

Not at all. Modern Age Coders runs its own classes; this page only reports what those organisations publish, with links.

Elsewhere on this site

## Related pages

More for US families following computer science through school.

### [Coding classes in the USA](/coding-classes-in-united-states)

Our hub for US families.

### [North Carolina](/coding-and-ai-classes-in-north-carolina)

The NC standards and requirement.

### [AP CS Principles](/ap-computer-science-principles-online-coaching)

The broadest high school CS course.

### [Homeschool coding](/homeschool-coding-curriculum)

Using the concepts at home.

### [Coding for 10-year-olds](/coding-for-10-year-olds)

Where elementary CS starts.

### [AI and machine learning](/ai-and-machine-learning-classes-in-usa)

For students who want more AI.

### [High school CS access by state](/high-school-computer-science-access-by-state)

High school computer science access and enrollment in every US state, 2025 data.

### [AI guidance for schools by state](/ai-guidance-for-schools-by-state)

State AI guidance for schools, all 50 states and DC, from the 2025 Code.org report.

### [Common Core math vs traditional math](/common-core-math-vs-traditional-math)

Common Core and traditional math compared from the standards, with a worked example.

Start here

## Book a free first lesson

Share the grade and the state you live in. In the first session the teacher checks your child against the five concepts and suggests where to begin.

Curious about our approach? Read [how we teach](/how-we-teach), or look through [every course outline](/courses).

[WhatsApp us](https://wa.me/919123366161?text=Hello%20Modern%20Age%20Coders%2C%20my%20child%20is%20in%20a%20US%20school%20and%20I%20want%20to%20understand%20the%20computer%20science%20standards.%20Could%20we%20book%20a%20free%20first%20lesson%3F) · [+91 91233 66161](tel:+919123366161) · [connect@modernagecoders.com](mailto:connect@modernagecoders.com)

Lessons are taught live by video from India, at times that suit US families. Message us on WhatsApp for the quickest reply.

### Want a class sooner? Book a priority demo

A priority demo is a full class of about 45 to 60 minutes. After the class the mentor sends a written skill report and a personal learning roadmap on WhatsApp. If you enrol, the demo fee is adjusted against your first month's fee. Share your demo Order ID with us on WhatsApp and we take it off.

[Book a priority demo](/book-demo)

## Keep exploring Modern Age Coders

### Related courses and guides

- [CS Summer Programs for High School Students: 2027 Guide](/computer-science-summer-programs-for-high-school-students)
- [Computer Science Internships for High School Students](/computer-science-internships-for-high-school-students)
- [Computer Vision Course](/computer-vision-course)
- [Computer Science Graduation Requirements by State](/computer-science-graduation-requirements-by-state)
- [Congressional App Challenge Guide: Rules, Video, Judging](/congressional-app-challenge-guide)
- [Computer Science Extracurriculars, Ranked by What Actually Counts](/computer-science-extracurriculars)
- [Key Stage 2 Coding Lessons Online](/ks2-coding-lessons-online)
- [Raspberry Pi Coding Projects for Kids and Teens, UK](/raspberry-pi-coding-projects-uk)
- [SACE Digital Technologies Help](/sace-digital-technologies-help)

### Learn more

- [Coding and AI Classes in Montana](/coding-and-ai-classes-in-montana)
- [Coding and AI Classes in Nevada](/coding-and-ai-classes-in-nevada)
- [Coding and AI Classes in New Mexico](/coding-and-ai-classes-in-new-mexico)
- [Coding and AI Classes in Alabama](/coding-and-ai-classes-in-alabama)

### Free resources

- [AI & Machine Learning Tutorial: Basics to Deep Learning](/resources/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Logistic Regression and Classification](/resources/ai-and-machine-learning/logistic-regression-and-classification)
- [Natural Language Processing (NLP) Fundamentals](/resources/ai-and-machine-learning/natural-language-processing)
- [Support Vector Machines (SVM)](/resources/ai-and-machine-learning/support-vector-machines)

### From the blog

- [AI & Machine Learning Guides](/blog/topic/ai)
- [How to Revise GCSE Computer Science (AQA and OCR)](/blog/how-to-revise-gcse-computer-science)
- [How to Get a 5 in AP Computer Science A (2026)](/blog/how-to-get-a-5-in-ap-computer-science-a)
- [20 Python Programs for CBSE Class 12 Board Exam (083)](/blog/python-programs-for-cbse-class-12)

### Start here

- [Try a free trial class with a Modern Age Coders mentor](/free-trial)
- [About Modern Age Coders, teaching since 2020](/about)

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---

*Canonical: https://learn.modernagecoders.com/computer-science-standards-by-state*