AI in Schools & Student Privacy Tracker: 2026 State-by-State

California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, and a growing number of other states have enacted laws addressing AI use in K-12 education. These laws range from student data privacy protections that cover AI-processed data to mandates for AI literacy curricula. Use the filters above to see every state with active education AI legislation.

Whether ChatGPT and other generative AI tools are allowed in classrooms depends on state law and individual district policy. Some states have enacted laws requiring transparency disclosures or parental consent before AI tools are used with students, while others leave decisions to local school boards. Districts in states without specific legislation often set their own acceptable-use policies.

At the federal level, FERPA governs student education records and applies when AI systems process that data. At the state level, laws like California's SOPIPA, Illinois' ISSPA, and New York's Education Law 2-d impose additional requirements on ed-tech vendors using AI. Many states also extend COPPA-style protections to cover AI-driven data collection from minors in school settings.