Project Tomorrow Releases Annual K-12 Tech Report, Reveals Student Optimism about Classroom AI Use

The 22nd annual report calls for student-teacher dialogue, highlights push for additional training for educators as students center AI in their own lives

IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Project Tomorrow, one of the nation’s leading education nonprofit organizations, today uncovers new insights from its 22nd annual Speak Up Report about the use of technology and generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) in classrooms and school districts nationwide. The Speak Up Research Project works with local stakeholders to collect municipal data, informing district level decisions. Findings were collected from over 65,000 K-12 students, educators, administrators, and parents across the country.

As schools race to catch up with the AI revolution, the new national data from Project Tomorrow reveals that students are taking the lead on AI, experimenting with it on their own time and pushing for more open conversations with teachers about how to use it in class. By centering students’ perspectives on AI use in schools, this year’s Speak Up report, “Students Speak Up about AI in their Learning Lives,” offers valuable context for ongoing conversations about its potential impact across all levels of education policy, from local communities to the federal government.    

Key insights from the report include:

• While 45% of high school students say they regularly use AI tools outside of school to guide their own learning, only 18% of teachers have asked about this personal use—and more than half (53%) say they haven’t discussed AI with their students at all.
• 63% of students in grades 6–12 report concerns about being unfairly accused of AI-related cheating. Data also shows that student and teacher perspectives on what constitutes cheating differ significantly, highlighting the need for open conversations and collaborative standards.
• Only 13% of teachers feel very confident in their ability to use AI tools, and only 15% say that their school district is providing ample professional development to help them increase their skills and confidence with classroom AI usage. This gap presents an opportunity for districts to invest in professional development that equips educators with the skills and confidence to integrate AI meaningfully into the classroom.
• 74% of parents believe AI usage is critical for college and career readiness, but only 22% reported being very familiar with Gen AI tools.

“AI entered classrooms faster than schools could prepare, and it left educators playing catch-up. Now, students, teachers and parents are quickly developing their own value propositions on the technology, but a clear consensus on what’s right or wrong has yet to emerge,” says Dr. Julie Evans, CEO of Project Tomorrow. “This year’s report sheds light on the need for consensus and collaboration, encouraging schools to create clear, visible roadmaps that define appropriate and ethical AI use for all stakeholders.”

The report features key findings and insights including:   

• Student Familiarity and Current Use – Highlights where students encounter AI most often and how they’re integrating it into their daily lives.
• Student Beliefs and Concerns – Explores student perceptions of AI’s benefits and drawbacks, including worries about fairness, misuse and classroom limitations.
• Students’ Aspirations for AI in Learning – Reveals how students hope AI can increase their engagement and prepare them for future education and careers.

Amid growing calls for K–12 systems to clarify how AI should be used ethically, equitably and effectively, Dr. Evans and a panel of four high school students from across the country discussed the data at the 2025 Speak Up Congressional Briefing, hosted on edWeb. Together, they outlined ways for school and district leaders to align AI policies with student voices, use AI to boost engagement and career readiness initiatives and navigate student concerns around privacy, access and ethics.

To view the full Speak Up survey results, visit https://www.tomorrow.org/speak-up-congressional-briefing/.

About Project Tomorrow & Speak Up
The Speak Up Research Project is a national initiative of Project Tomorrow, an internationally recognized education nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that all students are prepared to become tomorrow’s leaders, innovators and engaged citizens of the world. Each year, the Speak Up Research Project polls K–12 students, parents, and educators about the role of technology for learning in and out of school and the impact of new learning models on student outcomes and teacher effectiveness. The Speak Up dataset represents the largest collection of authentic, unfiltered stakeholder voices on digital learning. Since the fall of 2003, more than 6.4 million K–12 students, parents, teachers, librarians, principals, technology leaders, district administrators, communications officers and members of the community have shared their views and ideas through Speak Up. Education, business, and policy leaders report that they regularly use the Speak Up data to inform federal, state and local education programs, policies and initiatives. The Speak Up Research Project is facilitated in collaboration with our research sponsors Agile Education Marketing, ClassDojo for Districts, edWeb.net, iboss, PowerSchool and Spectrum Business, a part of Charter Communications, Inc.  Additionally, 29 education nonprofit organizations and associations provide outreach and thought leadership support for the Speak Up Project. 

Learn more at https://www.tomorrow.org

Districts that value stakeholder voices and want to transform teaching and learning to be more innovative so that every student is well prepared for future success should participate in Speak Up surveys. To join the Speak Up research initiative, visit https://www.tomorrow.org/projects/speak-up/.