K-12 Computer Science Access Report

The K-12 Computer Science Access Report is a collaborative partnership between the Computer Science Teachers Association and Code.org (with the help of many state education agencies and education organizations) to identify on a school-by-school basis where foundational computer science is taught and to identify disparities in students’ access to and participation in computer science. The data we’ve already gathered is available on our interactive map. The annual State of Computer Science Education (published each fall) includes a description and summary of this data.

Overview of the data sources we use

The data shown on the map on code.org/yourschool comes from one of four sources:

  1. Survey responses from teachers and administrators collected on Code.org.
  2. The College Board’s list of schools that are authorized to use the AP® designation and offer AP Computer Science A or AP Computer Science Principles.
  3. State Departments of Education with which we are collaborating to identify high schools offering computer science and enrollment by demographic. If you work with your State Department of Education and would like to submit data for your entire state, please reach out to accessreport@code.org.
  4. Other organizations, including the International Baccalaureate’s list of high schools offering IB computer science classes, survey data provided by the Nevada Department of Education, the University of Texas at Austin, the College Board, Technology Education and Literacy in Schools (TEALS), Project Lead the Way, and BootUp PD.

How we define whether a school offers computer science

We started with the definition of computer science developed by the Computer Science Teachers Association and reaffirmed in the K-12 Computer Science Framework:

Computer science is the study of computers and algorithms, including their principles, their hardware and software designs, their implementation, and their impact on society.

Learning computer science means learning how to create new technologies, rather than just using them.

Courses must meet the following two criteria to be included in the Access Report as foundational computer science:

Criteria 1: Although many schools offer their students some exposure to computer science in a limited capacity such as an Hour of Code, the Access Report focuses on schools that offer a course during the school day (not in after school clubs) that includes instruction in foundational computer science.

Criteria 2: The Access Report intends to report on foundational computer science, a subset of all computer science courses. In addition to aligning with the definition of computer science, a course that teaches foundational computer science includes a minimum amount of time applying learned concepts through programming (at least 20 hours of programming/coding for grades 9–12 high schools). Although computer science is broader than programming, we believe that some programming experience is integral to learning the fundamental concepts. It is also used as a defining characteristic to differentiate foundational computer science courses from general technology courses or those that address other elements of computing.

Each school on our map fits into one of the following possible categories:

  1. Need information. We don’t have information yet for this school. If your school is in this category, please fill out the survey or send the survey to someone at the school who can fill it out.
  2. Offers a computer science class. We have data that indicates that this school offers a computer science class.
  3. Historically offered computer science. We have data that indicates that this school has taught CS in the past 2 years and we have not received updated information this year.
  4. Offers limited or no computer science. We have data for this school indicating the school does not offer any computer science classes during the day that include minimum requirements as defined above. This school may offer other computing-related courses or computer science education opportunities, like after school programs, clubs, or Hour of Code events.
  5. Historically did not offer computer science. We have data that indicates that this school did not offer CS in the past 2 years and we have not received updated information this year.
  6. Inconsistent data. This means that we have conflicting data points for this school that we have not resolved. If your school is in the category, it may help to get more data. Please fill out the survey or send the survey to someone at the school who can fill out the survey.

Once we have collected a sufficient amount of information on a school with inconsistent data, we compare responses based on the volume and source to gauge its computer science offering.