The State of K-12 Cybersecurity 2026
America’s Schools on the Digital Frontlines in the AI Era
Published on October 27, 2026
America's schools continue to face a rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape. As cybercriminals increasingly target people, identities, and everyday school operations, K-12 leaders are working to balance security, educational continuity, and the growing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI).
The State of K-12 Cybersecurity 2026 report combines 2025-2026 school year threat data from the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center® (MS-ISAC®) with survey responses from K-12 technology and cybersecurity leaders. Developed in partnership with the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), it shows how schools are defending against national-scale threats with local resources.
Whether you're a superintendent, technology leader, cybersecurity practitioner, policymaker, or education advocate, this report provides valuable insight into the current state of K-12 cybersecurity and practical considerations for strengthening resilience in schools and districts.
K-12 Cybersecurity by the Numbers
- 51% of schools and districts reported experiencing a cyber incident in the past 12 months, with 34% reporting impacts to school operations from cyber incidents.
- 3.1M+ potential cyber threats were blocked on average per protected organization by the MS-ISAC's web security protective DNS service.
- 66% of districts have just one or two people responsible for cybersecurity.
The full report covers six findings, role-based recommendations, and appendices with the underlying threat data and survey results. Use it to brief your leadership team, prioritize next steps, or make the case for shared support in your state or region.
For a fast, actionable summary of key insights, download our report brief.
As of June 23, 2025, the MS-ISAC has introduced a fee-based membership. Any potential reference to no-cost MS-ISAC services no longer applies.
