Administrators: Computer science in your school or district

Code.org has partnered with more than 120 School districts and 600,000 teachers use our platform. Let Code.org's network of Regional Partners across the US help you bring Computer Science to your school or district. Or, use our international courses to start teaching anywhere in the world.

600K 19M All 7
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Get started with curriculum and professional learning

Grades K-5

Code.org's no-cost CS Fundamentals courses are designed for elementary school teachers. They align to ISTE, Common Core and CSTA standards for grades K-5. Code.org's free professional development workshops support teachers with no background in computer science. If you are located in United States, contact a local K5 Facilitator to set up a free workshop for elementary school teachers in your district. Internationally, try our online self-paced courses.

Grades 6-12

CS Discoveries and CS Principles are stand alone computer science courses for middle and high school. These high quality, semester or full year courses (including daily lesson plans, detailed instructions, activity guides, assessments, and standards mappings) are free to use anywhere in the world. In the US, Code.org's network of regional partners work directly with teachers to prepare them to successfully lead computer science classrooms.

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Identify a district lead for computer science

  • Show that your district is serious about computer science by identifying or appointing a district lead.
  • Often Math, Science or Career and Technology Education departments have staff who are already working on computer science education and programs.
  • If there is enough momentum behind computer science in your district or if there is not already an owner you should consider adding a dedicated position.
  • This person will lead the district's work on computer science and be your point of contact with Code.org’s Regional Partner.

Identify a computer science course pathway for your existing teachers

  • The Code.org curriculum is the most popular in K-12 computer science, with courses for every grade band. It's free of charge, and is also the highest-rated by teachers. Your students will love it!
  • Teachers from other subject areas should attend a professional learning workshop before they begin teaching. For Code.org courses in grades K-5, contact a workshop facilitator, and for grades 6-12, contact a regional partner.
  • If you want to consider alternatives to the Code.org courses, see our recommendations of 3rd party computer science curriculum, and particularly our recommendations for AP Computer Science A.
  • You can also supplement the Code.org curriculum by offering computer science integrated into math and into science.
  • Once you've decided on your course offerings, make sure to set up district-level course codes for your new computer science courses. Work with your principals to recruit teachers to attend workshops and to implement changes in master schedules.

Make computer science courses count

Understand teacher certification requirements

  • Identify teachers who will lead CS classes in your district next year.
  • Code.org's curriculum and professional development is designed for teachers from other subjects to become computer science teachers. As you identify potential future computer science teachers in your district, it’s important to understand what, if any, requirements your state has in place for computer science teachers.
  • 29 states have some guidance around certification for computer science teachers, find your state here.

Spread the word

  • Highlight the importance of all students learning CS! Use these sample emails and announcements to let your community know about your new computer science programs.
  • Add these recruitment videos to websites and school updates.
  • Provide guidance to school counselors and schedulers on why computer science is important for all students.
  • Ask your principal to email your community and recruit administrators and parents to advocate for expanding computer science in your school district.

Allocate funding

  • Thanks to the generous support of our funders, all curricular resources from Code.org are free for anyone to use. However, there are still costs to consider when starting a computer science program. You should begin thinking about how you’ll support:
    • Professional development costs - Code.org's courses aare designed to be taught by teachers new to computer science. This means you do not have to increase your full-time employee budget or hire additional teachers to support computer science. In many cases, Code.org and our partners will cover a significant portion of the costs for professional development free of charge, or work together with you to identify funding options.
    • Computers and internet access - In order to teach our 6-12 courses students will need to be in a 1:1 computing environment every class period. For our K-5 courses, students can be on a computer, tablet, or do our unplugged activities which require no technology at all. If you don't have enough devices, we highly recommend pair programming. Check here to see if your school meets all the technical requirements for teaching Code.org.
    • Classroom supplies - Code.org's courses are hands on, and standard classroom materials. We estimate these costs to be less than $100 per 30 students.
    • Administrative support - As your computer science program grows, there will need to be additional administrative support. We recommend dedicating at least 0.15 full-time employee to this initiative to start, and growing up to 1 full-time employee per 30 teachers offering computer science in the district.

Over 50k students in 3 years

Read Broward County's case study on how it increased computer science participation across the district.

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51% females in intro course

See how graduation requirements affected diversity in Charles County's introductory computer science course.

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Professional learning for all

Read how Eufala City Schools, AL increased access to computer science to all students in their rural district.

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Curriculum Options

Code.org Programs

The Code.org curriculum is the most popular in K-12 computer science, with courses for every grade band. It's free of charge, and is also the highest-rated by teachers. Your students will love it!

CS Fundamentals

Grades K-5
CS Discoveries

Grades 6-10
CS Principles

Grades 9-12
Pre-reader Express

Grades K-2
CS Fundamentals: Express

Grades 3-12
Professional Learning
Learn more
Elementary school
Middle school
High school
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CS Principles
 
CS Discoveries
CS Fundamentals
Pre-reader Express
CS Fundamentals: Express
Professional Learning for all grade levels
Learn more


AP Computer Science A Resources

There are two AP computer science offerings, and students can take either course in any order. The AP Computer Science A course and exam focuses on computing skills related to programming in Java. The new AP Computer Science Principles course complements AP Computer Science A as it aims to broaden participation in the study of computer science.

While Code.org does not have an AP Computer Science A curriculum, we have recommendations for a number of great curricula and programs available to teachers and students.


Third-party Programs

In addition to the Code.org curriculum, we’ve curated a list of recommended third party curriculum offerings with professional development programs.

Help us track the momentum

Every day more schools and districts are pledging to bring computer science education to their students. Help us track progress of the movement by telling us about computer science education in your school or district.