AI arrived in classrooms faster than the rules for using it. RAND's 2025 surveys of students, teachers, principals and district leaders show how far guidance lags behind use.
Use
- 54% of middle and high school students used AI for schoolwork in winter 2025.
- In high school, the figure was 61%.
Guidance
- 19% of students said their teachers gave them guidance on how to use AI for schoolwork.
- 35% of district leaders said they provided students with any AI training.
- 45% of principals reported school or district policies or guidance on AI use.
The consequence
Without clear rules, students are left guessing which uses count as cheating. RAND found that 51% of students worry about being falsely accused of using AI to cheat.
What schools can do now
- Publish a short, plain-language AI policy for each course, covering what's allowed, what isn't and how to cite AI use.
- Spend one lesson teaching students how to use AI well, not just what's banned.
- Give teachers training first. In fall 2024, only 55% of teachers had received any AI professional development, RAND reported.
Source
- AI Use in Schools Is Quickly Increasing but Guidance Lags Behind, RAND Corporation, RR-A4180-1, 2025
