HB6591 authorizes the Secretary of Education to award grants to eligible entities to expand computer science education from prekindergarten through grade 12, with an eye toward scalable, replicable models. Grants may be applied for by consortia or in partnership with a State educational agency or other partners and can last up to five years.
The bill requires universal CS access for high school students within five years of grant receipt and a progression of CS education from pre-K through middle school to prepare students for high school CS coursework, while expanding overall access to rigorous STEAM classes.
At a Glance
What It Does
The Secretary awards grants to eligible entities to model nationwide replication of CS expansion, funding teacher training, materials, partnerships, and program evaluation. Grants run up to five years and include required sustainability plans, AI in classrooms, and a cap on equipment.
Who It Affects
Eligible entities (States, local educational agencies, and eligible Tribal schools) and the students, teachers, and communities they serve, plus higher education and industry partners参与.
Why It Matters
Sets a federal instrument to close CS access gaps, particularly for underrepresented groups, and builds a pipeline for 21st-century STEM jobs by embedding CS across the pre-K–12 spectrum.
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What This Bill Actually Does
The bill creates a federal program to expand computer science education in pre-K through 12th grade. It defines CS education broadly, encompassing computational thinking, software and hardware concepts, programming, AI, and the social impacts of computing.
Eligible entities—States, local educational agencies, and eligible Tribal schools—may apply to receive grants designed to scale CS expansion, with an emphasis on equity and replication. Grants may be awarded to coalitions or partnerships and can last up to five years.
A centerpiece requirement is that every high school student served by the grant program gains access to CS within five years, with all students able to progress from prekindergarten through middle school in CS education, laying groundwork for high school CS coursework.
Grants must fund activities such as teacher training, provision of high-quality learning materials, and expansion of rigorous STEAM offerings, using CS as a catalyst to broaden interest in STEM disciplines. Applicants must outline how they will sustain the program after grant funds end and how they will prepare students to apply CS knowledge in rapidly evolving tech environments, including AI.
The bill also permits collaborations with industry, nonprofits, and higher education institutions to recruit personnel, develop curricula, and disseminate best practices. AI integration in classrooms is explicitly permitted as part of expanding access.Reporting is required: grantees must submit data on program activities, including race, ethnicity, gender, and free/reduced lunch eligibility, twice per year.
The Secretary must, within five years, analyze these reports and issue a recommendation on expanding the program. The bill also amends two existing laws to require documentation of CS education presence and competency among students across elementary and secondary schools.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The bill creates a national CS education expansion grant program for eligible States, LEAs, and eligible Tribal schools.
By year five after grant funds, all high school students served must have access to CS, with a CS progression from pre-K through middle school.
Not more than 15% of grant funds may be used for equipment; up to 2.5% may be reserved for national activities (e.g.
technical assistance, evaluation).
The program is funded at $250,000,000 for FY2026 and the next four fiscal years.
The bill amends the DOE Organization Act and the Education Sciences Reform Act to capture CS education presence and competency data across schools.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
Every bill we cover gets an analysis of its key sections.
Short Title
This act may be cited as the Computer Science for All Act of 2025. It establishes the program and framework for CS education expansion across the K–12 spectrum.
Findings
The findings articulate the need for CS education as a driver of innovation and economic competitiveness. They highlight current gaps—limited CS offerings in public high schools, underrepresentation of minority groups in STEAM fields, and the geographic concentration of tech opportunities—and justify a federal grant program to address these gaps.
Definitions
Key terms are defined: Computational thinking, computer science education, eligible entity (State/local agency or eligible Tribal school), eligible Tribal school, institution of higher education, local educational agency, poverty line, and STEAM (including CS). These definitions create the scope for what programs and partners can participate and what counts as CS education within the bill.
Grants to States, Local Educational Agencies, and Eligible Tribal Schools
This section establishes a federal grant program intended to model nationwide replication of CS expansion. Eligible entities may apply individually or as consortia and may partner with other entities. Grants last up to five years and require plans to ensure universal CS access for high school students within five years and a CS progression from pre-K through middle school. The section also details required activities (teacher training, materials, STEAM expansion, evaluation, sustainability) and permissible activities (regional industry/HEI partnerships, recruitment of instructional staff, integrating AI). A 15% equipment cap and a 2.5% cap on national activities are specified.
Reporting Requirements
Grantees must report, at least twice per year, on grant fund usage and student reach with disaggregated data by race/ethnicity, gender, and lunch eligibility. The Secretary must, within five years, prepare a congressional report analyzing the data and proposing expansion of the program.
Amendments to Other Laws
The bill amends the Department of Education Organization Act to require reporting on CS education availability disaggregated by state, LEA, and eligible tribal school. It also amends the Education Sciences Reform Act to add CS education presence and competency data at the elementary and secondary levels, including the degree of competency among students.
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Explore Education in Codify Search →Who Benefits and Who Bears the Cost
Every bill creates winners and losers. Here's who stands to gain and who bears the cost.
Who Benefits
- Students in participating districts, especially underrepresented groups, gain access to structured CS education paths and opportunities in CS-related careers.
- Teachers trained in CS pedagogy benefit from professional development and increased classroom resources.
- State educational agencies and local educational agencies gain scalable models and funding to implement CS education expansion.
- Eligible Tribal schools and Native communities receive targeted CS expansion that aligns with tribal education goals.
- Institutions of higher education and industry partners gain a pipeline of CS talent and collaborative opportunities for curriculum development and teacher preparation.
Who Bears the Cost
- State and local educational agencies incur program administration, coordination, reporting, and integration costs beyond grant funds.
- Schools and districts bear costs related to scheduling, curriculum integration, and ongoing professional development beyond direct grant funding.
- Teachers incur time costs for training and shift to CS-focused instruction, potentially affecting other subjects during training periods.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
The central tension is the trade-off between broad, rapid access to CS education across many districts and the sustainable, high-quality implementation needed to ensure meaningful competency and long-term equity.
The bill balances broad access with sustainability by tying a five-year grant horizon to a goal of universal CS access in high schools and a CS progression across K–12. A major tension is whether expansion should be rapid and nationwide or more deliberate and deeply integrated in a smaller set of districts, given finite federal dollars.
There are questions about long-term funding beyond the grant period, how to maintain quality and equity as programs scale, and how to measure CS competency across diverse student populations. Privacy and data governance considerations arise from the required disaggregated reporting.
The effectiveness of AI in the classroom and the risk of duplicating existing CS initiatives in some districts are additional areas needing close oversight.
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