More than half of public school leaders say cell phones hurt academic performance
New data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) show the extent to which public schools have implemented policies to limit cell phone use. According to the latest findings from the School Pulse Panel (SPP), 77 percent of public schools prohibit students from using cell phones during any class, with a higher percentage of elementary schools (86 percent) implementing such a policy compared to high/secondary schools (55 percent).
Also, 38 percent of schools with cell phone policies have restrictions for cell phone use outside of class, such as during free periods, between classes, or during extracurricular activities. Notably, 30 percent of schools prohibit cell phone use during all classes as well as in these situations outside of class.
“The latest School Pulse Panel data underscore that school leaders see cell phones as more than just a classroom distraction,” said NCES Commissioner Peggy Carr. “With 53 percent of school leaders reporting negative impacts of cell phone use on academic performance, and even more citing negative impacts on students’ mental health and attention spans, schools are facing a critical issue. Schools are responding with practical solutions, like banning or restricting phone use.”
The School Pulse Panel also provides insights about artificial intelligence (AI) in public schools. Sixty-nine percent of leaders have a favorable view of teachers using AI for their job duties. Public school leaders moderately or strongly agree that integrating AI tools into teaching and learning will make life easier for teachers (72 percent), enable teachers to be more relevant with today’s teaching and learning needs (70 percent), and enable teachers to be more effective educators (67 percent).
Sixty-seven percent of schools offer training on the use of AI to all or some teachers, staff and/or administrators, though differences exist based on school characteristics. About half (47 percent) of schools teach some or all of their students about AI, with higher percentages for high/secondary schools (72 percent), schools with 1,000 or more students (69 percent), and middle/combined schools (59 percent). Only 31 percent of all public schools have written policies on students’ AI use in school and about a third of public schools (32 percent) have teachers who use software to identify whether a student’s work has been AI-generated.
In the area of school facilities and infrastructure, most public schools (87 percent) report having adequate space for their student population, with 24 percent relying on portable or modular buildings. More than three-quarters of public schools (77 percent) reported that high-speed internet is available to students across all school grounds and buildings. Nearly all schools (98 percent) have some form of cooling system, most schools have central heating throughout the entire main instructional building (87 percent), and 80 percent of schools rate their overall indoor air quality as “good” or “excellent.”
The findings are part of an experimental data product from the School Pulse Panel which surveys public K-12 schools in the United States on high-priority education-related topics once a month during the school year. The SPP data, collected December 6–20, 2024, came from 1,490 participating public K-12 schools from every state and the District of Columbia.
Additional data collected from 99 public K-12 schools in the U.S. Outlying Areas—American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands—are also available. Results from this collection include the finding that 36 percent of Outlying Area public schools prohibit students from using cell phones during any class.
Experimental data products are innovative statistical tools created using new data sources or methodologies. Experimental data may not meet all of NCES’s quality standards but are of sufficient benefit to data users, in the absence of other relevant products, to justify release. NCES clearly identifies experimental data products upon their release.
All data released can be found on the School Pulse Panel Dashboard at https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/spp/results.asp.