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State law will require computer science classes in all North Carolina middle and high schools

Palo Alto High School teacher Esther Wojcicki helps student Allison Wyndham at a computer during class.
George Nikitin
/
AP
Palo Alto High School teacher Esther Wojcicki helps student Allison Wyndham at a computer during class.

State education officials are preparing to implement a recent state law that will require computer science classes in all middle and high schools.

Beginning in Fall 2026, North Carolina students will have to complete at least one computer science course to graduate high school. State superintendent Catherine Truitt advocated for the law.

"I mean, I just can't stress, from an educator standpoint, how significant this is because we have not made a change in this country, to the standard course of study in over 100 years," she said.

Truitt says she believes the law will help students be better prepared for the modern workforce.

The Department of Public Instruction is conducting a survey of superintendents to determine how many teachers will need to be trained in computer science. Truitt says that will inform how much funding her department requests from the General Assembly next year for training.