How Many U.S. High School Students Are Studying Cybersecurity?

Mar 10 / Phil Hill

How Many U.S. High School Students Are Studying Cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity is one of the fastest-growing career fields, but how many high school students are actually learning these skills in school? The answer: Only about 3-4% of U.S. high schoolers – around 500,000 to 600,000 students – have access to a cybersecurity course.

That’s a small fraction considering the country’s 570,000+ unfilled cybersecurity jobs. However, the number is growing as more schools integrate cybersecurity into their curriculum.

Cybersecurity in High Schools: The Numbers

🔹 15-18% of U.S. high schools offer at least one dedicated cybersecurity course.

🔹 Public schools make up the majority – with ~16% of public high schools offering cybersecurity, compared to fewer private schools.

🔹 Cybersecurity is less common than general computer science – nearly 60% of high schools offer CS, but only 15% include cybersecurity.

High school cybersecurity education is still in its early stages but is expanding steadily.

What’s Driving Growth?

💡 Government Initiatives: Programs like CYBER.ORG’s K-12 Cybersecurity Standards (funded by CISA) help schools adopt cybersecurity education.

🏫 State-Level Policies: States like Virginia, Texas, and Maryland lead the way in making cybersecurity courses available.

🛠 Industry Support: Programs like Cisco’s Networking Academy and CyberPatriot competitions engage students outside the classroom.

🎓 Career-Ready Certifications: Schools are beginning to offer students CompTIA Security+ and Cisco CCNA certifications.

Many high schools now offer cybersecurity courses as part of career-technical education (CTE) pathways.

What are students interested in?

Source: Cyber.org

What’s Next?

🔹 More states may require cybersecurity courses for graduation, similar to North Dakota’s new mandate.
🔹 High school cyber programs will expand as teacher training and resources improve.
🔹 Corporate sponsorships and competitions will continue growing the talent pipeline.

Cybersecurity education in high schools is still in its early days, but the momentum is building. As more students gain access, the workforce gap will begin to close – securing our digital future, one high schooler at a time.

👉 Would you like to see more cybersecurity courses in schools?