The Effects of K-12 Computer Science Education Policies on Postsecondary CS Participation

October 2025

States have increasingly adopted policies to promote computer science education at the elementary and secondary levels. These policies are intended, in part, to promote the pursuit of computer science at the postsecondary level. We collect novel longitudinal data on adoption and implementation dates of nine policies promoted by the Code.org Advocacy Coalition in the United States since 2000 and use event study methods to evaluate their impacts on computer science undergraduate degree completion and teacher certification. We find little evidence that any policy we consider has meaningful impacts on either outcome. We conclude that these policies are too light-touch to matter and largely reflect, rather than cause, rising interest in computer science among undergraduates.

Keywords

computer science education, STEM education, state policy, event study

Education level

K-12 Education

Topics

Policy, Politics, and Governance