In 2026, AI in schools is steered by a mix of binding rules and softer guidance on each side of the border. In the United States, Executive Order 14277 of April 23, 2025 set a federal policy of promoting AI literacy, and the Department of Education turned it into a grant priority published on April 13, 2026. In Ontario, a regulation in force since July 1, 2026 requires school boards to give written notice when a student's personal digital information is shared with third-party software. Evidence on learning outcomes is mixed, and one randomized trial found that unrestricted chatbot access lowered later exam scores.
Key takeaways
- The US federal approach works through an executive order and a grant priority, which guide funding rather than set classroom rules.
- Ontario's O. Reg. 52/26 is a binding rule on school boards about notice when student data goes to a third-party app.
- British Columbia's ministry guidance leaves classroom decisions about AI to teachers and asks districts to write local policies.
- A 2025 field experiment in a Turkish high school found practice gains from a chatbot but a 17 percent lower exam score without safeguards.
- No AI-specific education statute was found for Canada as a whole, and this article does not claim one exists.
United States: an executive order and a grant priority
Executive Order 14277, "Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth," was signed on April 23, 2025. Its stated policy is to promote AI literacy and proficiency by integrating AI into education appropriately, training educators, and exposing students to AI concepts early. It created a White House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence Education chaired by the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. The order states that it creates no rights enforceable against the government, and it directs federal agencies; it does not regulate individual schools.
The Department of Education published a proposed supplemental priority on July 21, 2025 (90 FR 34203), received comments from more than 300 parties, and published the final version on April 13, 2026 (91 FR 18774), effective May 13, 2026. A supplemental priority is a tool for discretionary grant competitions: the Secretary can use all of it or parts of it, and applicants who match it may be favored depending on the type of priority a competition designates. The final text defines AI literacy as technical knowledge, durable skills, civic awareness, and attitudes, including ethical reasoning, needed to engage with and critically evaluate AI. Its list of supported activities includes adaptive learning technologies, tutoring, teacher training, reducing administrative tasks, and universal design for learning principles.
Ontario: binding rules on student data
Ontario's Enhancing Digital Security and Trust Act, 2024 applies to school boards among other public bodies. The provincial page, last updated October 22, 2026, says new regulations under the Act took effect on July 1, 2026. Two apply to school boards. O. Reg. 51/26 on cyber security requires a named cyber security contact, a maturity assessment every two years, and reporting of critical incidents within 72 hours after confirmation. O. Reg. 52/26, on digital technology affecting individuals under 18, requires school boards to give a plain-language written notice when a student's personal digital information is shared with a third-party software application. The notice goes to parents, caregivers, or guardians, and to the student depending on age.
The province also has a Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence Directive, but the page describes it as covering Ontario ministries and provincial agencies, so it is not a school board rule. Whether further AI-specific regulations will reach school boards is not settled by the sources checked.
British Columbia: guidance for local decisions
The British Columbia Ministry of Education and Child Care keeps a page of AI supports, last updated July 18, 2024. It says choices about AI use in the classroom are ultimately made by teachers based on student needs, and that AI tools should be treated as complements to human processes. A document titled "Considerations for Using AI Tools in K-12 Schools" is meant to help districts and schools write local procedures and policies so that AI tools are used effectively, safely, and equitably. The ministry also publishes curriculum connections, a plain-language glossary, and materials for parents and caregivers and for students.
How the instruments compare
| Jurisdiction | Instrument | Date | Main effect | Binding on schools |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States (federal) | Executive Order 14277 | April 23, 2025 | Sets policy on AI literacy and creates a task force | No, directs agencies |
| United States (federal) | Final supplemental priority on AI in education | Published April 13, 2026 | Shapes discretionary grant competitions | Only for applicants to those grants |
| Ontario | O. Reg. 52/26 | In force July 1, 2026 | Notice when student data goes to third-party software | Yes, for school boards |
| Ontario | O. Reg. 51/26 | In force July 1, 2026 | Cyber security contact, assessments, incident reports | Yes, for school boards |
| British Columbia | Ministry guidance on AI in education | Updated July 18, 2024 | Frames local policy and classroom choices | Guidance for districts and teachers |
The table covers only the instruments verified for this article. Other provinces and states have their own materials that were not reviewed.
What the evidence says about learning
Policy documents describe potential. Outcome studies are fewer. A randomized trial published in PNAS in 2025 involved nearly 1,000 students in grades 9 to 11 at a high school in Turkey. Students who used a standard GPT-4 interface scored 48 percent higher on practice problems but 17 percent lower on a later exam taken without help than students who never had access. A version designed to give hints instead of answers raised practice scores by 127 percent and did not produce the exam loss, although it also produced no exam gain over the control group. The authors measured short-term results in one subject at one school, and the paper does not show that every classroom tool behaves this way.
The result supports a narrow point that also matches the policy documents: design and supervision matter. The Ontario and British Columbia materials both leave decisions with school boards, districts, or teachers, which is where choices about tool design and supervision are made.
Questions for schools and parents
- Which AI tools are approved for students, and by whom?
- Is student data sent to a third-party application, and was a notice given where the law requires one?
- Does a tool give answers or hints, and is it used for practice, for assessment, or for both?
- Who reviews AI output before it affects a grade, a placement, or a student record?
- How are accessibility needs handled, for instance for students with disabilities or students learning English?
This article offers general information and is not legal advice. School boards and districts should consult their own counsel and the primary texts listed below.
FAQ
Is there a federal law in the United States that regulates AI in schools?
The sources reviewed show an executive order and a grant priority, not a statute regulating classroom AI. Other federal and state laws, including student privacy rules, may apply to school tools, but they were not reviewed for this article.
Does Canada have a national AI-in-education rule?
None was found. Education is a provincial responsibility, so the verified examples here come from Ontario and British Columbia.
Does the Ontario rule ban AI in classrooms?
No. O. Reg. 52/26 concerns notice when a student's personal digital information is shared with a third-party software application. It does not prohibit particular tools.
Do students learn more with AI tutors?
It depends on design. The 2025 trial found that an unrestricted chatbot hurt later exam results, while a hint-based version avoided that harm. Evidence from other subjects and ages was not reviewed here.
Related reading
- AI education in India
- AI in special education over a decade
- Limits of AI in education
- AI technology and its impact on schools
More in AI in education.
Last verified: October 2026
Sources
- Final Priority and Definitions: Secretary's Supplemental Priority on Advancing Artificial Intelligence in Education, 91 FR 18774, U.S. Department of Education, April 13, 2026
- Enhancing Digital Security and Trust Act, Ontario Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement, updated October 22, 2026
- Executive Order 14277, Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth, The White House, April 23, 2025
- Digital literacy and the use of AI in education: supports for British Columbia schools, Ministry of Education and Child Care, July 18, 2024
- Bastani et al., randomized trial of GPT-4 tutors in a Turkish high school, PNAS 122(26), 2025
- Proposed Priority and Definitions on Advancing Artificial Intelligence in Education, 90 FR 34203, July 21, 2025