Back to School Survey: 64% of Teens Not Learning About AI at School

A new survey by Junior Achievement shows that nearly two-thirds of teens (64%) report that their schools or teachers do not teach about or encourage the use of AI as a learning tool. In the same survey, 60 percent of teens believe the main purpose of education is to prepare students for future jobs and careers. Research shows That AI is expected to have a pronounced impact on employment in the coming years. The survey of 1,008 teens between 13 and 17 was conducted by Big Village between July 1 – July 6, 2025.

"AI is expected to transform the world of work in the coming years," said Katherine Cecala, president and CEO, of Junior Achievement of Arizona. "At Junior Achievement, we are committed to working with our partners in education, not just to emphasize AI literacy, but to promote those transferable skills and competencies, like creative thinking, collaboration, communication, and self-direction, needed to navigate what’s to come."

Other key survey findings include:

· 68% of teens agree that schools are doing a good job of preparing students for the jobs and careers of the future.

· 42% of teens report they have used AI to do school assignments instead of doing the work themselves. This is up from 30% in a similar survey in 2024.

· 55% of teens think using AI to do their homework instead of doing it themselves is cheating, statistically unchanged from 2024 (54%).

Methodology This Youth CARAVAN survey was conducted by Big Village among a sample of 1,008 13-17-year-olds. This survey was live from July 1 – July 6, 2025. Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have volunteered to participate in online surveys and polls. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to multiple sources of error, including, but not limited to sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. It is nationally representative with set quotas based on census data. The 1,008 completes are all qualified and completed based on the demographic quota requirements. The MoE is +/- 3.1%.

About Junior Achievement of Arizona

Junior Achievement of Arizona (JA) is a 501©(3) nonprofit organization that equips Arizona students to succeed in work and life by giving them the knowledge and skills they need to manage their money, plan for their future, and make smart academic, career and economic choices. Since 1957, JA has taught kids, kindergarten through high school, about financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. The organization’s hands-on, age-appropriate programs are delivered by more than 7,500 corporate and community volunteers. Despite educational obstacles during the pandemic, JA reached approximately 190,000 students in the 2023-2024 school year. Follow @JAArizona on social media or visit jaaz.org/resources for more free online educational tools.