The Center for Internet Security (CIS) and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC), in partnership with the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), today released The State of K-12 Cybersecurity 2026: America’s Schools on the Digital Frontlines in the AI Era. The Pennsylvania Digital Trust Hub contributed to the report, and Richard Platts, CETL, Chief Technology Officer of Allegheny Intermediate Unit, is quoted on behalf of the Hub.
The report combines MS-ISAC threat and service data from the 2025–26 school year with a national survey of 426 school and district cybersecurity and technology practitioners, conducted in August and September 2026. Its central conclusion is one Pennsylvania districts will recognize:
K-12 cybersecurity is not simply a technology challenge. It is a leadership, operational continuity, and community resilience challenge.
What the report found
The report is organized around six findings. Among the figures it reports:
- Incidents are common. 51% of schools and districts reported a cyber incident in the past 12 months, and 34% reported incidents that affected school operations.
- Teams are small. 66% of districts have one or two people responsible for cybersecurity, and 11% have no dedicated cybersecurity personnel. 70% reported delaying cybersecurity projects, technology investments or staffing because of budget constraints.
- Attacks start with people. 87% of respondents report phishing among their most common incidents.
- Identity is the new perimeter. The MS-ISAC notified 808 K-12 organizations, 13% of those it monitors, of compromised accounts or credentials. 83% of districts report using multi-factor authentication.
- AI is moving faster than policy. Schools reported that 87% of educators and 81% of administrative staff are using AI, but only 33% have formal AI policies.
- Preparedness lags prevention. 59% maintain incident response plans, but only 15% exercise them regularly, and 9% report a fully implemented cybersecurity strategy.
A Pennsylvania perspective
The sixth finding is that cyber incidents at schools increasingly affect entire communities. Platts’s contribution appears there:
“A cyber incident in a school is never just an IT problem. It’s a delayed payroll, a missed IEP meeting, a family that can’t reach a teacher, or a disruption to communications and life-safety systems.”
— Richard Platts, CETL, Chief Technology Officer, Allegheny Intermediate Unit, on behalf of the PA Digital Trust Hub
The report’s recommendations for state and local leaders include expanding access to shared cybersecurity services and identifying opportunities for regional or statewide support models. That shared approach is how the Digital Trust Hub works: Pennsylvania districts pooling guidance, training and services instead of each building them alone.
Several findings also line up with this month’s member resources. The report’s focus on phishing and human risk matches Pause before you act, and its finding on identity matches Make every password its own.
Join the November 4 panel
Platts will join a panel of K-12 leaders discussing the report’s findings in the MS-ISAC’s ISAC Community Webinar, 2026 K-12 Cybersecurity Report: Key Takeaways for School Leaders, on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at 2:00 PM ET. The MS-ISAC hosts the session in partnership with CoSN. Panelists include:
- Terry Loftus, Assistant Superintendent and Chief Information Officer, San Diego County Office of Education
- Roy Park, Director of Cybersecurity and Digital Privacy, San Joaquin County Office of Education
- Rene Buenrostro, Director of IT and Cybersecurity, Rescue Union School District
- Richard Platts, CETL, Chief Technology Officer, Allegheny Intermediate Unit, representing the PA Digital Trust Hub
The discussion covers workforce and resource challenges, evolving threats, the growing impact of AI and the organizational factors that affect cyber resilience.
Register for the webinar (opens Zoom Events)
Read the report
The full report and a shorter brief are available from CIS:
Want support like this for your district? The Digital Trust Hub helps Pennsylvania schools with cybersecurity, data privacy and data governance.