Is Cursive Still Taught in Schools? A 2026 State-by-State Guide

Ten years ago, cursive seemed like it was on its way out. Schools across the country were cutting it from the curriculum, replacing pen-and-paper time with keyboarding classes. Parents started to wonder if their kids would ever learn to sign their own names.

Fast forward to 2026, and the picture looks very different. Cursive is back. State legislatures have been passing cursive mandates at a steady pace, and the trend is accelerating. More than half of U.S. states now have some form of cursive requirement on the books. This guide breaks down exactly what's happening in each state, what grade levels are affected, and what you can do if your child's school still isn't teaching it.

How Cursive Disappeared from Schools

To understand the current comeback, you need to know how cursive fell off in the first place. In 2010, the Common Core State Standards were released. These standards, adopted by most states, covered what students should know in English and math at each grade level. Cursive handwriting was not included. It wasn't banned, but it wasn't required either. And in education, when something isn't required, it tends to get dropped.

Schools were already pressed for time. Teachers had packed schedules, standardized test prep was eating into instruction hours, and digital literacy was seen as more important than penmanship. Districts started pulling cursive from third and fourth grade curricula. Some replaced it with typing. Others just used the extra time for reading and math drills.

By 2015, surveys showed that fewer than half of American elementary schools were teaching cursive in any meaningful way. An entire generation of students was growing up unable to read their grandparents' letters or sign anything beyond a shaky printed name.

The Comeback: Why States Started Bringing Cursive Back

The pushback started almost immediately after Common Core was adopted. Parents, educators, and lawmakers raised concerns. Their arguments were practical, not nostalgic. Research from institutions like Indiana University and Johns Hopkins showed that handwriting activates areas of the brain that typing does not. Learning cursive, specifically, was linked to improved reading ability, better memory retention, and stronger fine motor development.

There were other concerns too. Students who couldn't read cursive couldn't read primary source documents like the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence in their original form. They couldn't read letters from family members. Many teenagers couldn't produce a legal signature. These weren't abstract worries. They were showing up in real classrooms and real courtrooms.

State legislatures started responding. Louisiana passed one of the first cursive mandates in 2016. Alabama and Texas followed. By 2020, the trickle had become a wave. Here's where every state stands as of early 2026.

States Where Cursive Is Required by Law

These states have passed legislation or adopted standards that explicitly require cursive handwriting instruction in public schools. In most cases, the requirement applies to elementary grades, typically between second and fifth grade.

• Alabama: Required in grades 3-5. Mandated since 2016.
• Arizona: Required by state standards adopted in 2023. Instruction begins in third grade.
• Arkansas: Cursive instruction required by law. Students must demonstrate legible cursive by the end of fourth grade.
• California: Signed into law in 2023 (AB 446). Required in grades 1-6, with full cursive proficiency expected by fourth grade.
• Florida: Required as part of state language arts standards. Instruction typically starts in second grade.
• Georgia: Cursive required in elementary curriculum. Standards specify instruction in grades 3-5.
• Illinois: Required by law since 2024. Schools must provide cursive instruction beginning in third grade.
• Indiana: One of the earliest states to act post-Common Core. Cursive required since 2017, instruction in grades 2-4.
• Kansas: Cursive required in state curriculum standards. Instruction in grades 3-5.
• Kentucky: Required by state standards. Schools teach cursive in grades 3-4.
• Louisiana: Among the first states to mandate cursive after Common Core. Required in grades 3-5 since 2016.
• Mississippi: Required in state standards. Instruction begins in third grade.
• Missouri: Cursive instruction required by statute. Schools must teach cursive in elementary grades.
• North Carolina: Required in state standards for grades 2-5. Updated in 2021.
• Ohio: Cursive mandated as part of state learning standards. Instruction in grades 3-5.
• Oklahoma: Required by law. Students must be able to read and write cursive by the end of fifth grade.
• South Carolina: Required by state law. Instruction provided in grades 3-5.
• Tennessee: Cursive required in state standards. Taught in grades 2-4.
• Texas: Required in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards. Instruction in grades 2-4, with proficiency expected by the end of fourth grade.
• Utah: Cursive instruction required in state core standards for grades 2-5.
• Virginia: Required in the state Standards of Learning for grades 2-4.
• West Virginia: Cursive instruction mandated by state code. Taught in elementary grades.

That's 22 states with clear, enforceable cursive requirements. The list has grown significantly since 2020, when the count was closer to 14.

States Where Cursive Is Recommended or Included in Standards

These states include cursive in their educational standards or curriculum frameworks but stop short of a hard legislative mandate. In practice, most schools in these states do teach cursive, but individual districts have some flexibility in how and when they implement it.

• Colorado: Included in state handwriting standards but not required by statute. Many districts include cursive in grades 3-4.
• Connecticut: Cursive included in state curriculum recommendations. Not mandated by law.
• Idaho: State standards reference handwriting proficiency, which most districts interpret to include cursive in grades 3-5.
• Iowa: Cursive included in state literacy standards. Instruction left to district discretion.
• Maine: State standards include handwriting. Cursive instruction varies by district but is common in grades 3-4.
• Maryland: Cursive referenced in state curriculum frameworks. No strict mandate, but widely taught.
• Massachusetts: Included in state curriculum frameworks for English language arts. Districts implement at their discretion.
• Nebraska: Handwriting standards include cursive. Instruction typically in grades 3-4.
• New Hampshire: State standards reference legible handwriting, commonly interpreted to include cursive.
• Wisconsin: Cursive included in state academic standards. Most districts teach it in grades 3-4.

States With No State-Level Cursive Requirement

In these states, cursive instruction is left entirely to individual school districts. Some districts teach it, others don't. If you live in one of these states, your child's experience will depend heavily on their specific school.

• Alaska: No state requirement. District choice.
• Delaware: No cursive mandate. Some districts include it voluntarily.
• Hawaii: No state requirement for cursive instruction.
• Michigan: No state mandate. Cursive is a district-level decision.
• Minnesota: No state requirement. Some districts have maintained cursive programs.
• Montana: No state cursive mandate.
• Nevada: No state requirement for cursive.
• New Jersey: No explicit cursive requirement, though some districts teach it.
• New Mexico: No state mandate for cursive instruction.
• New York: No state requirement. New York City schools largely stopped teaching cursive, though some individual schools continue.
• North Dakota: No state mandate.
• Oregon: No cursive requirement at the state level.
• Pennsylvania: No state mandate, though many suburban and rural districts still teach it.
• Rhode Island: No state requirement.
• South Dakota: No state cursive mandate.
• Vermont: No state requirement for cursive.
• Washington: No state mandate. District choice.
• Wyoming: No state-level cursive requirement.

What Grade Do Kids Typically Learn Cursive?

In states that require cursive, instruction most commonly begins in second or third grade. Here's the typical progression:

• Second grade: Introduction to basic cursive strokes and lowercase letters. States like Florida, Indiana, Texas, and Virginia start here.
• Third grade: Full lowercase alphabet and beginning uppercase letters. This is the most common starting point across all mandating states.
• Fourth grade: Uppercase mastery, fluency practice, and connected writing. Most states expect proficiency by the end of this year.
• Fifth grade: Refinement and practical application. Students should be writing comfortably in cursive for everyday assignments.

The research supports starting in second or third grade. At that age, most children have developed the fine motor control needed for the connected strokes that make cursive work. Starting too early can lead to frustration. Starting too late means kids may resist learning a new writing system when they're already comfortable with print.

Why the Push to Bring Cursive Back?

Legislators and educators aren't bringing cursive back out of nostalgia. The arguments are grounded in real research and practical concerns.

Brain Development Benefits

Studies using brain imaging have shown that writing in cursive activates regions of the brain involved in thinking, language, and working memory in ways that printing and typing do not. A 2012 study by Dr. Karin James at Indiana University found that children who practiced handwriting showed significantly more adult-like brain activity than those who only looked at letters or typed them. More recent research has reinforced these findings, showing that the continuous flow of cursive writing engages both hemispheres of the brain simultaneously.

Reading Ability and Historical Literacy

Students who cannot write cursive typically cannot read it either. That means they can't read primary source documents, family letters, historical records, or even older handwritten recipes. Beyond personal loss, this creates a gap in civic literacy. If students can't read the original text of the Bill of Rights, they're relying entirely on someone else's transcription.

Signature Literacy

A legal signature is still required on countless documents: driver's licenses, leases, mortgage papers, medical consent forms, and more. Young adults who never learned cursive often struggle to produce a consistent, identifiable signature. Some simply print their name, which can create issues with document verification.

What Parents Can Do If Their School Doesn't Teach Cursive

If you live in a state without a cursive mandate, or if your child's school has dropped cursive from its curriculum, you still have good options.

1. 1Talk to the teacher and principal. Ask whether cursive is part of the curriculum and, if not, whether there are plans to add it. Sometimes all it takes is a few parents asking the right questions.
2. 2Teach it at home. Cursive is one of those skills that's very learnable at home with 10 to 15 minutes of daily practice. You don't need a teaching degree to guide your child through the alphabet.
3. 3Use free online resources. Sites like CursiveLetters.com offer free interactive letter guides, animated stroke demonstrations, and printable practice sheets for every letter. These tools make it simple to follow a structured curriculum at home.
4. 4Consider a workbook. Inexpensive cursive workbooks are available at most bookstores and online. Look for one that groups letters by stroke type rather than alphabetical order.
5. 5Make it fun. Let kids practice by writing letters to grandparents, keeping a cursive diary, or copying song lyrics. Real-world application keeps motivation high.
6. 6Connect with homeschool groups. Even if your child attends public school, local homeschool co-ops sometimes offer handwriting classes that are open to anyone.

The Trend Is Clear

Cursive handwriting is no longer fading away. The number of states requiring it has nearly doubled since 2018, and more legislation is pending. California's 2023 law was a major turning point because of the state's size and influence on educational trends. Illinois followed in 2024. Several other states currently have bills in committee or under review.

Even in states without mandates, many individual school districts have chosen to keep cursive in their curriculum. Teachers report that parents consistently ask for it, and students who learn cursive often show improved handwriting overall, not just in cursive but in print as well.

Free Resources to Get Started

No matter where you live or what your school teaches, learning cursive is always within reach. CursiveLetters.com provides free tools for every stage of the process. You can explore animated guides that show exactly how each letter is formed, stroke by stroke. The site also includes printable worksheets for individual letters, common words, and full sentences.

Start with the lowercase alphabet and work through letters grouped by stroke pattern. Once your child is comfortable with individual letters, move on to connecting letters and writing words. Most kids see real progress within just a few weeks of consistent practice. The skill they're building will serve them for the rest of their lives.