The 25 states still requiring kids to learn cursive

To understand why cursive writing seems to be a dying art, you have to go all the way back to…well, only 2007, actually. It was then that the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Governors Association (NGA) initially formed the idea for a set of “Common Core” educational standards. Working primarily with teachers, the organizations finalized the Common Core over the next two years and by 2009 almost every state had adopted some form of it. 

The process has not been without its controversies. More than just laying out math and English language arts standards, the Common Core was a package deal that included new teacher evaluations, higher stakes testing, and austerity measures that led to some school closings. This caused some immediate backlash, with some states abandoning the guidelines early on. Then, in 2010, the teaching of cursive writing was omitted from education standards in order to prioritize typing skills, and it was here that the Common Core seemed to have its most noticeable and (depending on who you ask) damaging impact. 

[Related: How to improve your handwriting]

Writing in The Atlantic in 2022, former Harvard University president Drew Gilpin Faust recounted that two-thirds of the students in one of her history seminars admitted they couldn’t read or write cursive. In 2024, Maryland’s Washington College changed its logo–which used to be the actual cursive signature of George Washington–in an effort to, as they put it, rebrand with something more “contemporary.” Their PR spin wasn’t convincing, with Stephen Colbert even mentioning the redesign on The Late Show, joking, “Washington College is leaving its cursive logo behind because it’s too hard to read. Damn! If only there was some sort of institution of learning that could help people understand…words.” (Ironically, Maryland is now one of the states requiring cursive education). 

Yes, there is hope for cursive writing yet. Pennsylvania just made cursive writing mandatory, joining 24 other states (and counting) that are pushing back against the Common Core omission and some kids in places like Virginia are even creating after-school cursive writing clubs. 

Here’s where and when cursive is currently being taught in the United States: 

• ALABAMA – Cursive is required in 3^rd grade.
• ARIZONA – Cursive is required in 5^th grade.
• ARKANSAS – Cursive is required in 3^rd grade.
• CALIFORNIA – Cursive is required from 1^st through 6^th grade.
• DELAWARE – Cursive is required in 3^rd grade.
• FLORIDA – Cursive is required in 5^th grade.
• GEORGIA – Cursive is required in 4^th grade.
• ILLINOIS – Cursive is required in 5^th grade.
• INDIANA – Cursive required in elementary school, with no defined grades.
• IOWA – Iowa’s state education board requires cursive education in 3^rd grade (but it isn’t a law)
• KENTUCKY – Cursive is required in 5^th grade.
• LOUISIANA – Cursive is required from 3^rd through 12^th grades.
• MASSACHUSETTS – Cursive is required in 5^th grade.
• MARYLAND – Cursive is required in 5^th grade.
• MISSISSIPPI – Cursive is required from 2^nd through 8^th grades. 
• NEW HAMPSHIRE – Cursive is required in 5^th grade.
• NORTH CAROLINA – Cursive is required in 5^th grade.
• OHIO – Cursive is required from 1^st through 5^th grades. 
• OKLAHOMA – Cursive is required in 5^th grade.
• PENNSYLVANIA – Cursive is required in 2^nd and 3^rd grades. 
• SOUTH CAROLINA – Cursive is required in 5^th grade.
• TENNESSEE – Cursive is required in 5^th grade.
• TEXAS – Cursive is required in 3^rd grade.
• VIRGINIA – Cursive is required in 5^th grade.
• WEST VIRGINIA – Cursive is required in 4^th grade. 

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