AI in Schools: How many teachers, students embrace artificial intelligence as education tool

(InvestigateTV) — Artificial intelligence is reshaping industries, pushing the boundaries of technology and integrating into many parts of daily life, including the classroom.

A report from the nonprofit Center for Democracy and Technology found that during the 2024-25 school year, 85 percent of teachers used AI in the classroom. That same report found students sought out AI too: 86 percent used it for school or personal use.

At Sumner County Schools in Hendersonville, Tennessee, the use of artificial intelligence isn’t just encouraged — it’s expected.

During the 2024-25 school year, sixth-graders at Sumner County started using “Mojo,” an educational AI software designed to work one-on-one with students as a teaching assistant.

“It’s helping to give feedback to students who maybe are afraid to ask for help in the first place,” a district official said.

Test scores show improvement

Sumner County Schools says it’s already seen results. Students saw an 8 percent year-over-year increase in standardized test scores, which is more than double the statewide average improvement.

“We fundamentally believe that all students can learn,” officials said.

Across the country in Scottsdale, Arizona, one tech-forward school is using AI to create a new learning model.

“There are no teachers at Alpha School, which can sound like a scary sentence,” said Matt Shenker, lead guide at Alpha School.

Instead, Shenker fills a role similar to a principal at the self-proclaimed AI-powered private school.

“What it means is we as the adults in the space take ourselves out of being the authority figure in charge of teaching academics,” Shenker said.

AI replaces traditional teaching

Filling the role of the teacher is artificial intelligence. For just two hours per day, children learn their basic English and math skills one-on-one with a computer. Students spend the rest of the school day in workshops with their human guides, learning real-life skills such as public speaking and financial literacy.

“AI allows us to personalize that learning experience at scale for all of these kids and then allowing the adult to shift towards supporting kids and unlocking their motivation,” Shenker said.

With tuition at $40,000 per year, Alpha School claims its students consistently score in the top 1 percent on the Measures of Academic Progress, or MAP, tests — a third-party test developed by the Northwest Evaluation Association.

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne thinks AI is a great educational tool, but believes two hours is too little for core instruction.

“It’s definitely inadequate. I mean, if they have a method where kids learn more, more quickly, they should take them that much further with at least 4 hours a day of instruction, not 2 hours a day of instruction,” Horne said.

“We’re able to do what we do in 2 hours because it’s hyper personalized, just like if you were working one-on-one with somebody,” Shenker said.

While Horne disagrees that AI can replace a teacher, Alpha School parent Venessa Roark says the real-life instruction outside of the two hours is valuable.

“I feel like sometimes kids are in school and they’re just wasting their time and they’re being babysat, and that’s not what I wanted for my kids. I want them to have a true understanding and love of learning, and I think with the 2-hour model its just a lot more realistic,” Roark said.

Program expansion planned

Back in Tennessee, the superintendent says its AI program helps teachers and parents by generating lesson plans and tracking test scores.

“I think it is one of the best things we’ve done because it empowers parents, it empowers students, it empowers teachers,” the superintendent said.

The official says Mojo works with the district’s curriculum to create lessons that empower students to control their own learning while pushing them in areas where they might need help.

“It speaks their language, so I think that has been really cool to watch how they grow based on something that relates to them,” the superintendent said.

Sumner County says Mojo was so successful it’s currently using the AI system for sixth- through eighth-grade lessons and could expand it to high school classes.

Concerns about cheating emerge

As AI’s influence grows in the classroom, so do concerns about students who use it to cut corners.

Liz Shulman is a teacher outside of Chicago. The high school where she teaches doesn’t prohibit the use of AI, but she does.

“This is so hard to manage, and students can do it at home,” Shulman said. “It’s ultimately robbing students of the ability to think critically and to use their imagination.”

According to a survey from Study.com, 26 percent of educators say they’ve caught a student cheating using ChatGPT.

While tech expert Richard Culatta agrees that cheating is an issue, he says educators should encourage responsible use early on, as he believes the technology is here to stay.

“I think it’d be far better to say, what does it mean to be a good digital citizen? What does it mean to use any technology… whether it has AI behind it or not… in a way that is helping you be a creative learner?” Culatta said.

Federal guidance issued

In July 2025, the Department of Education issued guidance on AI’s use in schools, outlining key areas including educating students on AI literacy, supporting professional development for educators teaching AI and using it to personalize instruction for students at all levels.