The authors provide a comprehensive list of state requirements for civics education as of 2024. Most states require coursework or testing for civic knowledge, with many assessments based on the US Citizenship and Immigration Services test required for immigrants to obtain American citizenship.
Key Takeaways
- Only 8 states—Alaska, Delaware, Kansas, Maine, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wyoming—require neither a civics course nor a civics test for students to receive a high school diploma.
- Four states—Idaho, Louisiana, Virginia, and West Virginia—require a full-year civics course and the passing of a standard civics test.
- Sixteen states require a half-year civics course and the passing of a standard civics test.
- Sixteen states and the District of Columbia require a half-year or full-year course but no test requirement.
- Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have no course requirement but require students to take a civics assessment—although Pennsylvania does not require students to pass.
