AI in Education: 75+ Verified Statistics for 2026

It depends on how broadly you define "use." Gallup found that 60% of US K-12 teachers used AI for work during the 2024-25 school year, with 32% using it weekly (Gallup/Walton Family Foundation, Spring 2025). RAND found a lower figure of 25% when looking specifically at instructional planning in 2023-24. Globally, the OECD TALIS 2024 survey of 280,000 educators found 37% of lower-secondary teachers had used generative AI for work tasks, ranging from 75% in Singapore to under 20% in France.

The most common teacher uses are preparing to teach (37% use AI for this monthly), creating worksheets and activities (33%), and modifying materials to meet student needs (28%), according to Gallup. OECD TALIS 2024 found similar patterns globally: summarizing topics (68%) and generating lesson plans (64%) lead, while assessment and marking (26%) lags behind. Direct student-facing AI tutoring is growing but remains less common than teacher-productivity uses.

The strongest evidence supports active learning broadly, not AI specifically. Freeman et al. (2014) analyzed 225 STEM studies and found students in lecture-only courses are 1.5x more likely to fail, with active learning producing +6% exam score gains. For AI tutoring systems, Ma et al. (2014) found an effect size of 0.76 on locally developed tests. Khan Academy's Khanmigo has scaled to 700,000+ students, but peer-reviewed outcome data is still underway. The evidence is promising but early-stage.

70% of teachers worry AI weakens important student skills (CDT, 2025). 50% of high school students say AI makes them feel less connected to their teacher. Key risks identified in the research include: equity gaps (39% vs. 67% AI training rates in high- vs. low-poverty districts, per RAND), accuracy (AI models hallucinate facts), and over-reliance on AI for tasks students need to learn to do independently.

Market estimates vary widely depending on methodology. For 2024-25, Grand View Research estimates $5.88B (CAGR 31.2% to $32.27B by 2030), while MarketsandMarkets estimates $2.21B (CAGR 17.5% to $5.82B by 2030). Mordor Intelligence puts it at $6.90B. Precedence Research projects the global market could reach $136.79B by 2035. The differences reflect how each firm defines "AI in education."

As of fall 2024, 57% of US teachers had received no formal AI training (EdWeek). Across the OECD, 75% of teachers who do not use AI cite insufficient knowledge as the barrier (TALIS 2024). Only 38% of OECD teachers received any AI professional development in the past year. The gap is starkest between countries: 76% of Singapore teachers received AI training vs. just 9% in France.

Teachers who use AI weekly save an average of 5.9 hours per week on lesson preparation and administrative tasks, equivalent to roughly six weeks over a typical 37.4-week school year (Gallup/Walton Family Foundation, Spring 2025). 64% of these teachers say AI-modified materials are better quality, and 61% say it improves their insights on student performance. McKinsey estimates AI could automate 20-40% of teacher administrative tasks overall.

Usage varies by age. Among US teens (13-17), 26% used ChatGPT for schoolwork in 2024, double the 13% in 2023 (Pew Research). Among US high schoolers (9-12), 50% used AI for school-related purposes in 2024-25 (CDT). In higher education, 86% of students globally have used AI, with 54% using it weekly and 24% daily (Digital Education Council, 3,839 students across 16 countries).