Quantum Workforce Examples
This Survey of Example K-12 Education, Outreach, and Workforce Development Programs for Quantum around the USA was developed in Fall 2025 by Rebekah Yager, during an internship with the MSU Science Math Resource Center as part of work supported by MSU's QCORE with funding from the Air Force Research Laboratory. Questions may be addressed to QuantumEducation@montana.edu
Overview
The field of quantum is rapidly emerging as a national priority, driven by substantial federal investment, expanding industrial applications, and growing workforce demand. While postsecondary quantum education pathways are developing across the United States, K–12 quantum education remains unevenly distributed and insufficiently documented.
This report presents a survey of existing K–12 quantum education, outreach, and workforce development programs across the U.S., encompassing both nationwide initiatives and state-specific efforts. Using systematic web, academic, and government-source searches conducted in October 2025, programs were identified, verified, and categorized by educational level, delivery format, topical focus, and institutional leadership.
Findings reveal a large discrepancy in state-sponsored resources: a small number of states host multi-institutional quantum education ecosystems supported by universities, national laboratories, and federal funding, while many states currently lack identifiable K–12 quantum programming. Effective programs commonly emphasize hands-on learning, teacher professional development, early career awareness, and alignment with existing STEM standards. These results highlight significant geographic inequities in early quantum education and exemplify the need for coordinated national strategies, scalable curricula, and sustained investment to build an inclusive and resilient quantum workforce pipeline.
Methodology
The methodology used the functions of Brave Search, Google Search, Google Scholar, and each state’s government website to find any mention of the following keywords: “quantum for k-12,” “quantum education for k-12,” “quantum curriculum for elementary”, “quantum curriculum for middle school”, and “quantum curriculum for high school.” Each site that contained relevant keywords was put under the specific state that was being searched. All results were found in October of 2025 and were current up to that point.
After each search method was exhausted, the sources were then opened and searched through for mentions of specific programs regarding K-12 education in quantum. The sources were also checked to make sure that the state was correct or if it was a nationwide program. Certain nationwide programs have sections that are specific to states. A summary was then compiled for each remaining source of the materials, topics, and funding for the program.
Purpose, Scope & Audience
The purpose of the resource is to provide a comprehensive review of all currently functioning K-12 programs dedicated to K-12 quantum education throughout the USA. It includes a look at country-wide programs before narrowing to state-specific education programs.
Background
Quantum is one of the fastest growing fields of science today. An estimated $4 billion in total funding through the USA’s National Quantum Initiative (NQI) program by 2024 has been allotted to research in Quantum Sensing and Metrology (QSENS), Quantum Computing (QCOMP), Quantum Networking (QNET), QIS for Advancing Fundamental Science (QADV), and Quantum Technology (QT) (Subcommittee On Quantum Information Science, 2024).
For industry, the global quantum market generated $1.07 billion in revenue in 2024 and is projected to grow to $2.2 billion by 2027 (SRI International, 2025). As such, there is a need to develop a workforce that can grow with the expanded capital, specifically in the US. While there are developing programs for two-year, undergraduate, and graduate programs, the report will go into the efforts for K-12 quantum education – both nationally and statewide.
K-12 STEM education – especially around quantum — is important to begin early. The STEM approach to education offers students a mindset and skillset valued in any profession. It teaches students to be flexible, detect patterns, find connections, and evaluate information (Suherman et al., 2025). Quantum is no different. Early exposure to quantum information science could be the reason for students choosing to pursue this advanced learning pathway (Qmunity).
Nationwide Programs
National Q-12 Education Partnership
The Q-12 Education community has developed both informal and formal learning opportunities for teachers, students, and families. That encompasses new lessons, events, access to quantum technologies, and information about careers. They have released learning materials for physics high school teachers (QISE K-12 Framework - National Q-12 Education Partnership).
Quantum for All
The Quantum for All projects are initiatives of STEM Experts and funded by the National Science Foundation. The projects focus on providing quantum information science workshops, camps, institutes, resources, and support for educators and students. There are currently two NSF grants designed to provide opportunities for secondary educators and students to understand principles and applications of QIS while increasing their awareness of quantum-smart and diverse career opportunities related to QIS. As part of their mission, Quantum for All held a national 2025 Quantum Student Camp and a 2025 Quantum Teacher Camp (Quantum for All).
AAPT
AAPT has been a strong advocate of teaching more modern physics topics in K-12 physics, mathematics, chemistry, and computer science classrooms. AAPT has developed or co-developed the materials for use by K-12 STEM Educators. AAPT, as a NSF Funded working group, developed a framework of the nine most important concepts K-12 teachers should be focusing on in their classrooms to prepare students for the Quantum Workforce. AAPT has been a major partner of the NSF Supported Q-12 Education Partnership which released teaching standards for high school physics and computer science classes. These teaching standards operationalize the previous Key Concepts for Early QIS Learners and connect them to existing state and College Board standards (K12 Programs -Quantum Information…).
Northwest/Intermountain Sector
Montana
The MSU Science Math Resource Center has a wide portfolio of programs dedicated to STEM awareness. Among those are quantum specific ones including a 4-day quantum summer academy as well as resources for teaching quantum in a classroom setting. In collaboration with Montana State University’s QCORE, the MSU Science Math Resource Center hosted a 4-day Student and Teacher Quantum Summer Academy at MSU Bozeman June 17-21, 2025. This experience was designed to provide both high school teachers and their students an opportunity to learn about quantum and related technologies at MSU and introduce companies that are engaged in this work across Montana. Teachers also learned how to teach quantum topics in their science, engineering, or computer science courses (Quantum Summer Academy for High School Teachers and Students - Science Math Resource Center).
The Science Math Resource Center (SMRC) and Applied Quantum Core at Montana State University also offered World Quantum Day kits and expansion packs for previous kits to help educators and youth engage with quantum science through fun STEM activities. The kit includes resources about quantum science, a banner, and other classroom items, as well as lesson plans and all necessary materials (Quantum Classroom Kits for Montana Middle and High School Teachers - IYQ 2025).
Other resources in Montana include industry sponsored ones. Specifically, the Montana High Tech Business Alliance compiled a list of K-12 quantum education resources available for Montana. The resources include support for quantum exploration as well as a list of K-12 Photonics and Quantum Education programs and events happening in Montana (K-12 Education Programs- Photonics and Quantum — MT High Tech Business Alliance, n.d.).
The MonArk Quantum Foundry is working on a four-week Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program for K-12 educators and K-12 teaching modules on quantum information science and quantum technologies. The MonArk Quantum Foundry is a collaboration between Montana and Arkansas in developing and supporting quantum research (Education — MonArk NSF Quantum Foundry, n.d.).
Alaska
As of October 2025, using Brave Search, Google Search, Google Scholar, and Alaska’s government website with the keywords “quantum for k-12,” “quantum education for k-12,” “quantum curriculum for elementary”, “quantum curriculum for middle school”, and “quantum curriculum for high school,” no K-12 quantum education program could be found.
Colorado
Colorado is a member of the Elevate Quantum Workforce Consortium (EQWC), which is funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration, along with New Mexico and Wyoming. The EQWC serves as the workforce engine behind Elevate Quantum’s Tech Hub strategy, uniting employers, educators, training providers, and community leaders to build a globally competitive quantum workforce. The EQWC provides a list of quantum resources for K-12 students and teachers but does not create their own (Elevate Quantum).
The government of Colorado in the K-12 quantum blueprint from 2025 compiled a list of free lesson plans as well as contact information for K-12 teachers interested in bringing quantum to their school (https://www.cde.state.co.us/quantum).
Idaho
As of October 2025, using Brave Search, Google Search, Google Scholar, and Idaho’s government website with the keywords “quantum for k-12,” “quantum education for k-12,” “quantum curriculum for elementary”, “quantum curriculum for middle school”, and “quantum curriculum for high school,” no K-12 quantum education program could be found.
North Dakota
As of October 2025, using Brave Search, Google Search, Google Scholar, and North Dakota’s government website with the keywords “quantum for k-12,” “quantum education for k-12,” “quantum curriculum for elementary”, “quantum curriculum for middle school”, and “quantum curriculum for high school,” no K-12 quantum education program could be found.
Oregon
As of October 2025, using Brave Search, Google Search, Google Scholar, and Oregon’s government website with the keywords “quantum for k-12,” “quantum education for k-12,” “quantum curriculum for elementary”, “quantum curriculum for middle school”, and “quantum curriculum for high school,” no K-12 quantum education program could be found.
South Dakota
As of October 2025, using Brave Search, Google Search, Google Scholar, and South Dakota’s government website with the keywords “quantum for k-12,” “quantum education for k-12,” “quantum curriculum for elementary”, “quantum curriculum for middle school”, and “quantum curriculum for high school,” no K-12 quantum education program could be found.
Washington
As of October 2025, using Brave Search, Google Search, Google Scholar, and Washington’s government website with the keywords “quantum for k-12,” “quantum education for k-12,” “quantum curriculum for elementary”, “quantum curriculum for middle school”, and “quantum curriculum for high school,” no K-12 quantum education program could be found.
Wyoming
Wyoming is a member of the Elevate Quantum Workforce Consortium (EQWC) along with New Mexico and Colorado. The EQWC serves as the workforce engine behind Elevate Quantum’s Tech Hub strategy, uniting employers, educators, training providers, and community leaders to build a globally competitive quantum workforce. The EQWC provides a list of quantum resources for K-12 students and teachers but does not create their own. “Elevate Quantum is a Designated TechHub by the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration and boasts the largest regional consortium in America” (Elevate Quantum).
Casper College hosted the free 2025 Quantum and Laser Fusion Science Camp for high school students and their teachers. During, the two week course professors and scientists from Texas A&M University’s Institute for Quantum Science & Engineering introduced topics such as particle wave duality, quantum uncertainty, quantum eraser, quantum superposition, entanglement, and teleportation, quantum computing, quantum science of cells, and laser fusion (Quantum And Laser Fusion Science Camp – Casper College). “The Quantum and Laser Fusion Science Camp is funded through donations from the Wold Foundation; Zimmerman Family Foundation; John P. Ellbogen Foundation; Kemmi Creek Foundation; McMurry Foundation; Tate Foundation; Wyoming Community Foundation; and in partnership with the Institute for Quantum Science & Engineering at Texas A&M University; Texas A&M University; Princeton University; members of the RISE HUB consortium; Casper College; and the Natrona County School District.”
The University of Wyoming hosts a Quantum Summer School, which is a three-day intensive program in mid-June. It will continue in 2026. However, it is geared to undergraduates, graduates, and researchers (Quantum Summer School). The school is funded by the University of Wyoming.
Western/Southwestern Sector
Arizona
The University of Arizona hosted Quantum Quest which was a free quantum computing camp for high school age girls. It was specified to be for girls, but said that it was available to all. This camp ran through June 9-13, 2025 and covered foundational concepts of quantum to quantum coding as taught by researchers from the University of Arizona and several other organizations, including UA Office of Societal Impact, Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona, Southern Arizona Research, Science, and Engineering, Foundation, Center for Quantum Networks, and Qubit By Qubit (Quantum Quest: a free quantum computing camp for high school students).
California
The UC Santa Barbara Quantum Foundry, founded through the National Science Foundation’s Q-AMASE-i initiative under award DMR-1906325, provides hands-on quantum education kits for middle school science teachers. Kit 1 focuses on the properties of light including the property of behaving as a particle and wave. Kit 2 focuses on resonance, magnets, and laser magnification. It also provides short courses for high school students in grades 9, 10, 11, and 12 during the Fall and Winter Sessions. Each session lasts five weeks and will meet on Saturdays on the UCSB campus. Short courses are designed to be active learning experiences for high school students to engage with the fundamentals of Quantum Foundry related principles and research (K-12 Students and Teachers | UCSB NSF Quantum Foundry | CNSI | UC Santa Barbara, n.d.).
QCaMP (Quantum, Computing, Mathematics, & Physics) hosted by Sandia National Laboratories is a free in-person camp aimed at the high school level hosted in 2025, “with programs for high school students in the Bay Area (California), Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Gallup (NM). QCaMP has a separate program for high school teachers (virtual and in-person) in the following locations: Bay Area (California), Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Gallup (NM), Chicago (IL), Boulder (CO), and Latrobe (PA),” (QCAMP – QSA). Students from QCaMP also created a puzzle game designed to teach high schoolers about quantum gates. There exist four puzzles. QCaMP is funded by The Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS) and theU.S. Department of Energy Office of Science.
Hawaii
As of October 2025, using Brave Search, Google Search, Google Scholar, and Hawaii’s government website with the keywords “quantum for k-12,” “quantum education for k-12,” “quantum curriculum for elementary”, “quantum curriculum for middle school”, and “quantum curriculum for high school,” no K-12 quantum education program could be found.
Nevada
As of October 2025, using Brave Search, Google Search, Google Scholar, and Nevada’s government website with the keywords “quantum for k-12,” “quantum education for k-12,” “quantum curriculum for elementary”, “quantum curriculum for middle school”, and “quantum curriculum for high school,” no K-12 quantum education program could be found.
New Mexico
New Mexico is a member of the Elevate Quantum Workforce Consortium (EQWC) along with Wyoming and Colorado. The EQWC serves as the workforce engine behind Elevate Quantum’s Tech Hub strategy, uniting employers, educators, training providers, and community leaders to build a globally competitive quantum workforce. The EQWC provides a list of quantum resources for K-12 students and teachers but does not create their own (Elevate Quantum).
Quantime NM contains all the K-12 activities from Quantime, but also provides training for teachers based in New Mexico (QuanTimeNM).
Sandia National Laboratory is the main source behind QCaMP. QCaMP started as a student focused camp that aimed to increase the number of students pursuing careers in quantum information science across the U.S. However, the team recognized that K-12 teachers needed to be equipped with the tools needed to prepare their students. This led to the creation of QCaMP for educators. This was available nationwide. (Inspiring tomorrow’s quantum innovators).
Oklahoma
As of October 2025, using Brave Search, Google Search, Google Scholar, and Oklahoma’s government website with the keywords “quantum for k-12,” “quantum education for k-12,” “quantum curriculum for elementary”, “quantum curriculum for middle school”, and “quantum curriculum for high school,” no K-12 quantum education program could be found.
Texas
Quantum for All is an initiative of STEM Experts, sponsored by UT Arlington, and funded by the National Science Foundation. The Quantum For All organization hosted the Quantum Student Camp for both students and teachers in June 2025 at the University of Texas at Arlington. The camp has been hosted since 2022. There are no found resources. (Quantum for all).
Utah
As of October 2025, using Brave Search, Google Search, Google Scholar, and Utah’s government website with the keywords “quantum for k-12,” “quantum education for k-12,” “quantum curriculum for elementary”, “quantum curriculum for middle school”, and “quantum curriculum for high school,” no K-12 quantum education program could be found.
Central / Midwestern Sector
Illinois
The Chicago Quantum Exchange has created several K-12 programs such as Enabling Practical-scale Quantum Computing (EPiQC) Expedition, the Q2WORK, Wonders of Quantum Physics (WoQP), the Quantum Quickstart program, Quick Quantum: For High Schoolers, and worked with QuanTime to create QuanTime for Illinois (K-12 Opportunities).
The multi-institutional Enabling Practical-scale Quantum Computing (EPiQC) Expedition has developed several types of activities for teaching students. Q2Work is a National Science Foundation-funded program that provides support for the QIS education ecosystem through digital tools, outreach, and collaborative workshops.
The major components of Q2Work are an online QIS education hub to showcase and contextualize all education efforts happening across the QIS ecosystem and a cohesive set of workshops to advance the development of K-12 QIS education resources.
Wonders of Quantum Physics (WoQP) will provide an opportunity for children and adults with non-science backgrounds to explore quantum physics in an inquiry-based format. It is part of the NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Hybrid Quantum Architectures and Networks (HQAN), a partnership between the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The WoQP team has created several hands-on quantum science experiments that can be completed at home or in the classroom. Topics covered include: Electron Transitions and Light, Quantum Secret Sharing, Polarization + Art, Build-your-own-clock, Exploring Spectra, and Quantum chip drop game (Grainger Engineering Office of Marketing and Communications).
The Quantum Quickstart program, led by faculty from UChicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, offers Illinois high school students with an interest in STEM exposure to the great scientific advances in quantum sciences and the physical foundations of quantum mechanics. Every summer, Illinois high school students are invited to apply to this free, one-week accelerated program that introduces quantum engineering.
Quick Quantum: For High Schoolers is a new educational YouTube series sponsored by Boeing and produced by the Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE) with input from leading scientists from the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory. This series introduces young people to quantum information science and engineering, which exploits the unusual properties of nature’s tiniest scales to create unhackable communications and other cutting-edge technology.
QuanTime for Illinois engages K-12 learners with activities that introduce students to quantum science, opening opportunities and pathways to quantum careers. Activities are designed to be a fun way for teachers and students to play around with quantum concepts. Teacher and student guides are provided on their website (QuanTime for Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin - IYQ 2025, 2025).
The University of Chicago has a multi-year program called TeachQuantum that immerses participants in real-world quantum research environments and prepares them to teach quantum-focused STEM concepts in their classrooms. Participating teachers take part in a 6-week summer research experience, develop new quantum-inspired activities to implement in their classrooms, and participate in quarterly meetings throughout the school year to share their outcomes and best practices (TeachQuantum).
Indiana
At Purdue University, the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) is leading a team to create a EAGER: Integrating Quantum Concepts and Technologies to implement quantum education into middle school classrooms throughout Indiana. It will run from August 2024 through July 2026, involve 10 science teachers from six Indiana middle schools, and impact more than 1,000 students. This is a NSF funded grant (Purdue Begins a Pilot Project in a Half-dozen Indiana Middle Schools to Make Abstract Quantum Concepts More Accessible and Engaging).
Purdue University also hosts a yearly Quantum Open House from their department of Physics & Astronomy Outreach. Activities include one-on-one with faculty/research groups, quantum computer gaming, superconducting levitation, lab and department tours, talks, and demos. This is funded by Purdue University (Purdue Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University).
QuanTime for Indiana engages K-12 learners with activities that introduce students to quantum science, opening opportunities and pathways to quantum careers. Activities are designed to be a fun way for teachers and students to play around with quantum concepts. Teacher and student guides are provided on their website (QuanTime for Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin - IYQ 2025, 2025).
Iowa
As of October 2025, using Brave Search, Google Search, Google Scholar, and Iowa’s government website with the keywords “quantum for k-12,” “quantum education for k-12,” “quantum curriculum for elementary”, “quantum curriculum for middle school”, and “quantum curriculum for high school,” no K-12 quantum education program could be found.
Kansas
As of October 2025, using Brave Search, Google Search, Google Scholar, and Kansas’s government website with the keywords “quantum for k-12,” “quantum education for k-12,” “quantum curriculum for elementary”, “quantum curriculum for middle school”, and “quantum curriculum for high school,” no K-12 quantum education program could be found.
Michigan
Running from July 9-11, 2025, Quantum Motor City was a free summer camp in quantum computing for high school students from the metro Detroit area. It was hosted by Michigan State University. At this camp, students will program a real quantum computer, tour a quantum computing lab, and hear career advice from professors and IBM scientists (Quantum Motor City).
The Elizabeth and Richard Henes Center for Quantum Phenomena from Michigan Technological University offers educational outreach to middle and high school teachers and students. Topics include introductory concepts of motion, and using a portable scanning tunneling microscope, or STM, to image surfaces at the atomic scale by harnessing the quantum phenomenon known as tunneling. The interactive 90-minute workshop “Imaging the Invisible” introduces students and teachers to the wonders of nanotechnology using a portable STM to image the carbon atoms in graphene, and a portable atomic-force microscope to image the transistors on a memory chip (Outreach | CQP, n.d.).
Minnesota
As of October 2025, using Brave Search, Google Search, Google Scholar, and Minnesota’s government website with the keywords “quantum for k-12,” “quantum education for k-12,” “quantum curriculum for elementary”, “quantum curriculum for middle school”, and “quantum curriculum for high school,” no K-12 quantum education program could be found.
Missouri
As of October 2025, using Brave Search, Google Search, Google Scholar, and Missouri’s government website with the keywords “quantum for k-12,” “quantum education for k-12,” “quantum curriculum for elementary”, “quantum curriculum for middle school”, and “quantum curriculum for high school,” no K-12 quantum education program could be found.
Nebraska
The University of Nebraska hosted a virtual camp that introduced high school students to quantum mechanics including quantum superposition and quantum entanglement as well as quantum information science. The camp covered quantum computing and quantum teleportation algorithms and worked with IBM’s Qiskit platform for hands-on experience (Quantum).
Ohio
CSforCLE partnered with Qubit by Qubit to offer a summer camp in Summer 2022 for high school students on Quantum Computing. Qubit by Qubit (QxQ), one of the initiatives by The Coding School (TCS), focuses on training the future diverse quantum workforce through accessible quantum computing training. No other information is found (Quantum Computing Research and Education | Cleveland State University, n.d.).
In 2022, Ohio is also one of the first states to implement quantum concepts into the K-12 curriculum. Most of these concepts, such as quantum key distribution, quantum computing, and quantum careers, will be taught in physics courses for 11th and 12th graders as according to the Ohio Computer Science Curriculum.
Wisconsin
The University of Wisconsin–Madison traveling outreach program The Wonders of Physics (TWoP) both has kits, materials, and a traveling show all for quantum education. Their quantum activity kits include: Art & Polarization, Building Your Own Clock, Electron Transitions, Quantum Computing Coloring Book, Quantum Secret Sharing, and Wave-Particle Duality.
All activity kits were developed with funds from the NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Hybrid Quantum Architectures and Networks (HQAN), with special thanks to the UW-Madison Department of Physics (Quantum).
QuanTime for Wisconsin engages K-12 learners with activities that introduce students to quantum science, opening opportunities and pathways to quantum careers. Activities are designed to be a fun way for teachers and students to play around with quantum concepts. Teacher and student guides are provided on their website (QuanTime for Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin - IYQ 2025, 2025).
Southeastern Sector
Alabama
As of October 2025, using Brave Search, Google Search, Google Scholar, and Alabama’s government website with the keywords “quantum for k-12,” “quantum education for k-12,” “quantum curriculum for elementary”, “quantum curriculum for middle school”, and “quantum curriculum for high school,” no K-12 quantum education program could be found.
Arkansas
APS (Advancing Physics) hosted a virtual session for a Little Rock high school AP Physics 2 class to meet with Brian La Cour, a quantum physicist at the Applied Research Laboratories at the University of Texas at Austin. The visit was organized by Quantum To-Go, a collaborative initiative developed by APS’s Physicists To-Go program and the National Q-12 Education Partnership to celebrate World Quantum Day, which occurs annually on April 14 (https://www.aps.org/apsnews/2023/05/high-school-students-quantum).
The MonArk Quantum Foundry is developing educational resources for K-12 educators by K-12 teaching modules on quantum information science and quantum technologies. More information is unknown. The MonArk Quantum Foundry is a collaboration between Montana and Arkansas in developing and supporting quantum research (Education — MonArk NSF Quantum Foundry).
Delaware
As of October 2025, using Brave Search, Google Search, Google Scholar, and Delaware’s
government website with the keywords “quantum for k-12,” “quantum education for k-12,”
“quantum curriculum for elementary”, “quantum curriculum for middle school”, and “quantum
curriculum for high school,” no K-12 quantum education program could be found.
Florida
As of October 2025, using Brave Search, Google Search, Google Scholar, and Florida’s government website with the keywords “quantum for k-12,” “quantum education for k-12,” “quantum curriculum for elementary”, “quantum curriculum for middle school”, and “quantum curriculum for high school,” no K-12 quantum education program could be found.
Georgia
As of October 2025, using Brave Search, Google Search, Google Scholar, and Georgia's government website with the keywords “quantum for k-12,” “quantum education for k-12,” “quantum curriculum for elementary”, “quantum curriculum for middle school”, and “quantum curriculum for high school,” no K-12 quantum education program could be found.
Kentucky
As of October 2025, using Brave Search, Google Search, Google Scholar, and Kentucky’s government website with the keywords “quantum for k-12,” “quantum education for k-12,” “quantum curriculum for elementary”, “quantum curriculum for middle school”, and “quantum curriculum for high school,” no K-12 quantum education program could be found.
Louisiana
As of October 2025, using Brave Search, Google Search, Google Scholar, and Louisiana's government website with the keywords “quantum for k-12,” “quantum education for k-12,” “quantum curriculum for elementary”, “quantum curriculum for middle school”, and “quantum curriculum for high school,” no K-12 quantum education program could be found.
Maryland
RQS is leading the design and distribution of hands-on activity kits, which will be distributed to middle and high school classrooms around our five universities. Students will learn about the polarization of light through creative challenges and connect those classical physics concepts to quantum effects. These kits are developed in collaboration with the GOAL Kit program at the University of Maryland. RQS runs workshops to educate K-12 teachers on quantum concepts and helps them design a curriculum that incorporates quantum concepts and hands-on activity kits. The goal is to equip teachers with the strategies and tools they need for their students and ultimately increase general quantum awareness as well as create pathways for students to pursue quantum science in higher education (K-12 | Institute for Robust Quantum Simulation (RQS)).
From July 28th-August 8th, 2025, the Department of Physics at the University of Maryland organized the Advanced Physics Summer Program, an intensive, hands-on program that brings rising 9th-12th graders to the University of Maryland for two weeks of instruction, exploration and experiment. Participants learn about modern physics topics like relativity, antimatter, quantum mechanics, physical uncertainty, quantum computing and more. There are hands-on lab activities, visits to cutting-edge research labs, discussions with professors who currently specialize in modern physics and a project to make the discussions of modern topics tangible. Students will be introduced to topics that are likely not covered in their high school classes, from the thought experiments of Einstein to current applications in code breaking (Advanced Physics Summer Program | Joint Quantum Institute).
Mississippi
As of October 2025, using Brave Search, Google Search, Google Scholar, and Mississippi's government website with the keywords “quantum for k-12,” “quantum education for k-12,” “quantum curriculum for elementary”, “quantum curriculum for middle school”, and “quantum curriculum for high school,” no K-12 quantum education program could be found.
North Carolina
In 2025, on their list of 10-12th residential courses, North Carolina School of Science and Math created the Quantum to Cosmos: The Universe from the Very Small to the Very Large, and How the Universe Works program to allow students to explore concepts like the Standard Model, gravitational waves, and the theories of Special and General Relativity as well as practical work with code and data from cutting-edge facilities like CERN and LIGO. These students would then produce a research paper on said topics (North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics).
South Carolina
South Carolina Quantum (SC Quantum) has launched the Summer Sprint 2025, a regional initiative designed to evaluate and advance quantum literacy education tools. The program will invite professionals, educators, and leaders across the Southeast to access select online quantum learning platforms at no cost through early August. These platforms are Black Opal by Q-CTRL,
Classiq for Academia, qBraid, and QliteX by the National Quantum Literacy Network (Swayne, 2025).
Tennessee
Tennessee Tech has a Quantum Outreach branch of the Cybersecurity Education, Research & Outreach Center. The Cybersecurity Education, Research & Outreach Center developed materials to integrate quantum-related activities in these programs to introduce quantum information science to K12 students. These activities involve a video game and a quantum key distribution platform, both developed by Dr. Ismail’s students, that are meant to provide hands-on activities to K12 students and attract them to pursue further studies in quantum information science (Quantum Initiative - Quantum Outreach).
In her research funded by $5.5 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Department of Energy (DOE), Professor Hanna Terletska, leader of MTSU’s Quantum Science Initiative and an associate professor of Physics at Middle Tennessee State University is building a quantum workforce by training teachers how to teach quantum physics (Ruble).
Virginia
At George Mason University, the K12 Quantum Workforce Development Project by Mason's Quantum Science and Engineering Center (QSEC) is helping develop quantum curricula in local public high school systems to better prepare a diverse quantum workforce in Northern Virginia. The K12 Quantum Workforce Development Project, which is being run by Mason’s Quantum Science and Engineering Center, accounted for $650,000 of the $3.5 trillion House Appropriations Bill as well as a Department of Education grant. While curriculum is one portion of it, opportunities are another large one (K12 Quantum Workforce Development Project | George Mason University).
One opportunity was that George Mason area high school students shadowed researchers in Quantum Pathways summer program in August of 2022. The summer program, co-sponsored by Mason's Quantum Science and Engineering Center (QSEC) and the nonprofit Potomac Quantum Innovation Center, brought together rising high school seniors from around the region to learn about quantum and STEM-related careers from researchers at leading universities and in the industry (Building certainty into Virginia’s quantum workforce pipeline | Virginia Economic Development Partnership).
Another opportunity from the K12 Quantum Workforce Development Project was the Mason-led Immersion Program which presented quantum pathways to high school students to excite high school students about the promise of quantum technologies and to prepare them for this future in July 2023.
From 2022 to 2024, the K12 QWDP hosted 6 instances of Quantum in your Classroom – which is part of George Mason University's (GMU) K12 Quantum Workforce Development Project. These workshops, run by GMU faculty Jessica Rosenberg and Nancy Holincheck, are on quantum for K-12 teachers to help them introduce these concepts in their classrooms. Also in April 2024, they hosted a professional development workshop for local high school chemistry teachers, where they focused on the overlap that exists between chemistry and quantum.
Washington DC
In partnership with area K-12 public school systems, Connected DMV’s Potomac Quantum Innovation Center (PQIC) and George Mason’s Quantum Science and Engineering Center (QSEC) invited rising high school seniors to participate in the Pathways to Quantum Summer Immersion Program. This program was a three-week long hybrid program that taught about quantum and STEM-related careers. This program consisted of two segments. The first segment, beginning on June 23 and ran until July 9, 2025, was an eight-hour asynchronous, virtual course. The second segment, running from July 13 to July 18, 2025, was a week-long in-person experience visiting workplaces engaged in different parts of the quantum ecosystem including business and marketing, communications, policy, and research (PATHWAYS TO QUANTUM SUMMER IMMERSION PROGRAM).
Summer Springboard hosted a yearly 2-week quantum computing program for teens at either
Georgetown or Berkley in Washington, D.C. At this program, teens learned quantum topics
such as quantum mechanics, quantum information science and computation, and quantum
hardware as well as visited campuses and research labs. This is a paid venture with
Berkeley sessions costing $5,998 and the Georgetown session costing $5,698 (Physics & Quantum Computing | Georgetown Course | Summer Springboard - Summer Springboard).
West Virginia
As of October 2025, using Brave Search, Google Search, Google Scholar, and West Virginia’s government website with the keywords “quantum for k-12,” “quantum education for k-12,” “quantum curriculum for elementary”, “quantum curriculum for middle school”, and “quantum curriculum for high school,” no K-12 quantum education program could be found.
Northeastern Sector
Connecticut
Faculty from University of Connecticut's departments of Chemistry, Curriculum and Instruction, and Digital Media and Design hosted three days of professional development for high school chemistry educators, with the goal of creating a new K-12 curriculum that teaches quantum chemistry concepts. Curriculum has not yet been released. This was in partnership with QuantumCT (Kane).
QuantumCT is an initiative dedicated to advancing quantum in Connecticut. From this, they have provided several videos for learning quantum 101. These videos were created by Yale. Yale in its new quantum doctoral program includes K-12 outreach, but no events were found yet. There is also materials for teachers, including topics like Qiskit entanglement and secure communication using quantum. NSF awarded QuantumCT as award number 2302908.
Maine
As of October 2025, using Brave Search, Google Search, Google Scholar, and Maine’s
government website with the keywords “quantum for k-12,” “quantum education for k-12,”
“quantum curriculum for elementary”, “quantum curriculum for middle school”, and “quantum
curriculum for high school,” no K-12 quantum education program could be found.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts Institute of Technology partnered with The Coding School (TCS), a tech education nonprofit, to create “Qubit by Qubit,” an initiative that aims to introduce high school students to quantum computing through two programs: a week-long summer camp and a year-long course all online, led respectively by Amir Karamlou and Francisca Vasconcelos of the MIT Research Laboratory of Electronics (RLE)’s Engineering Quantum Systems (EQuS) research group (MIT Researchers Lead High School Educational Initiative on Quantum Computing).
New Hampshire
Shawna Hollen, an associate professor in the department of physics and astronomy, was recently awarded a $350,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to create and study new two-dimensional materials that could produce a breakthrough in memory and computing technologies. Part of this grant is to create a new generation of scientists and engineers in the field and as such, funding will support STEM outreach to the K-12 community and the hiring of a student outreach and communication coordinator. No plans have been found beyond this (Quantum Leap).
New Jersey
As of October 2025, using Brave Search, Google Search, Google Scholar, and New Jersey’s government website with the keywords “quantum for k-12,” “quantum education for k-12,” “quantum curriculum for elementary”, “quantum curriculum for middle school”, and “quantum curriculum for high school,” no K-12 quantum education program could be found.
New York
On the site STEM Teachers NYC, Elissa Levy, Phil Weiss, and Fernand Brunschwig hosted a 2-day workshop in 2022 for teachers to learn basic quantum mechanics and explore existing quantum hardware by simulating quantum circuits. They also provide classroom-ready quantum computing materials. No materials are found on the site (Surfin’ the Bit Waves: Launch Your Classroom Into the Quantum Age! (GR9-12) – STEMTeachersNYC).
In the summer of 2025, Stony Brook University hosted a Quantum Information Science & Technology Summer Program for high school students that are interested in quantum. Students investigated quantum science concepts and performed quantum experiments, simulations, and computing activities including the usage of IBM Quantum Composer simulations to explore quantum bits, quantum gates, and quantum circuits.. Topics covered included wave-particle duality, interference and superposition, polarization, entanglement, and measurement (Quantum Information Science-Technology Summer Program | Institute for STEM Education (I-STEM)).
Pennsylvania
As of October 2025, using Brave Search, Google Search, Google Scholar, and Pennsylvania’s government website with the keywords “quantum for k-12,” “quantum education for k-12,” “quantum curriculum for elementary”, “quantum curriculum for middle school”, and “quantum curriculum for high school,” no K-12 quantum education program could be found.
Rhode Island
The University of Rhode Island hosted a Quantum Computing and AI Summer Camp over the summer of 2025. The topics covered include introducing qubits, entanglement, and superposition; AI Fundamentals such as machine learning and neural networks; and hands-on coding with quantum simulators and AI tools (Quantum and AI Summer Camp).
Vermont
As of October 2025, using Brave Search, Google Search, Google Scholar, and Vermont’s government website with the keywords “quantum for k-12,” “quantum education for k-12,” “quantum curriculum for elementary”, “quantum curriculum for middle school”, and “quantum curriculum for high school,” no K-12 quantum education program could be found.
References
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