Survey reveals an optimistic outlook for AI in education as students and teachers show uptick in adoption, attitudes, and access to AI solutions to support the learning journey
Global learning platform Quizlet today launched its How America Learns report, an evolution of its annual State of AI in Education report. Expanding its view of the factors impacting education, this year’s survey explores U.S. student, teacher, and parent perspectives on AI implementation, digital learning and engagement, and success beyond the classroom.
“At Quizlet, we’ve spent nearly two decades putting students at the center of everything we do,” said Quizlet CEO Kurt Beidler. “We fielded this research to better understand the evolving study habits of today’s students and ensure we’re building tools that not only help our tens of millions of monthly learners succeed, but also reflect what they truly need from their learning experience.”
AI Becomes Ubiquitous in Education
As generative AI solutions gain traction in education year over year, adoption and attitudes towards the technology have increased and improved. Quizlet’s survey found that 85% of respondents – including high school and college teachers, as well as students aged 14-22 – said they used AI technology, a significant increase from 66% in 2024. Of those respondents using AI, teachers now outpace students in AI adoption (87% vs 84%), compared to 2024 findings when students slightly outpaced teachers.
Among the 89% of all students who say they use AI technology for school (up from 77% in 2024), the top three use cases are summarizing or synthesizing information (56%), research (46%), and generating study guides or materials (45%). The top uses of AI technology among teachers remained the same but saw significant growth YoY: research (54% vs 33%), summarizing or synthesizing information (48% vs 30%), and generating classroom materials like tests and assignments (45% vs 31%).
While the emergence of AI has presented new challenges related to academic integrity, 40% of respondents believe that AI is used ethically and effectively in the classroom. However, students are significantly less likely to feel this way (29%) compared to parents (46%) and teachers (57%), signaling a continued need for education and guidelines on responsible use of AI technology for learning.
“Like any new technology, AI brings incredible opportunities, but also a responsibility to use it thoughtfully,” said Maureen Lamb, AI Task Force Chair and Language Department Chair at Miss Porter’s School. “As adoption in education grows, we need clear guidelines that help mitigate risk and unlock the full potential of AI. Everyone—students, educators, and parents—has a role to play in understanding not just how to use AI, but when and why it should be used.”
Digital Learning Demands Growth while Equity Gap Persists
Just as AI is becoming a staple in education, survey results also found that digital learning is growing in popularity, with 64% of respondents expressing that digital learning methods like Quizlet should be equal or greater than traditional education methods, especially teachers (71%).
Quizlet report’s respondents indicated that flexibility (56%), personalized learning (53%), and accessibility (49%) were the most beneficial aspects of digital learning. And with 77% of students making sacrifices, including loss of sleep, personal time, and missed extracurriculars due to homework, digital learning offers a promising path toward a more accommodating approach.
While the majority of Quizlet report’s respondents agreed on the importance and benefits of digital learning, results also pointed to a disparity in access to these tools. Despite nearly half (49%) of respondents agreeing that all students in their community have equal access to learning materials, technology, and support to succeed academically, that percentage drops to 43% for respondents with diagnosed or self-identified learning differences, neurodivergent traits, or accessibility needs.
Maximizing Success for Academic and Real-World Learning
While discussion around AI and education has largely focused on use cases for academic learning, the report also uncovered an opportunity for greater support to help drive success beyond the classroom and provide needed resources for real-world learning.
Nearly 60% of respondents believe a four-year college degree is of high importance for achieving professional success (58%). However, more than one-third of students, teachers, and parents surveyed believe schools are not adequately preparing students for success beyond the classroom.
“As we drive the next era of AI-powered learning, it’s our mission to give every student and lifelong learner the tools and confidence to succeed, no matter their motivation or what they’re striving to achieve,” said Beidler. “As we’ve seen in the data, there’s immense opportunity when it comes to career-connected learning, from life skills development to improving job readiness, that goes well beyond the classroom and addresses what we’re hearing from students and teachers alike.”
The top five skills respondents indicated in Quizlet’s report should be prioritized more in schools are critical thinking and problem solving (66%), financial literacy (64%), mental health management (58%), leadership skills (52%), and creativity and innovation (50%).
To learn more, view additional data from Quizlet’s report.
Methodology
Allison Worldwide’s Performance + Intelligence team surveyed 2,003 U.S. respondents, 1,002 of which are students aged 14-22, and 500 who are teachers at either the high school or college level and 501 who are parents of high school or college students. The survey was fielded using Forsta and the panel was sourced from RepData. Fielding took place in April 2025.
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