States That Require Cursive
A plain-English tracker of cursive handwriting requirements in all 50 states, current through October 2026. Nineteen states require cursive by law, eight more through state standards — and the lists you see online disagree because most of them mix the two. Each row below carries the bill or standard and a source.
Cursive Requirements by State — October 2026
| State | Required? | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Law | 2016 |
| Alaska | None | — |
| Arizona | Standards | 2016 |
| Arkansas | Law | 2015 |
| California | Law | 2023 |
| Colorado | None | — |
| Connecticut | None | — |
| Delaware | Law | 2017 |
| Florida | Standards | 2020 |
| Georgia | Standards | 2025 |
| Hawaii | None | — |
| Idaho | Law | 2025 |
| Illinois | Law | 2017 |
| Indiana | None | — |
| Iowa | Standards | 2024 |
| Kansas | Standards | 2013 |
| Kentucky | Law | 2024 |
| Louisiana | Law | 2016 |
| Maine | None | — |
| Maryland | Law | 2019 |
| Massachusetts | Standards | 2017 |
| Michigan | None | — |
| Minnesota | None | — |
| Mississippi | Law | 2012 |
| Missouri | None | — |
| State | Required? | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Montana | None | — |
| Nebraska | None | — |
| Nevada | None | — |
| New Hampshire | Law | 2023 |
| New Jersey | Law | 2026 |
| New Mexico | None | — |
| New York | None | — |
| North Carolina | Law | 2013 |
| North Dakota | None | — |
| Ohio | Law | 2018 |
| Oklahoma | Law | 2024 |
| Oregon | None | — |
| Pennsylvania | Law | 2026 |
| Rhode Island | None | — |
| South Carolina | Law | 2014 |
| South Dakota | None | — |
| Tennessee | Law | 2014 |
| Texas | Standards | 2017 |
| Utah | None | — |
| Vermont | None | — |
| Virginia | Standards | 2024 |
| Washington | None | — |
| West Virginia | Law | 2020 |
| Wisconsin | None | — |
| Wyoming | None | — |
✓ Law — required by state statute. • Standards — required by state standards, no statute. — No state requirement as of Oct 2026.
Why the counts you see online don’t agree
Ask how many states require cursive and you will get answers from 21 to 27, all from sources published within the last two years. The gap is almost never an error of counting — it is an error of category. Some states pass an actual law (Alabama’s Lexi’s Law, Pennsylvania’s Act 2 of 2026); others fold cursive into their English standards (Florida’s B.E.S.T., Texas’ TEKS), which binds classrooms without a statute behind it. Trackers that merge the two categories look more current than they are.
Two states get mislabeled over and over. Maine’s 2025 bill was amended into a Department of Education survey of cursive instruction — a study, not a mandate — yet still appears on "new requirement" lists. Indiana’s 2018 law permits schools to teach cursive and its 2023 law asks them to report whether they do; neither requires anything, but the state still shows up as required on several popular trackers. Idaho, which genuinely mandated cursive in 2025, is the one they tend to miss.
The background in one paragraph: the Common Core standards adopted in 2010 left cursive out, and most states quietly dropped it. Since 2013 a bipartisan wave of state laws has brought it back — five new statutes in 2024–2026 alone (Oklahoma and Kentucky in 2024, Idaho in 2025, New Jersey and Pennsylvania in 2026).
The newest laws, 2024–2026
Five states have signed cursive requirements since 2024, and every one names grades: Oklahoma’s HB 3727 (April 2024, public and charter schools, grades 3–5), Kentucky’s SB 167 (2024, proficient by the end of grade 5 from the 2025–26 year), Idaho’s SB 1044 (effective July 2025, reading and writing by the end of grade 5), New Jersey’s P.L. 2025, c.284 (signed January 19, 2026, grades 3–5) and Pennsylvania’s Act 2 of 2026 (February 2026, public and private schools). Pennsylvania’s is the broadest — it names print, joined italics and cursive and reaches private schools.
The near-misses matter too. Florida’s HB 921 passed the House in 2025 and died in a Senate rules committee — cursive there rests on the B.E.S.T. standards alone. Arizona’s SB 1197 was vetoed in 2019 before the state board wrote cursive into its standards. Wisconsin’s bill has passed the Assembly and waits on the Senate. If your state is on that list, the requirement may be one session away.
Teaching tips
Check the tier, not just the list
A statute binds every public school in the state; a standards requirement binds classrooms but usually leaves materials and pacing to districts. If your state is in the standards column, what cursive looks like can still vary by school.
Know the grade to expect it
The most common window is grades 3–5: introduced around grade 3, legible by the end of grade 5. California starts earlier (grades 1–6); Tennessee finishes earlier (by grade 3). Match the row to your child’s grade before worrying about what the school "isn’t teaching."
Bring the printed list to the meeting
The compact table above prints on one letter page — useful for PTA meetings, curriculum nights, or a quick check with a teacher. It carries each state’s tier and year, so the conversation starts from the same facts.
Practice doesn’t need the school
Whether or not your state requires cursive, the printable chart and letter-by-letter worksheets in this section cover the whole alphabet. Ten focused minutes a week outperforms one long worksheet — and left-handed writers need a slanted page, not a different alphabet.
Frequently asked questions
How many states require cursive in 2026?
Twenty-seven: 19 states by statute and 8 more through state English standards, as of October 2026. The distinction matters — see the two tables above for which is which in each state.
What is the difference between required by law and required by standards?
A law (statute) is passed by the legislature and signed by the governor; it applies statewide and doesn’t depend on the next standards revision. A standards requirement comes from the state board of education and is just as real in the classroom, but it can be revised by the board without a new law. Florida and Texas are the big examples of standards-only states.
Which states passed cursive laws most recently?
New Jersey (P.L. 2025, c.284, signed January 2026) and Pennsylvania (Act 2 of 2026, February 2026) are the newest, both covering grades 3–5. Before them: Idaho (SB 1044, 2025), Kentucky (SB 167, 2024) and Oklahoma (HB 3727, 2024).
I saw Maine and Indiana on a list of states that require cursive. Do they?
No. Maine’s 2025 legislation became a Department of Education study of cursive instruction, not a requirement. Indiana’s laws allow schools to teach cursive and require them to report whether they do — permission plus paperwork, not a mandate. Both still appear on several widely-cited trackers, which is one reason the counts you see online disagree.
Do homeschool families have to teach cursive?
Almost all of these laws name public schools; Pennsylvania’s Act 2 of 2026 is the rare one that reaches private schools too. Homeschool requirements in most states don’t specify handwriting style — but if you file under a state’s homeschool statute, it’s worth one look at your state’s language. Either way, the free chart and worksheets here cover it.
Why did cursive disappear from schools in the first place?
The Common Core state standards, adopted by most states in 2010, require legible handwriting but do not name cursive — so when states rewrote their standards around Common Core, cursive mostly fell out. The state-law wave since 2013 has been the pushback, and it has continued through 2026.
Which states might require cursive next?
Wisconsin’s bill has passed the Assembly; Florida’s HB 921 passed the House in 2025 before dying in a Senate committee; bills are also active in Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada and New York. This tracker is updated as laws are signed.
Required by state law (19 states)
Each of these states has a statute on the books — passed by the legislature and signed by the governor.
| State | Statute | Year | What it requires | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Ala. Code § 16-6B-2 (Lexi's Law, HB 218) | 2016 | Readable cursive documents by the end of grade 3. | law.justia.com |
| Arkansas | Ark. Code Ann. § 6-16-146 (Act 160 of 2015) | 2015 | Taught in every public elementary school as part of ELA. | law.justia.com |
| California | Educ. Code § 51210(a), as amended by AB 446 | 2023 | Grades 1–6 must include cursive or joined italics; effective Jan 1, 2024. | cde.ca.gov |
| Delaware | 14 Del. C. (HB 70, 149th General Assembly) | 2017 | Cursive by end of grade 4, starting 2018–19. | legis.delaware.gov |
| Idaho | SB 1044 | 2025 | Reading and writing cursive by end of grade 5; effective July 1, 2025. | sde.idaho.gov |
| Illinois | 105 ILCS 5/27-20.7 (PA 100-498) | 2017 | At least one cursive unit in every public elementary school; veto overridden. | ilga.gov |
| Kentucky | KRS 156.160, as amended by SB 167 | 2024 | Cursive proficiency by end of grade 5, from 2025–26. | apps.legislature.ky.gov |
| Louisiana | La. R.S. 17:266 (Act 346 of 2016) | 2016 | Introduced by grade 3 and continued in later grades. | legis.la.gov |
| Maryland | Md. Code, Educ. § 7-502 (SB 961/HB 397) | 2019 | Print and cursive in public elementary schools; effective July 1, 2019. | mgaleg.maryland.gov |
| Mississippi | Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-10 | 2012 | Reading and writing cursive; readable documents by end of grade 5 (strengthened 2017). | law.justia.com |
| New Hampshire | RSA 189:11-c (HB 170) | 2023 | Cursive and multiplication tables before end of grade 5. | gc.nh.gov |
| New Jersey | P.L. 2025, c.284 | 2026 | Cursive required in grades 3–5; signed January 19, 2026. | njleg.state.nj.us |
| North Carolina | S.L. 2013-71 ("Back to Basics") | 2013 | Cursive in the standard course of study; legible writing by grade 5. | ncleg.gov |
| Ohio | ORC § 3301.0726 (HB 58) | 2018 | State model curriculum materials must include cursive instruction. | codes.ohio.gov |
| Oklahoma | HB 3727 | 2024 | Public and charter schools, grades 3–5; signed April 22, 2024. | oksenate.gov |
| Pennsylvania | Act 2 of 2026 (HB 17, amending the Public School Code of 1949) | 2026 | Writing curriculum must include print, joined italics and cursive — public and private schools; signed February 2026. | legis.state.pa.us |
| South Carolina | S.C. Code § 59-29-15 | 2014 | Cursive and multiplication tables; readable documents by end of grade 5. | scstatehouse.gov |
| Tennessee | T.C.A. § 49-6-1034 | 2014 | Cursive in the state course of study, completed by grade 3. | law.justia.com |
| West Virginia | W. Va. Code § 18-2-7d | 2020 | Cursive required in elementary school; extended into middle grades from 2020. | code.wvlegislature.gov |
Required by state standards (8 states)
No standalone statute — cursive sits inside the state’s English language arts standards or a state board action. It still binds classrooms; it can also be revised by the board without a new law.
| State | Standard | Year | What it requires | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | State Board of Education ELA standards | 2016 | Legible cursive by end of grade 5; a cursive bill (SB 1197) was vetoed in 2019. | azed.gov |
| Florida | B.E.S.T. ELA standards (ELA.3–5.C.1.1) | 2020 | Grade-by-grade benchmarks, grades 3–5; HB 921 (2025) to hard-code it into law died in a Senate committee. | fldoe.org |
| Georgia | Georgia Standards of Excellence (2025 revision) | 2025 | Read and write cursive, grades 3–5, from 2025–26; no statute. | georgiastandards.org |
| Iowa | Iowa Academic Standards (State Board adoption) | 2024 | Begins grade 2, proficient by end of grade 3; not a statute. | educate.iowa.gov |
| Kansas | State Board resolution + KSDE handwriting guidance | 2013 | Encouraged by board policy; district practice varies widely. | ksde.org |
| Massachusetts | MA ELA Curriculum Framework (state-added strand) | 2017 | Grade 4: "write legibly by hand, using cursive or manuscript" — a state addition beyond Common Core. | doe.mass.edu |
| Texas | TEKS ELAR §110.5 (SBOE adoption) | 2017 | Cursive words and sentences from grade 3, developed and maintained in grades 4–5; administrative code, not a standalone statute. | tea.texas.gov |
| Virginia | 2024 English Standards of Learning | 2024 | Cursive letters from grade 2, legible cursive maintained by grade 4. | doe.virginia.gov |
No state requirement (23 states)
As of October 2026: Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming. Several have bills in progress — see the watch list below. “No state requirement” does not mean no schools teach it; it means the decision sits with districts.
Watch list — bills in progress
- Arizona: SB 1197 vetoed — standards route instead
- Florida: HB 921 passed the House, died in Senate rules (2025)
- Indiana: SB 58 reintroduced again for 2026
- Michigan: House bill advancing (2025–26 session)
- Minnesota: SF 173 pending
- Nevada: Grades 2–5 bill backed by NSEA (2026)
- New York: Bills in committee
- Wisconsin: AB 3 passed Assembly, awaiting Senate
Method: statutes verified against state legislature and department of education pages; the “no requirement” tier is cross-checked against Education Week’s tracker (Nov 2024) and state teachers-association reporting (2026), then spot-checked per state. Counts differ across trackers mostly because of the law-vs-standards category — Maine (a 2025 study, not a mandate) and Indiana (permission, not requirement) are the two most commonly mislabeled. Data updated November 3, 2026; verify a state’s current text at the linked source before citing it.