Minnesota Ranks Last in CS Education — Here's What We're Doing About It

When people think of Minnesota, they think of a state that values education. Strong public schools. High graduation rates. A culture that takes learning seriously. And in many ways, that reputation is earned. But there is one subject where Minnesota is not just falling behind — it is in last place in the entire country.

According to reporting from MN Tech, Minnesota ranks 50th out of 50 states for public computer science education. Only about 35% of Minnesota high schools offer any CS coursework at all, compared to the national average of 57%. That gap is not just a number — it represents tens of thousands of students who are graduating without ever having the opportunity to write a line of code, build a website, or understand how the technology that shapes their daily lives actually works.

How Did Minnesota Fall So Far Behind?

The decline did not happen overnight. For decades, Minnesota treated computer science as an elective afterthought rather than a core part of the curriculum. While states like Arkansas, Virginia, and Maryland were passing legislation to require CS education in every school district, Minnesota left the decision entirely to individual districts and administrators. The result was predictable: wealthier suburban districts invested in computer science programs, while rural and under-resourced districts did not.

The teacher pipeline is another critical bottleneck. Minnesota has no dedicated computer science teaching license, which means there is no clear pathway for educators to become certified CS instructors. Many of the teachers currently offering CS courses are actually licensed in math or business education and have taken on coding classes as an additional responsibility. This ad-hoc approach means the quality and availability of CS instruction varies wildly from district to district.

The Teacher Shortage Problem

Across the country, roughly 14,000 additional CS teachers would be needed to meet student demand. In Minnesota, the shortage is felt acutely in Greater Minnesota, where small school districts often cannot justify hiring a dedicated CS teacher for a handful of interested students. Even when a district wants to offer computer science, finding a qualified instructor willing to live and work in a town of 2,000 people is an enormous challenge.

This creates a vicious cycle. Without teachers, there are no courses. Without courses, students never discover an interest in technology. Without student interest, administrators see no reason to invest in hiring CS teachers. The cycle continues, and another graduating class leaves high school without foundational digital literacy skills.

What Other States Are Doing Right

The good news is that we do not have to guess about what works. Several states have made dramatic progress in CS education over the past decade, and their playbooks are available for Minnesota to follow.

Arkansas: The Gold Standard

In 2015, Arkansas became the first state to require every public high school to offer computer science. The state invested heavily in teacher training, created a dedicated CS teaching endorsement, and provided funding for curriculum development. Within five years, student enrollment in CS courses increased by more than 300%. Arkansas went from one of the lowest-ranked states for CS education to a national leader, proving that policy can drive rapid change.

Virginia and Maryland

Virginia made computer science a graduation requirement beginning with the class of 2022, ensuring that every student has at least baseline exposure to computational thinking. Maryland integrated CS standards into its K-12 framework and committed dedicated funding for professional development. Both states have seen significant increases in the diversity of students taking CS courses — particularly among girls and students of color.

What These States Have in Common

The states making real progress share three elements: legislative mandate, dedicated funding for teacher preparation, and a clear CS standards framework integrated into K-12 education. Minnesota currently has none of these three elements fully in place.

The CS Education Advancement Act

There is reason for cautious optimism. The CS Education Advancement Act has been introduced in the Minnesota legislature with the goal of establishing computer science standards, creating teacher certification pathways, and providing funding for districts to build CS programs. This legislation would bring Minnesota in line with the policy frameworks that have worked in other states.

However, legislation alone is not sufficient. Even if the Act passes, it will take years for teacher training programs to produce enough certified instructors, for districts to build curriculum, and for the systemic changes to reach students in classrooms. The students who are in high school right now cannot wait for a five-year implementation timeline.

Why This Matters for Minnesota's Economy

This is not just an education problem — it is an economic one. Minnesota is home to a thriving technology sector, with major employers including UnitedHealth Group, Target, Best Buy, 3M, and a growing ecosystem of startups and mid-size tech companies. These companies need skilled workers, and they increasingly need them to have foundational CS knowledge regardless of their specific role. An estimated 92% of jobs across all industries now require some level of digital literacy.

By failing to prepare students with basic computer science skills, Minnesota is simultaneously creating a workforce gap for its own employers and limiting the economic mobility of its students. Students who graduate without any CS exposure are less likely to pursue technology careers, less prepared for technology-adjacent roles, and less equipped for the digital demands of modern work in any field.

The Rural Dimension

The statewide statistics are bad enough, but they mask an even deeper problem in rural Minnesota. In the Twin Cities metro area, students have access to coding bootcamps, after-school tech programs, and schools with dedicated CS departments. In places like the Iron Range, the Brainerd Lakes area, or communities along the North Shore, those resources simply do not exist.

A student in Grand Rapids or Bemidji who wants to learn to code has to rely almost entirely on self-directed online learning — which requires both the motivation to seek it out and the broadband connectivity to access it. Many rural Minnesota communities still lack reliable high-speed internet, adding yet another barrier.

How Northland Hackathon Is Part of the Solution

While Northland Hackathon is not a replacement for systemic policy change, it serves a critical role that formal education programs cannot fill right now. It provides immediate, hands-on exposure to computer science for students who otherwise would have none. It connects students in rural and underserved communities with professional mentors who work in technology every day. And it does all of this at no cost to students or their families.

Since 2022, Northland Hackathon has grown into the largest free student hackathon in Minnesota. Participants come from across the state — from the Twin Cities to Duluth, from Rochester to Thief River Falls. Because the event is fully remote, geography is not a barrier. A student sitting at a kitchen table in a town of 500 people has the same experience as a student in a suburb of Minneapolis.

The hackathon also serves as a gateway. Many participants arrive having never written code before. By the end of the day, they have built something real — a website, an app, a tool. That single experience of creating something with technology is often enough to spark a lasting interest. Past participants have gone on to pursue CS in college, attend other hackathons, and start their own projects.

What You Can Do

Fixing Minnesota's CS education crisis requires action at every level. Support the CS Education Advancement Act by contacting your state legislators. If you are an educator, explore free resources for bringing CS into your classroom. If you are a technology professional, consider volunteering as a mentor — organizations like Northland Hackathon are always looking for people willing to share their knowledge.

And if you are a student in Minnesota, know this: the system may not be set up to help you yet, but there are people and programs working to change that. You do not have to wait for your school to offer a CS class to start learning.