AI has moved from the periphery of K–12 education toward its center at remarkable speed. Whatever a school’s position on AI, its students and teachers are increasingly encountering technology as a routine feature of academic life. The question facing school leaders is no longer whether AI will enter their communities. It already has.
Now schools must ask themselves how they are evolving in a student, and school, environment that is becoming more and more AI-driven. Yet the pace of adoption has outrun the field’s understanding of AI’s effects on students, and the early evidence urges caution alongside optimism.
This report is an effort to help independent school leaders navigate that tension with evidence rather than anecdote. It examines the adoption and impact of AI in independent schools through multi-year snapshot survey data collected by NAIS from teachers, department heads, and division heads, alongside in-depth interviews with teachers and school leaders across the country.
The survey data establish where independent schools stand: how policies have formalized, how adoption differs across roles, how training is developing, and how perceptions are evolving. The interviews reveal how and why schools are making choices—from developmental calibration to assessment redesign.
These findings offer a grounded picture of the role AI can play in the independent school learning ecosystem, one that neither dismisses the technology’s risks nor loses sight of what it makes possible.
Sections include:
- Snapshot Survey Analysis
- Interview Themes
- AI Policy Exemplars
- Methodology
Full Report
- NAIS Research: 2026 AI in Independent Schools Report (PDF; member login required)
Quick View
Quick Views are high-level summaries showcasing key data points. They designed to serve as a quick reference point before diving deeper into the full analysis.
- Quick View: 2026 AI in Independent Schools Report (PDF)
For Nonmembers, Community Catalysts, and Standard Subscribers: Purchase the Report
We are making this essential research available to nonmembers, community catalysts, and standard subscribers for purchase in the NAIS Store. Community catalysts and standard subscribers receive 20% off. Click here to order your PDF copy.
For free access to this report, along with many other resources for independent school leaders, schools can join NAIS today. Contact our membership team if you have any questions about how NAIS membership can benefit your school.