What It Means
A phone-free school is one whose rules keep students' personal phones out of use during school hours. Some policies cover class time only, while others cover the whole school day on campus. A policy can come from the state, the district or the school itself, so two schools in the same town can handle phones differently.
Try It: How Common Are Phone Bans at Your Child's Level?
Pick your child's school level to see the share of U.S. public schools that banned phone use for anything other than schoolwork in 2021 to 2022, from NCES.
In a February 2025 release, NCES reported 86% of elementary schools banned phones during any class.
In a February 2025 release, NCES reported 55% of high schools banned phones during any class.
Your child's school sets its own rule, so read the handbook.
How People Say It
- "Phones go in the locker at the first bell."
- "How do I reach her if the school is phone-free?"
- "Our district is going phone-free next year."
The Breakdown
How to prepare as a family
- Read the policy in the school or district handbook. Note whether it covers class time or the whole day, and where phones are kept.
- Ask the school how families reach a student during the day, and save the front office number in your phone.
- Plan the pickup around the rule. If your child texts you when practice ends, work out when the phone comes back on.
- Talk it through with your child: what the rule is, what happens if it's broken, and why the school chose it.
- Ask about exceptions early if your child uses a phone for a health need.
Try it today. Find the phone section in your school's handbook and write down the one line that says when phones must be away.
How common it was in 2021 to 2022 (NCES)
| School level | Public schoolsPublic schoolA school run by publicly elected or appointed officials and paid for mainly with public money, including district, charter and magnet schools. See more banning nonacademic phone use |
|---|---|
| Elementary | 87% |
| Middle | 77% |
| Combined grades | 70% |
| High | 43% |
In a February 2025 release, NCES reported that 77% of public schools ban phone use during any class, with elementary schools (86%) well ahead of high schools (55%).
Good to Know
The U.S. Department of Education has called on states, districts and schools to adopt policies on students' phones and personal devices. In Congress, bills such as the UNPLUGGED Act of 2025 (H.R. 2700), introduced in April 2025, would require state education agencies to set policies barring students from using or having personal mobile phones in public school classrooms during school hours. Check Congress.gov for where any bill stands, and your district's handbook for the rule your child follows today.
FAQ
How common are phone bans in schools?
NCES reported in February 2025 that 77% of public schools ban students from using phones during any class. Elementary schools were far more likely to do so (86%) than high schools (55%).
Is there a federal law banning phones in schools?
Bills have been introduced in Congress, including the UNPLUGGED Act of 2025, and the U.S. Department of Education has urged states, districts and schools to adopt phone policies. Check Congress.gov for where those bills stand, and your district's handbook for your child's school.
How do I contact my child at a phone-free school?
Ask the school how families reach a student during the day, and keep the front office number saved in your phone.
Do It in Buhata
Household Notes
Save the school's front office number and the key lines of its phone policy in Household Notes, so every adult who does pickup knows them.
Open BuhataRelated Terms and Categories
- Screen time
The time a child spends using screens such as TVs, tablets, phones, computers and game consoles, counted across a day or a week.
- Digital citizenship
Using technology and the internet in ways that are safe, responsible, legal and respectful of other people.
- Cyberbullying
Bullying that happens through phones, computers, tablets and games, such as cruel messages, rumors, embarrassing posts or pretending to be someone.
- Parent portal
A school's secure website or app where parents sign in to see their child's grades, assignments, attendance and messages from the school.
Sources
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), "Fast Facts: School safety and security measures"; NCES, "More than Half of Public School Leaders Say Cell Phones Hurt Academic Performance" (February 19, 2025); U.S. Department of Education, "U.S. Department of Education Calls on States, Districts and Schools to Adopt Policies on Student Use of Cell Phones and Personal Devices"; Congress.gov, H.R. 2700, UNPLUGGED Act of 2025
- nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=334
- nces.ed.gov/whatsnew/press_releases/2_19_2025.asp
- www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-calls-states-districts-and-schools-adopt-policies-student-use-of-cell-phones-and-personal-devices
- www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2700/text
Last updated .