The Abridged version:
- Nearly 85% of high school students say they’ve used AI, according to recent research from The College Board.
- The College Board found that ChatGPT is the AI tool of choice for students, with nearly 70% reporting they’ve used ChatGPT.
- San Juan Unified School District owns a license for MagicSchool, an educational artificial intelligence tool intended for classroom use.
This story was reported by a member of the Abridged by PBS KVIE Community Reporters program. The Community Reporters program empowers local residents to report stories with guidance and support from the Abridged editorial staff.
As a recent high school graduate who spent 12 years of public education in Sacramento, I have been privy to an explosion of technology that has rapidly spread throughout the consciousness of my classmates, much like the virus that gave us a close relationship with our computers for two years. But today’s artificial intelligence tools aren’t just being used by my peers. I’ve seen teachers generate quiz questions using AI tools, and I’ve read an email from a district leader that showed all the signs of being AI generated.
As my academic cohort moves towards adulthood, we are more and more interested — and concerned — by the presence of AI in the education system.
This is not to say that artificial intelligence isn’t beneficial; it is an incredible feat of science and technology that has a multitude of applications for the betterment of our society. It can organize huge amounts of data in mere seconds and it can detect small anomalies in medical images, aiding in diagnosis. It can also help in the fight against climate change by monitoring levels of greenhouse gasses and predicting the outcomes of natural disasters.
The concern with the use of this technology in schools is that it replaces students’ need to think critically, with fast answers and essays at the click of a button. AI was created by the most educated people in our society, and those people required high levels of critical thinking to develop these innovations. This technology was not meant to replace the human brain, and schools are a place where that brain is being molded.
The debate lies in how exactly we educate future generations. AI can be used as a tool, but should it? And to what degree? Should we be teaching students how to use AI along with their traditional education?
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New research on the use of generative AI was recently published by The College Board, a nonprofit best known for administering standardized tests like the high school Advanced Placement tests and the SAT college entrance exam. The College Board found that the percentage of high school students who reported using AI increased from 79% to 84% between January and May 2025. This usage is for brainstorming ideas, revising writing and finding sources for research purposes, according to the report. The tool of choice for these students is ChatGPT, with 69% of high school students reporting they used ChatGPT as of May 2025.
My school district, San Juan Unified, owns a license for MagicSchool, an interactive AI tool designed for educational use. MagicSchool is used by teachers and promises it can assist educators with class preparation, lesson and assignment creation and communication. The companion MagicStudent is the program that students use in the classroom.
Nicole Naditz is a program specialist and works with instructional technology and world languages at San Juan Unified School District. She piloted MagicSchool within the district and helped make the decision to purchase the tool. Naditz had strong feelings at the start of the district’s discussion on AI.
“We can’t ignore this. We can’t pretend it’s not here. That’s a disservice to our students. They will never know a life without AI,” Naditz said.
How is AI being used in classes?
As part of the piloting process, Naditz collected data from students, staff and families, and conducted classroom visits to students of all grade levels to assess how the AI was interacting with students. The district also sent out a wealth of information to families, to be as transparent as possible.
Rémy Manigart, a senior at El Camino Fundamental High School, agrees that AI can have its uses. “I think it does have a lot of capacity to be a useful tool to make our lives easier. But at the same time, if you’re dependent on AI for any sort of hard thinking, then you’re not thinking, which is harmful,” Manigart explained.
Manigart has used AI before to format essays and find sources, as he finds it easier to use than searching traditional databases. Manigart, like Naditz, recognizes that AI can no longer be dismissed. “It’s not always a bad thing — I feel like just ignoring it completely is kind of a waste.”
Alan Posner, a Sacramento social sciences teacher who has been in front of students for 30 years, agrees that some forms of AI can benefit students, but care should be taken.
“I think the top priority should be to analyze its positives and negatives before it’s widely adopted — I would use an AI tutor, because it individualizes and teaches you, but it also allows you to follow your own interests when you’re learning,” Posner said.
The use of AI tutors — bots that have the ability to teach curriculum in an individualized way for each student — has been rising steadily. Harvard Business School has given students access to AI tutors and 75% of Harvard Business School students used the tool at least once. Posner said that if given the tool by the school district, he would take advantage of it.
Minh Vu teaches Advancement Via Individual Determination, or AVID, classes. The classes are periods of time for students to learn study skills, work on other class assignments and help their classmates with schoolwork. Vu is also in charge of holding students accountable for their studying habits and grades, while also teaching Advanced Placement Chemistry and Research. Vu shares Posner’s belief that more education is needed about AI before handing it off to students.
“Just like anything else, you need to teach them how to use it, that’s the important thing. I wouldn’t let a kid just hop in a car and start driving — but that’s what we’re doing with AI,” Vu said.
Vu advocates for students to view AI as a “starting place” that has its own faults, but if used correctly can be a helpful tool.
“And quite honestly, it’s not just AI, but just technology in general — all the stuff you have on the internet, they link together, and no one’s really teaching kids or anyone how to use it properly. What are the limitations to that usage?” Vu asks.
“We’re all learning. Nobody’s an expert in this space, it’s too new. And it’s constantly growing and running away from us,” Naditz said.
Naditz also noted that well-trained humans will always be the best option for students, but AI can be a useful tool for students if used safely and correctly.
“It is a human-driven process that starts with humans and finishes with humans every single time,” she said. “So if the humans don’t do their due diligence, that’s on them.”
Grace Gollihur is a member of the Abridged Community Reporters team. A Carmichael resident and recent El Camino High School graduate, Grace served as editor of her school newspaper.