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Character education & SEL requirements, state by state.

Every state treats character education and social-emotional learning differently. This interactive map shows where each one stands as of 2026 — and how GRiT meets the requirement. Click your state to dig in.

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Requirements by state

Does your state require it?

Required · 17 statesRecommended / standards · 27 statesNot addressed · 7 states
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Pick a state

Hover any state for its status, or click it. Georgia, Virginia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Minnesota open a full GRiT page; every other state shows its status and a way to talk to us.

Alabama
Required
Character education mandated by statute (Code of Ala. §16-6B-2); no free-standing K-12 SEL standards.
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Alaska
Not addressed
No statute requires or encourages character education; no statewide K-12 SEL standards.
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Arizona
Recommended / standards
Character education permitted/encouraged; statewide K-12 SEL competencies provided as guidance.
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Arkansas
Required
Character education required by statute; statewide SEL guidance (G.U.I.D.E. for Life) provided.
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California
Recommended / standards
Teachers directed to teach morals/citizenship (Ed. Code §233.5); T-SEL competencies offered as guidance.
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Colorado
Recommended / standards
Character education encouraged, not mandated; no free-standing statewide K-12 SEL standards.
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Connecticut
Required
SEL standards mandated gr. 4-12 (Conn. Gen. Stat. §10-222v); no dedicated character education statute.
GRiT page →
Delaware
Recommended / standards
Character education encouraged; statewide K-12 SEL competencies provided as guidance.
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District of Columbia
Not addressed
No character education statute; early-childhood SEL competencies only, no K-12 SEL standards.
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Florida
Required
Character-development program required K-12 (Fla. Stat. §1003.42); no statewide K-12 SEL standards.
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Georgia
Required
Character education required K-12 (O.C.G.A. §20-2-145, strengthened 2025-26); no K-12 SEL standards.
GRiT page →
Hawaii
Recommended / standards
No character-education statute (state board policy only); statewide K-12 SEL competencies provided as guidance.
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Idaho
Not addressed
No statute requires or encourages character education; no statewide K-12 SEL standards.
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Illinois
Required
SEL standards mandated within Illinois Learning Standards (since 2004); character education encouraged.
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Indiana
Recommended / standards
Character/good-citizenship instruction encouraged; statewide K-12 SEL competencies offered as guidance.
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Iowa
Recommended / standards
Character education encouraged; statewide K-12 SEL competencies provided as guidance.
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Kansas
Recommended / standards
Social, Emotional, and Character Development (SECD) standards adopted as voluntary statewide guidance.
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Kentucky
Recommended / standards
Character education encouraged, not mandated; no free-standing statewide K-12 SEL standards.
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Louisiana
Recommended / standards
Character education permitted/encouraged; no free-standing statewide K-12 SEL standards.
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Maine
Not addressed
No statute requires or encourages character education; no adopted statewide K-12 SEL standards.
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Maryland
Recommended / standards
Character education encouraged; no free-standing statewide K-12 SEL standards (early-childhood only).
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Massachusetts
Recommended / standards
No character education mandate; DESE SEL guidelines provided as statewide guidance, not mandated.
GRiT page →
Michigan
Recommended / standards
Character education encouraged; statewide K-12 SEL competencies provided as guidance.
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Minnesota
Recommended / standards
Character development education encouraged (Minn. Stat. §120B.232); MDE SEL benchmarks offered as guidance.
GRiT page →
Mississippi
Recommended / standards
Character education encouraged; statewide K-12 SEL standards provided as guidance.
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Missouri
Recommended / standards
Character education encouraged, not mandated; no free-standing statewide K-12 SEL standards.
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Montana
Not addressed
No statute requires or encourages character education; no adopted statewide K-12 SEL standards.
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Nebraska
Required
Instruction emphasizing honesty, morality, courtesy & citizenship required by statute (Neb. Rev. Stat. §79-725).
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Nevada
Recommended / standards
Character education addressed in state regulation, not statute; statewide K-12 SEL competencies provided as guidance.
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New Hampshire
Not addressed
No statewide character-education or SEL requirement (RSA ch. 189 covers civics/history only).
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New Jersey
Recommended / standards
Character education encouraged; statewide K-12 SEL competencies provided as guidance.
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New Mexico
Recommended / standards
Character education in administrative rule, not statute; statewide K-12 SEL competencies provided as guidance.
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New York
Required
Civility, citizenship & character education required K-12 (N.Y. Educ. Law §801-a); statewide SEL benchmarks provided as guidance.
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North Carolina
Required
Local boards must provide character/civic education (N.C.G.S. §115C-81.45); no K-12 SEL standards.
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North Dakota
Recommended / standards
Character education encouraged; statewide K-12 SEL competencies provided as guidance.
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Ohio
Recommended / standards
Character education encouraged; State Board-adopted K-12 SEL standards offered as guidance.
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Oklahoma
Recommended / standards
Character education encouraged; no free-standing statewide K-12 SEL standards.
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Oregon
Required
Instruction emphasizing honesty, morality & citizenship required (ORS 336.067); ODE adopted statewide K-12 SEL standards (2023).
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Pennsylvania
Recommended / standards
Character education encouraged; PA Career Ready Skills (SEL) continuum offered as statewide guidance.
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Rhode Island
Recommended / standards
Character education encouraged; statewide K-12 SEL standards provided as guidance.
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South Carolina
Required
Districts must develop character education programs (S.C. Code §59-17-135); no K-12 SEL standards.
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South Dakota
Required
Character development instruction required by default, with a local opt-out (SDCL 13-33-6.1).
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Tennessee
Required
Character education required (Tenn. Code §49-6-1007); statewide K-12 SEL competencies offered as guidance.
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Texas
Required
Districts must provide a character education program (Tex. Educ. Code §29.906); no K-12 SEL standards.
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Utah
Required
Instruction in character traits required (Utah Code §53G-10-204); statewide K-12 SEL guidance provided.
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Vermont
Recommended / standards
Character education encouraged; no free-standing statewide K-12 SEL standards.
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Virginia
Required
Character education required (Code of Va. §22.1-208.01); statewide K-12 SEL guidance provided.
GRiT page →
Washington
Recommended / standards
Character education encouraged; OSPI-adopted statewide K-12 SEL standards offered as guidance.
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West Virginia
Required
State board must have all schools integrate character development (W. Va. Code §18-2-13); statewide SEL (Student Success) standards provided.
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Wisconsin
Recommended / standards
Character education encouraged; statewide K-12 SEL competencies provided as guidance.
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Wyoming
Not addressed
No statute requires or encourages character education; no statewide K-12 SEL standards.
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Questions

Frequently asked questions

Which states require character education?

As of 2026, these states have a statutory character-education mandate: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. Connecticut and Illinois mandate SEL standards instead, and most other states encourage character education or provide statewide SEL guidance.

Does my state require SEL (social-emotional learning)?

Connecticut and Illinois mandate statewide SEL standards. About two dozen more states provide statewide K-12 SEL competencies as guidance rather than a mandate. Use the map above to see where your state stands.

Is character education the same as SEL?

They overlap but aren’t identical. Character education focuses on traits like respect, responsibility, and citizenship; SEL focuses on five competencies such as self-management and relationship skills. GRiT is built to deliver both.

Does GRiT meet my state’s requirement?

GRiT is a neuroscience-based character education and SEL curriculum for K-12 through college. It teaches the character traits and the five SEL competencies states ask for, and measures growth with GRiT Compass. Book a discovery call to see how it maps to your state.

Wherever your state stands, GRiT fits

Character education, SEL, or both — GRiT delivers it K–12 through college, and shows the growth. Tell us your state and we’ll map it for you.

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Classifications compiled from the Education Commission of the States, NASBE State Policy Database, and CASEL, as of 2026, and provided for general information only — not legal advice. “Required” means the state legally mandates character education or SEL; “recommended / standards” means the state encourages it or provides statewide standards as guidance, but does not require it; “not addressed” means no statewide requirement, standards, or guidance. Requirements change; always confirm current law with your state department of education.