Starting in the 2025–2026 school year, all students in D.C. Public Schools will be prohibited from using their personal mobile devices during the school day, the school system announced Friday.
Under the new policy, students will be required to turn off and store their phones for the entire day. The change will apply district-wide to all schools.
The announcement follows pilot programs in several D.C. middle and high schools where administrators say student engagement improved and distractions decreased when phones were removed during the day. The pilot programs reportedly showed reductions in anxiety and better in-person interaction between students.
“Piloting a phone-free program in our middle schools demonstrated that storing students’ personal devices throughout the school day enriches academic, social, and emotional learning,” Chancellor Lewis Ferebee said in a written statement.
Eleven U.S. states have implemented some form of school cellphone ban, according to the nonprofit KFF. Another seven have issued policy recommendations. In D.C., the decision comes as national concern grows over how constant phone access affects student focus and mental health.
DCPS said it will work with school leaders, staff, and families over the next year to determine how the policy will be implemented, including how phones will be stored and how the rule will be enforced.
More information will be released by the district ahead of the 2025 rollout.
