When Do Kids Learn Cursive? Grades, States and Readiness
By the Clipart Scout team6 min read
Short answer
There is no national rule. Education Week reports that students are generally not introduced to cursive until 2nd or 3rd grade, and that cursive and keyboarding are both typically taught between grades 3 and 5. Each state decides for itself. Some state standards place cursive at grades 2 to 5, and the Common Core standards do not mention it, so your own school's plan is the one to ask about.
Key points
- There is no national rule. Education Week reports cursive is generally introduced in 2nd or 3rd grade.
- Texas standards start cursive letters in grade 2. California's place it at grades 3 and 4. Florida's place it at grades 3 to 5.
- No official count of states that require cursive exists. Education Week's count in early 2026 was at least half.
- The Common Core standards do not mention cursive. They do name keyboarding in grades 3 and 4.
- At home, start when printing is comfortable. Ten minutes a day is a practical amount.
On this page
If you are asking when kids learn cursive, you are probably trying to work out whether your child is on time. The honest answer is that it depends on the state, the district and sometimes the individual school.
The short version: cursive is generally introduced in 2nd or 3rd grade, and taught through grade 5 in many places. There is no national rule, and the exact grade varies. This guide gives the examples we could confirm, explains how the count of states works, and then covers readiness and starting at home.
What grade do kids learn cursive?
Kids generally learn cursive in 2nd or 3rd grade, but no national rule sets the grade. Education Week reports that students are generally not introduced to cursive until 2nd or 3rd grade, and that cursive and keyboarding are both typically taught between grades 3 and 5. Its March 2026 report on cursive says this plainly.
State standards that do mention cursive place it at different points:
| State | Where cursive appears | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | Grade 2: forming all cursive letters. Grade 3: writing complete words, thoughts and answers legibly in cursive. Grades 4 and 5: writing legibly in cursive | Texas Education Agency, state standards (adopted 2017, file labelled August 2019 update) |
| California | Cursive or joined italics outcomes at grades 3 and 4 | California Department of Education |
| Florida | Grades 3 to 5. Grade 3: all upper and lowercase letters. Grade 4: legible cursive. Grade 5: fluent and legible cursive | Florida B.E.S.T. standards |
| Georgia | Cursive required in grades 3 to 5 from the 2025-26 school year | Education Week, 24 February 2026 |
Standards can be revised, so check with your own state’s department of education for the current version.
What grade do kids learn cursive in California?
In California, the state standards place cursive or joined italics outcomes at grades 3 and 4. A 2023 law adds a requirement on top of that, and the grades are chosen locally.
The law is AB 446, approved by the Governor and filed on 13 October 2023. It amends the Education Code so that handwriting in the grades 1 to 6 course of study includes “instruction in cursive or joined italics in the appropriate grade levels”. The law does not say cursive must be taught in every grade from 1 to 6.
The California Department of Education says local educational agencies decide which grades. It also says AB 446 did not change the state standards. If you live in California, your district’s own plan tells you which grades apply.
Is cursive still taught in schools?
Yes, in many places. Education Week reported in March 2026 that at least half of states require it. Georgia is one recent example: it requires cursive in grades 3 to 5 from the 2025-26 school year.
That does not mean every school teaches it well or at the same pace. Requirements can leave room for the district to decide how much time cursive gets, so the daily reality can differ from the headline.
How many states require cursive?
No official count exists, and sources disagree. The counts we found come from news reports, and they trace back to a commercial tracker site rather than to a government list. Here is how Education Week’s figures changed over time:
| Date | Count | Source |
|---|---|---|
| November 2023 | 21 states | Education Week, quoting the tracker site mycursive.com |
| 5 November 2024 | “At least 24 states” | Education Week |
| 24 February 2026 | Georgia plus “at least 24 other states” | Education Week |
| 2 March 2026 | “At least half” of states | Education Week |
Higher figures circulate on advocacy and commercial sites, but we could not verify them, so we do not use them. A safe way to put it: about half the states, by Education Week’s count in early 2026. There is no official list, and counts vary with what is counted as a requirement.
Tip: For your own state, search for its department of education’s English language arts standards and look for the word “cursive”. Rules for homeschoolers can differ from those for public schools, so ask your state education department if you are unsure.
Is cursive part of Common Core?
No. The Common Core standards do not mention cursive. The handwriting-related standards say kindergartners print many upper and lowercase letters and first graders print all of them.
The standards do name keyboarding. Grade 3 students use keyboarding skills to produce writing, and grade 4 students type at least one page in a single sitting. See the grade 3 writing standards for the wording.
Sue Pimentel, a lead writer of the English standards, told Education Week in 2016 that leaving cursive out was a matter of emphasis and that states were free to add it. That is why a state can follow the Common Core and still teach cursive.
When should kids learn cursive?
A child should start cursive when printing is comfortable, and for many children that is around 2nd or 3rd grade. The grade matters less than the signs of readiness. These signs are our suggestions, not a standard:
If several of these are missing, spend longer on print first. Starting later is not a problem, and rushing tends to produce frustration.
Can you teach cursive at home?
Yes, and you do not need to match a school’s schedule. A short daily lesson, a clear letter order and some patience are enough. Our step-by-step guide on how to teach cursive writing gives the order, a ten to fifteen minute lesson routine and fixes for common problems.
If you want ready-made pages, the Cursive Handwriting Practice Bundle has 713 pages for ages 5 to 10, with a Start Here section that includes a 30-week plan. The Cursive Handwriting Practice Super Bundle has 1,441 pages and runs from print review up to 5th grade copywork.
Once the letters and joins are comfortable, copying good sentences is the usual next step, and our guide to copywork explains how. For a view of what the rest of 3rd grade holds, see what a 3rd grader should know.
What to do next
- Ask your child’s teacher, or look at your state’s English language arts standards, to find out when your school teaches cursive.
- Check the readiness list above and decide whether to start now or give print more time.
- Read the how-to guide and pick a first lesson for this week.
- Browse our handwriting and cursive practice pages if you want printable models.
Sources
- Cursive Is Making a Comeback. It Won't Be Without Challenges, Education Week (2 March 2026).
- Why One School Is Leading the Return to Cursive, Education Week (24 February 2026).
- More States Require Schools to Teach Cursive Writing. Why?, Education Week (November 2023).
- Is Handwriting a Lost Art? What One College's Kerfuffle Over Cursive Can Tell Us, Education Week (5 November 2024).
- Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for English Language Arts and Reading, 19 TAC Chapter 110, Subchapter A, Texas Education Agency.
- Cursive Instruction (frequently asked questions), California Department of Education.
- AB 446, Pupil instruction: handwriting (Chapter 804, Statutes of 2023), California Legislative Information.
- B.E.S.T. English Language Arts standards, Florida Department of Education.
- Language standards, Kindergarten (online copy of the Common Core standards), thecorestandards.org, an unofficial copy of the standards.
- Writing standards, Grade 3 (online copy of the Common Core standards), thecorestandards.org, an unofficial copy of the standards.
- Why Don't the Common-Core Standards Include Cursive Writing?, Education Week (10 October 2016).
This guide is general information for parents and teachers. It is not medical, legal or professional advice. Every guide lists its sources at the end. More about our guides is on the About page.
