After School Programs

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See how after-school programs are evolving to better serve students and provide enriching experiences.

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Katrina Sacurom, a 5th grade teacher at Shawnee Trail Elementary School in Frisco, Tx., hosts the school's journalism crew after school activity on Feb. 3, 2026.
A Gen Z Teacher Helps Her Students Use Tech for Good
Gen Z teacher Katrina Sacurom talks about overcoming the challenges new teachers face.
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This After-School Program Is Improving Students’ Reading, One Black History Book at a Time
An after-school program seeks to teach its students about Black history and improve their reading scores at the same time.
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More on After School Programs

Photo collage illustration of science activities such as tinkering with electronics and tower building.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
Science Opinion 6 Practical Tips for Planning a Family STEM Night at Your School
Informal science events are a great way to engage students (and parents). Here’s where to start.
Stefanie Macaluso, February 10, 2026
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3 min read
Students celebrate at the end of basketball club at Adams Elementary School on Dec. 5, 2025.
Students celebrate at the end of basketball club at Adams Elementary School on Dec. 5, 2025. The Spokane district has significantly invested in extracurriculars to help limit students' screen time, and their elementary schools are no exception.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement ‘Great Lifelong Habits’: How This District Is Keeping Young Kids Off Screens
Can a massive expansion of extracurricular activities help build social-emotional skills in early grades?
Alyson Klein, January 26, 2026
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6 min read
Students at Glover Middle School in Spokane, Wash. sing karaoke during Falcon Time on Dec. 3, 2025.
Students at Glover Middle School in Spokane, Wash., sing karaoke during Falcon Time on Dec. 3, 2025. The district has gone all-in on engaging extracurriculars and activities.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement One District's Battle to Curb Cellphones and Get Kids to Engage in Real Life
Spokane's leaders are pushing extracurriculars to help students strengthen in-person social skills.
Alyson Klein, January 26, 2026
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12 min read
Jacob Shaul, center, teaches an after school program called "Mode to Code" to middle schoolers at Everett Middle School in San Francisco on Aug. 27, 2025.
Jacob Shaul, center, teaches an after-school program called Mode to Code to middle schoolers at Everett Middle School in San Francisco on Aug. 27, 2025. The programs typically include enrichment and games, but many families can't find a placement for their children.
Gabrielle Lurie/San Francisco Chronicle via AP
Student Well-Being & Movement Parents Want After-School Programs, But Demand Far Outpaces Supply
Parents value the programs, but low- and middle-income families especially struggle to secure places.
Evie Blad, October 15, 2025
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3 min read
Children raise their hands while participating in activities during the East Providence Boys and Girls Club Summer Camp at Emma G. Whiteknact Elementary School on July 10, 2025, in Providence R.I.
Children raise their hands while participating in activities during the East Providence Boys and Girls Club Students participate in a Boys and Girls Club Summer Camp at Emma G. Whiteknact Elementary School on July 10, 2025, in Providence, R.I. The Boys and Girls Club runs summer camps, and before- and after-school programs, across the country funded with the help of federal education funds.
Sophie Park/AP
Education Funding Trump Releases $1.4 Billion He Withheld From After-School Programs
More than $5 billion for education remains frozen.
Mark Lieberman, July 18, 2025
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6 min read
Members of the City Year program work at Isaac Newton Middle School for Math and Science in East Harlem during the MLK Day of Service on Jan. 20, 2025, in New York City.
Members of the City Year program work at Isaac Newton Middle School for Math and Science in East Harlem during the MLK Day of Service on Jan. 20, 2025, in New York City. City Year places AmeriCorps volunteers in underserved schools, but cuts to the federal service agency have led City Year to scale back some of its AmeriCorps volunteer-powered programs.
Courtesy of City Year New York
Federal Tutoring, After-School, and Other Student Services at Risk as Trump Cuts AmeriCorps
Deep cuts to programs across the federal government have left students without programming they'd come to count on.
Brooke Schultz, June 6, 2025
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8 min read
Extended Student Supervisor, Trinell Lewis, speaks with students during basketball practice at Parkway Sports & Health Science Academy on Feb. 21, 2025 in La Mesa, Calif.
Trinell Lewis, the La Mesa-Spring Valley district's extended student services supervisor, speaks with students during basketball practice at Parkway Sports & Health Science Academy on Feb. 21, 2025 in La Mesa, Calif. The district teaches social-emotional skills—like resolving conflicts and handling losses—by emphasizing sportsmanship.
Ariana Drehsler for Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement How One District Uses Sports to Teach SEL and Build Better Teammates
A California district turned to sports to help students build connections with each other and their school.
Lauraine Langreo, March 13, 2025
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7 min read
Vector illustration of a woman sitting indian style with her arms spread wide and a rainbow above her head.
iStock/Getty
Student Well-Being & Movement In Their Own Words These Students Found Mental Health Support in After-School Programs. See How
3 students discuss how after-school programs benefit their well-being.
Lauraine Langreo, May 17, 2024
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6 min read
Multi-ethnic preschool boys playing with blocks.
E+ / Getty
Student Well-Being & Movement How Districts Can Keep After-School and Summer Learning Alive After ESSER Dries Up
Roughly 8 in 10 school districts spent some of their federal COVID relief funds on after-school or summer learning.
Alyson Klein, December 4, 2023
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4 min read
Michael Crowder, 11, right, reads to Tim McNeeley, left, during an after-school literacy program in Atlanta on April 6, 2023. McNeeley, director of the Atlanta based Pure Hope Project, hosts the daily program for children in kindergarten through 5th grade.
Michael Crowder, 11, right, reads to Tim McNeeley, left, during an after-school literacy program in Atlanta on April 6, 2023. McNeeley, director of the Atlanta based Pure Hope Project, hosts the daily program for children in kindergarten through 5th grade.
Alex Slitz/AP
Student Achievement What the Research Says The State of After-School and Summer Programs, in Charts
New federal data show most schools offer extended-time academic programs, but small percentages of students use them.
Sarah D. Sparks, November 8, 2023
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1 min read
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Coverage of afterschool learning opportunities is supported in part by a grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, at www.mott.org. Education Week retains sole editorial control over the content of this coverage.