CS Leaders Prize

Schools win $10,000 for expanding computer science access

As part of the 10th Hour of Code, we partnered with DonorsChoose to award $1 million to U.S. schools to help more students get access to computer science — that’s right, a MILLION dollars.

We wanted to recognize the schools who are working hard to recover from the challenges that our education system has gone through over the past two years and support their goals to establish or expand access to computer science not only for students in their own classrooms, but also in their districts.

Icon of a green bag with a purple dollar sign on it surrounded by gold coins

Congratulations to the winners of the CS Leaders Prize!

102 winning schools have each been awarded the CS Leaders Prize of $10,000 to help establish computer science education for their students! These schools are all adding a new computer science course in the 2023–2024 school year. This will impact more than 55,000 students, many in underserved areas. The winning schools will also work within their districts to impact many more students in other schools in the coming years.

Congratulations to the winning schools!

Schools eligible for the prize committed to:

In addition to the $10,000 awarded to the school to fund a project(s) of the school's creation through DonorsChoose, the implementing teacher(s) in each winning school will receive a no-cost scholarship to attend Code.org's Professional Learning Program.

See terms and conditions.

Submissions were accepted until November 21, 2022

FAQ

Who was eligible to win?

Any public middle or high school in the U.S. was eligible to apply if they made the commitments below. We especially encouraged schools in low-income underserved communities to participate, to help advance diversity and equity in computer science. To be eligible a school was required to commit to:

  • Add a new Computer Science Principles, Computer Science A, or Computer Science Discoveries course using Code.org to your course schedule.
  • Describe how you plan to continue expanding access to CS in your school and/or district.
  • Provide a short statement of support from district leadership for expanding of CS opportunities as a district priority.
  • Organize a school-wide Hour of Code or other event/assembly for CSEdWeek to inspire students to explore CS and to encourage diverse participation by historically underrepresented groups.

Why was this only available to public schools?

We love teachers in public and private schools alike, but for this opportunity it came down to logistics. We partnered with DonorsChoose to administer classroom funding prizes, which is currently exclusively focused on serving public, U.S. PreK-12 schools. See full DonorsChoose school eligibility here.

When was the deadline to apply?

Submissions were due by 11:59pm EST on Monday, November 21st, 2022.

Were non-US schools able to apply?

No. Unfortunately, we were not able to accept submissions from non-US schools at this time.

How did Code.org select who receives an award?

Award recipients were selected by Code.org, exercising its sole and final discretion, based on a number of factors: including whether they meet all of the conditions for entry, student demographics (we prioritized schools with 40% or more of students who qualify for free or reduced meal and/or schools with 40% or more of students who identify as Black, Hispanic/Latino, Native American or Native Alaskan, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, or multiracial), the school's plan for the Hour of Code or other CSEdWeek event, and the school's plan for expanding access to CS for students beyond the course addition.

When were winning schools notified?

Schools were notified on November 30, 2022.

Were schools that already offered CS Discoveries, CS Principles, or Computer Science A eligible to apply?

Schools were able to apply as long as the course they were committing to establish was a new course on the school’s schedule. For example, if a school were already offering CS Principles, but committing to a new Computer Science A course, that school was eligible to apply.

Are there any restrictions to how winning schools use the DonorsChoose gift code?

View project eligibility requirements on DonorsChoose.