Quantum in K-12 Education

Announcement: Quantum Education Roadmap for Colorado K-12

Colorado is a national leader in quantum and quantum information science and technology (QIST) innovation and education. On World Quantum Day, Colorado and partners are unveiling a bold vision for K-12 quantum learning to prepare students for careers in the state's rapidly growing quantum economy. The new Blueprint for Advancing K–12 Quantum Education and companion website aim to equip district leaders and educators with tools to spark student interest, build essential skills and connect learning to future job opportunities.

View blueprint

CDE’S 10-Year Vision for Quantum in Colorado

Our vision is that every Colorado student will have the opportunity to develop a strong interest in quantum through exposure to real-world applications, authentic learning experiences and an appreciation for how quantum information science can improve people’s lives. They will graduate with the foundational skills and knowledge needed to enter quantum careers or postsecondary opportunities.

When successful, our efforts will help cement Colorado as a leader in the quantum industry, supported by an inclusive, diverse and knowledgeable workforce with broad access to quantum education and career opportunities.

How Will We Accomplish This Vision?

The Governor’s Office has partnered with the Colorado Department of Education (CDE), Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE), Colorado Community College System (CCCS) and the Office for Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) to draft a strategic blueprint for realizing this vision to guide K12 quantum education efforts in Colorado.

Check out the blueprint below to learn more about our strategies to bring QIST to Colorado classrooms.

Quantum Events in Colorado

QuanTime in Colorado - January 2025 and Beyond

The United Nations Proclaimed 2025 the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. This is a year-long, global initiative to recognize the importance of quantum science and technology and strengthen national capacities for science education and research. Colorado is celebrating by inviting all Colorado K12 educators to participate in QuanTime activities. From discovering QuanTime activities to staying updated on the latest developments, we welcome educators at every level of interest. Explore National Q-12 Partnership's library of QuanTime activities and fill out this brief form to receive updates from the CDE team on Quantum Education in Colorado. Link to QuanTime Activities BONUS QuanTime Choice Boards

QuanTime Webinar Resources

Thank you for joining us for our kickoff webinars highlighting Quantum Education in Colorado, Facilitated by Megan Ivory - Senior Member of Technical Staff Sandia National Laboratories. Below are the links to the recordings and session resources.

View Zoom Recording View Session Resource

What is Quantum Science? How does it fit in with things like computing?

Quantum Information Sciences & Technology (QIST) is transforming how we process information and solve complex problems. Introducing QIST concepts in K-12 education prepares students for cutting-edge careers and strengthens Colorado’s position as a technology leader.

Quantum science usually refers to the study of how the very small particles in nature work, and work together to create the world around us. At these tiny scales, the theory of classical physics fails to capture all of the physics of atoms, electrons, and molecules. For example, classical physics doesn’t have any math that predicts real phenomena like entanglement or superposition. We also need quantum science to understand how measurement and randomness works with particles like electrons or photons. When scientists developed the theories of quantum science, we were able to use this knowledge to build technologies like GPS, semiconductor chips, and MRI.

Today in the 21st century scientists and engineers are combining quantum effects with information science to create new types of communication networks and computers. For example, traditional computing relies on processors that "speak" a binary language of zeros and ones, and those zeros and ones are known and certain at all times. Quantum processors work differently. The quantum bits can be entangled and the likelihood of getting 1 or 0 is described mathematically in terms of probabilities. A quantum computer manipulates the richer one-zero probability landscape of an array of quantum bits to tackle certain problems that are too difficult to solve on a traditional computer. These machines are still in development and there are many exciting jobs in Colorado related to this industry.

Watch this short video which explains, "What YOU can do with quantum science, featuring LeVar Burton, Astronaut Josh Cassada, and more!"

How is this Relevant for Colorado Students?

Gov. Jared Polis has made advancing CO’s Quantum industry a key priority of his administration. Quantum Information Science and Technology is a rapidly growing field poised to create significant job opportunities, and Colorado already boasts a strong concentration of quantum activity, boasting significant industry presence, 4 quantum Nobel Laureates, and more quantum-focused organizations than anywhere else in the world.

Elevate Quantum's (EQ) 2023 Designation as a federally-recognized Tech Hub for QIST affirmed Colorado’s role as a national leader in QIST and underscored its commitment to growing this sector. In 2024, the EQ Consortium of public, private, and nonprofit partners in Colorado and New Mexico was awarded $40.5m from the Economic Development Administration (EDA) to support quantum industry projects.

This effort, supported by state and federal funding as well as industry commitments, aims to:

Create over 10,000 jobs in the Mountain West in QIST
Prepare the workforce to meet growing industry demands
Cement the Mountain West as a leader in quantum for the following century.

Meeting the needs of this growing workforce will require investing in K-12 education to workforce pathways and preparing Colorado students for these high-tech jobs.

This work complements other efforts to build Colorado to become the Nation’s “Quantum State.”

Check out other Colorado efforts here:

Information on Careers in Quantum

High-Paying Quantum Tech Jobs Growing Fast—Grad Degree Not Required | UChicago
Quantum Information Science and Technology Workforce Development National Strategic Plan
Interested in finding a job in quantum in Colorado? Check out Quantum Jobs | QED-C and search “Colorado.”
To hear from people who work in QIST, check out this resource from the National Q-12 Partnership.

Guidance for Schools & Districts on Quantum Education

There are many ways to teach students of all ages about QIST. Elevate Quantum aims to create 15,000 QIST-related jobs in the Mountain West region by 2030. QIST jobs offer attractive salaries (averaging $124,000 annually), and many require less than a bachelor’s degree (76%) and non-quantum skills (80%). Elevate Quantum projects that at least 30% of these jobs will be filled by historically underserved groups.

Consider watching the video to the right of this paragraph to hear a testimonial from Jessica Klauzer-Zimmerman, a computer science teacher from Boulder High. Note - This video is a compilation of clips from an interview conducted by Qubit by Qubit, and produced by the same organization in collaboration with the National Q-12 Education Partnership.

What Can I Do to Bring Quantum to My District?

While teaching QIST may be new for your district, it is an engaging, relevant way to teach existing concepts within Colorado state standards.

I want to hear about how this fits into existing course concepts:
- Check out resources from the National Q-12 Partnership about how QIST integrates into: Middle School STEM | HS MATH | HS PHYSICS | HS CHEMISTRY | HS COMPUTER SCIENCE
I want to try something small:
- Review basic lesson lesson plans and resources from National Q12 Partnership.
I want to check out professional learning opportunities:
- Apply to the CDLE’s Teacher Externship Program to connect educators with employers in QIST
- Review outside professional learning resources
I want to give my students the opportunity to take a quantum course:
- Check out QubitxQubit, a program from The Coding School, a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to emerging technology education, which is offering a 2025-2026 course for high school students.
I want to learn more about how QIST fits in with CTE programs and pathways:
- Coming in later in 2025 - Learn more about how QIST integrates with CTE pathways programs or design your own
I want to share extracurricular opportunities in QIST with educators or students in my district:
- There are a couple extracurricular opportunities in the coming year to be aware of…
  - Learn more about QCaMP
  - Learn more about Quantum Computing Summer camp from QubitxQubit
  - Learn more about Quantum Science Camp in Casper, WY
I want to stay in the loop:
- Complete this brief form to receive updates from the CDE team on Quantum Education in Colorado.
I want to join a network of peers discussing quantum in education:
- Join the quantum education community forum, sponsored by the National Q12 Partnership.

Instructional Resources for Quantum Educators

The CDE has curated a short list of ready-made lesson plans and resources that can help you bring quantum information science and technology into the classroom:

Elementary

Reversibility Lesson: Exploring What Makes Something Reversible
Measurement Perturbs State Lesson (Jelly Beans, Balloons, Water Temperature)
Communicating with Morse Code Lesson

Middle School

Superposition Lesson: Explore How Something Can Be Two Things at Once
Classical Error Detection & Correction Lesson: Classical Error Detection & Correction
Communicating with Morse Code Lesson
Exponential Growth (Click here to view lesson)
Plinko Probability Lesson
Superposition & Measurement with Thaumatropes Lesson
UCSB’s Quantum Foundry: Hands-on outreach Quantum Kits for middle school science teachers
CalTech’s Quantum Realm: Activities for middle and high school students

High School

The Two Golden Rules of Quantum Mechanics Lesson: A hands-on lesson on quantum superposition and measurement principles using light polarization. It covers concepts like probability in quantum mechanics and wave function collapse.
Quantum Cryptography Lesson: Teaches how quantum superposition and measurement can ensure secure communication. It uses a quantum key distribution protocol to illustrate quantum cryptography.
Wave-Particle Duality, Revisited Lesson: Explores both wave and particle behavior in quantum objects through the Mach-Zehnder interferometer experiment. Students model wave-particle duality and analyze real lab data.
Quantum Computing with Interferometers Lesson: Introduces quantum algorithms using the Deutsch-Josza problem, highlighting superposition and quantum computing principles.
The Uncertainty Principle Lesson: An experiment-driven activity where students use laser pointers to explore the uncertainty principle by observing the relationship between position and momentum in quantum systems.
Superposition with Cards Lesson: Exploring quantum superposition of qubits
Quantum Guess Who Lesson: In this activity, students explore quantum algorithms and quantum parallelism through a quantum adaptation of the board game “Guess Who?”
Communication without Speaking Lesson: In this activity, students learn about alternative modes of communicating information. The teacher and an assistant perform a card trick and a connection is made to cryptography - using both classical and quantum computers.
CalTech’s Quantum Realm: Activities for middle and high school students
CU-Boulder’s resources: QIST lessons for high school students
If you want to give your students the opportunity to take a quantum course, check out QubitxQubit, a program from The Coding School, a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to emerging technology education, which is offering a virtual 2025-2026 course for high school students.

All Ages

The National Q-12 Partnership's list of 45-60 minute activities for students of all ages
Georgia Tech’s experiential games in Quantum
Northwestern University quantum resources
Lesson plans from the University of Waterloo (CA) and the University of Chicago for students of all ages

Do you want to submit a QIST lesson plan to share with other Colorado teachers? Reach out to us by emailing Pam Lewis, CDE Senior Computer Science Consultant Email: Lewis_P@cde.state.co.us

Professional Learning for Educators

HOW CAN I GAIN SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE TO TEACH QIST?
CDE is curating resources for Colorado teachers to build their skills in QIST. There are a couple of opportunities to get involved. CDE is working toward expanding professional learning opportunities in QIST to bring more opportunities to teachers.

Learn More About Teacher Externships

One of Colorado’s key strategies for building high-quality instruction in QIST is connecting teachers with industry members through the teacher externship program.

Externships are work-based learning opportunities that allow teachers to spend anywhere from a few days to a few weeks working onsite at a Colorado business to gain exposure to work environments in career sectors that their students may pursue. These experiences provide teachers with a deeper understanding of industry practices, empowering them to deliver more relevant content to students to better prepare them for the workforce.

CDLE's program connects K-12 teachers with STEM-focused employers offering hands-on, immersive learning opportunities. Businesses identify a specific project or problem as the externship focus, then select a highly skilled teacher(s) to work in that area. The program is available to any Colorado-based STEM-focused business and all Colorado K-12 public school teachers.

For more information on how to apply check out CDLE’s Teacher Externship Website.

Learning Opportunities

QubitxQubit HS Professional Development: This 1-week Introduction to Quantum Computing Professional Development is crafted for 9th-12th grade teachers, aiming to equip educators with cutting-edge knowledge and skills in quantum computing, enabling them to bring this expertise into their classrooms. Participants engage in a transformative journey into the world of quantum computing, alongside a community of like-minded educators.
TEDEd Quantum Mechanics 101: Check out these four TED-Ed Lessons written by Chad Orzel, Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Union College and author of How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog.
UChicagoX: Introduction to Quantum Computing for Everyone: This first course in quantum computing is for novices and requires learners to have only basic algebra. It covers the future impacts of quantum computing, provides intuitive introductions of quantum physics phenomena, and progresses from single operations to a complete algorithm.
Quantum Mechanics for Scientists and Engineers (Stanford, edX): Offers a comprehensive online course covering fundamental quantum mechanics concepts.

Questions about Quantum Education in Colorado? Reach out to us by emailing Pam Lewis, CDE Senior Computer Science Consultant Email: Lewis_P@cde.state.co.us