As we quickly approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026, it’s crucial to acknowledge the role that states have, and will continue to play, in uplifting civic learning and engagement within their communities.
Each U.S. state, territory, and the District of Columbia has its own commission to commemorate the nation’s semiquincentennial. In partnership with Paul LaRue, President of the Ohio State Board of Education and Co-Chair for the America 250 Ohio K–12 Education Committee, the CivxNow team facilitates a monthly State Commission K–12 Working Group, with representation from 47 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Commission attendees share their own initiatives, hear from guest speakers, and learn from other state commissions how to adapt and uplift youth civic education and engagement in their own communities.
Commissions are using this opportunity to regain momentum for civics, with just a few of the great efforts happening across the country highlighted below:
- The Journey Across Arkansas framework takes students on expeditions through state standard-aligned monthly themes, classroom resources, student showcase opportunities, and civic engagement and service pathways. Arkansas Celebrates America 250 will create professional learning opportunities to discuss how these resources can still be used beyond the nation’s 250th anniversary year.
- Alongside the nation’s 250th anniversary is Colorado’s 150th anniversary. This joint commemoration will feature “Becoming Colorado,” a five-part educational documentary for Colorado classrooms that meets state academic standards and allows students to connect through their state’s past.
- Through its Civics Moonshot programming, the Maryland 250 Commission committed to civic engagement by hosting several initiatives: the Mock Second Continental Congress/Constitutional Convention, Civics Book Club, Statewide Essay Contest, and Civic Challenge.
- The New York State 250th Commemoration Commission amplified Civic Learning Week throughout its local communities, receiving a Civic Learning Week 2026 proclamation in Erie County, NY.
- America 250-Ohio has encouraged grassroots school-based activities. The Wayne County Schools Career Center in northern Ohio and Garfield Middle School in southern Ohio each organized day-long programs for their school communities that included the planting of a Liberty Tree by the Future Farmers of America Chapter and a student reading of the Declaration of Independence.
- The Expressions of Freedom student competition, a partnership between the Virginia Department of Education and VA250, engages students through the study of civics, history, and democracy in an effort to promote the principles of engaged and informed citizens through their own ideas and perspectives.
For this State 250 K–12 Working Group, the nation’s 250th serves as a starting point rather than a finish line. In New Mexico, educational programming for America 250 doesn’t even begin until after July 4, 2026, with the beginning of the next school year. As we enter into Civic Season through the 250th anniversary date and into back to school season, consider how your own state and communities are contributing to this civic momentum.
