AI in education: which tasks to automate first
Updated
Across the 14 million US jobs in education, the work scores 43 of 100 for AI exposure, weighted by how many people do each job. AI can take on about 681 hours a year per full-time person, 34% of a working year. The task that frees the most hours across the industry is to maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, about 44 hours a year for each person who does it.
- AI exposure, weighted by employment
- 43 out of 100 Moderate exposure
- Hours AI can take on
- 681 hours a year per full-time person
- Task time AI can do today
- 15% AI speeds up another 47%
Tasks to automate first
The 15 tasks where AI can take on the most hours across education: how exposed each task is, how much of the job it takes and how many people do that job. Hours are per person in the role that does the task. How we score each task.
| Task and who does it | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations. Record keeping is structured data entry; AI handles most of it. Done by career counselors, preschool teachers, elementary school teachers, middle school CTE teachers, high school teachers. | 78% AI can do it 44 hours a year for each person in the role |
| Prepare objectives and outlines for courses of study, following curriculum guidelines or requirements of states and schools. AI can draft course outlines from state standards; teacher approves them. Done by kindergarten teachers, elementary school teachers, middle school teachers, middle school CTE teachers, high school teachers, high school CTE teachers, middle school special education teachers, high school special education teachers, adult education teachers. | 70% AI can do it 38 hours a year for each person in the role |
| Prepare reports on students and activities as required by administration. Report writing from records is drafting work AI does well. Done by career counselors, preschool teachers, elementary school teachers, middle school teachers, middle school CTE teachers, high school teachers, high school CTE teachers, preschool special education teachers, adult education teachers. | 78% AI can do it 37 hours a year for each person in the role |
| Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects and communicate those objectives to students. AI drafts clear objectives from standards; teacher reviews and shares them. Done by elementary school teachers, adult education teachers, self-enrichment teachers. | 65% AI can do it 37 hours a year for each person in the role |
| Assign and grade class work and homework. AI can grade routine work and draft feedback; teacher reviews results. Done by elementary school teachers, middle school CTE teachers, high school teachers, high school CTE teachers, adult education teachers, self-enrichment teachers. | 65% AI can do it 37 hours a year for each person in the role |
| Prepare, administer, and grade tests and assignments to evaluate students' progress. AI can draft tests, score objective items and summarize results. Done by elementary school teachers, middle school teachers, middle school CTE teachers, high school teachers, high school CTE teachers, middle school special education teachers, high school special education teachers. | 60% AI can do it 34 hours a year for each person in the role |
| Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs and interests. AI can generate differentiated versions of materials; teacher picks and tests them. Done by preschool teachers, elementary school teachers, middle school teachers, middle school CTE teachers, high school teachers, self-enrichment teachers. | 55% AI helps 33 hours a year for each person in the role |
| Prepare for assigned classes and show written evidence of preparation upon request of immediate supervisors. AI can draft lesson plans and documentation; teacher verifies they fit. Done by kindergarten teachers, elementary school teachers, middle school teachers, middle school CTE teachers, adult education teachers. | 60% AI can do it 32 hours a year for each person in the role |
| Use computers, audio-visual aids, and other equipment and materials to supplement presentations. AI can build slides and media; operating classroom equipment is still manual. Done by kindergarten teachers, elementary school teachers, middle school teachers, middle school CTE teachers, high school teachers, high school CTE teachers, middle school special education teachers, high school special education teachers, adult education teachers, self-enrichment teachers. | 50% AI helps 29 hours a year for each person in the role |
| Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects, and communicate those objectives to students. AI can draft clear objectives; teacher sets and shares them. Done by middle school CTE teachers, high school teachers, high school CTE teachers, middle school special education teachers, high school special education teachers. | 55% AI helps 38 hours a year for each person in the role |
| Instruct students individually and in groups, using teaching methods such as lectures, discussions, and demonstrations. AI can draft lesson content; teacher still delivers live instruction. Done by elementary school teachers. | 40% AI helps 26 hours a year for each person in the role |
| Prepare for assigned classes, and show written evidence of preparation upon request of immediate supervisors. AI can draft lesson plans; teacher prepares and presents. Done by high school teachers, middle school special education teachers, high school special education teachers. | 55% AI helps 32 hours a year for each person in the role |
| Confer with other staff members to plan and schedule lessons promoting learning, following approved curricula. AI can draft shared lesson plans; teachers still coordinate schedules live. Done by preschool teachers, kindergarten teachers, elementary school teachers, middle school teachers, middle school CTE teachers, high school teachers, high school CTE teachers, middle school special education teachers, high school special education teachers. | 45% AI helps 24 hours a year for each person in the role |
| Requisition supplies or equipment needed for cleaning and maintenance duties. Ordering supplies is routine digital work AI can handle. Done by janitors. | 65% AI can do it 78 hours a year for each person in the role |
| Prepare and implement remedial programs for students requiring extra help. AI can design practice plans; delivering help to students stays with teacher. Done by preschool teachers, kindergarten teachers, elementary school teachers, middle school CTE teachers, high school teachers, high school CTE teachers, adult education teachers, self-enrichment teachers. | 40% AI helps 23 hours a year for each person in the role |
What stays with people
38% of the task time across these roles needs a person, and the output of the rest still needs someone to check it. The tasks below take the most of that time.
- 15% AI can do it
- 47% AI helps
- 38% Needs a person
- Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order among the students. Elementary school teachers, 10% exposed
- Guide and counsel students with adjustment or academic problems or with special academic interests. Elementary school teachers, 15% exposed
- Read books to entire classes or small groups. Elementary school teachers, 8% exposed
- Confer with parents or guardians, teachers, counselors, and administrators to resolve students' behavioral and academic problems. Elementary school teachers, 15% exposed
- Meet with parents and guardians to discuss their children's progress and to determine priorities for their children and their resource needs. Elementary school teachers, Middle school CTE teachers, High school teachers, High school CTE teachers, Middle school special education teachers, High school special education teachers, 15% exposed
Adoption path
Start with the tasks where AI helps a person, then automate the routine ones, then give whole workflows to agents with a person approving the output.
Teams in this industry
The business functions in education, by share of the workforce, with each one's exposure.
Roles in education
The 20 largest roles, each linked to its task-by-task score. Shares come from the BLS industry staffing estimates, May 2025. Of the roles with at least 2% of the jobs, secretaries score highest at 66, janitors lowest at 14.
- Elementary school teachers, 11.7% of the workforce, score 41 out of 100
- High school teachers, 9% of the workforce, score 41 out of 100
- Middle school teachers, 5.2% of the workforce, score 42 out of 100
- Substitute teachers, 3.6% of the workforce, score 31 out of 100
- Janitors, 3.5% of the workforce, score 14 out of 100
- Secretaries, 2.9% of the workforce, score 66 out of 100
- Office clerks, 2.8% of the workforce, score 60 out of 100
- Principals, 2.7% of the workforce, score 44 out of 100
- Career counselors, 2.7% of the workforce, score 49 out of 100
- Self-enrichment teachers, 1.8% of the workforce, score 43 out of 100
- Health sciences professors, 1.8% of the workforce, score 50 out of 100
- School bus drivers, 1.7% of the workforce, score 25 out of 100
- Instructional coordinators, 1.6% of the workforce, score 59 out of 100
- University administrators, 1.5% of the workforce, score 43 out of 100
- Coaches, 1.5% of the workforce, score 37 out of 100
- Graduate teaching assistants, 1.4% of the workforce, score 47 out of 100
- High school special education teachers, 1.4% of the workforce, score 42 out of 100
- Tutors, 1.3% of the workforce, score 57 out of 100
- Cafeteria cooks, 1.2% of the workforce, score 25 out of 100
- Childcare workers, 1.1% of the workforce, score 29 out of 100
Questions about AI in education
Which tasks should a school or university automate first?
The first task to automate is to maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws (78% exposed). Next come the tasks to prepare objectives and outlines for courses of study (70%) and to prepare reports on students and activities as required by administration (78%). Together they free the most hours across the industry.
How many hours can AI save a school or university?
About 681 hours a year per full-time person, 34% of a 2,000-hour working year. For a team of 10 that is about 6,810 hours, the time of 3.4 full-time people. The figure is the share of task time AI can remove today, weighted by how many people do each job.
Which roles in a school or university are most exposed to AI?
Of the roles with at least 2% of the jobs, secretaries score highest, at 66 of 100, and janitors lowest, at 14. Each role's page lists its tasks one by one.
Will AI replace jobs in education?
AI can do 15% of the task time across these roles today. Another 47% gets faster with AI while a person stays in charge. 38% needs a person. One task that stays with people is to establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order among the students.
Where should a school or university start with AI?
With the quick wins: approved assistants for the tasks AI helps with, under a written AI policy. Then automate the 8 tasks on this page AI can do end to end. An AI audit maps the tasks in your team and ranks them the same way this page does.
Next steps
Find the tasks to automate first in your team
We map the tasks in your business, score each one the way this page does and build the automations that pay back first.