The 2026 National K-12 Cybersecurity Leadership Conference

February 24-26, 2026 (Albuquerque, NM)

Hosted by the K12 Security Information eXchange (K12 SIX), the 2026 National K-12 Cybersecurity Leadership Conference is a unique event designed for all K-12 cybersecurity practitioners to identify and share solutions and best practices to better defend school communities from emerging cybersecurity threats, such as ransomware and data breaches. The fourth annual conference will be held February 24-26, 2026 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Named a “top K-12 conference to attend in 2026” by K-12 Dive.

REGISTER HERE
AGENDA (Preliminary)

  • REGISTRATION: Now open. Advance registration required; there is no option for on-site registration.

  • CONFERENCE VENUE: The event will be held at the Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town (800 Rio Grande Blvd NW), conveniently located in the heart of Old Town and the Sawmill District.

  • CONFERENCE ROOM BLOCK: The conference room block at the Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town is available on a first come, first serve basis. We anticipate it will sell out. Rooms are $189/night plus taxes and fees. To secure (or manage) your room reservation, please visit this link.

  • Suggested overflow properties, if room block sells out: Hotel Chaco, Best Western Plus Rio Grande Inn, The Desert Compass

What to expect?

  • Pre-Conference Workshops + K-12 Tabletop/Incident Response Exercise to learn from and with peers, while helping to prioritize your information needs for the conference

  • Capture the Flag (CTF) Contest to test your cybersecurity skills (hosted by the U.S. Department of Education’s Privacy Technical Assistance Center (PTAC))

  • Peer-Led Educational Sessions, offering practical tips and lessons learned - directly applicable to K-12

  • Birds of a Feather Sessions to facilitate networking and information sharing among peers looking for support and advice on how best to address real-world K-12 cybersecurity challenges

  • Meet the Authors and get an autographed edition of ‘From Chalk Dust to Digital Trust: A Guide in Data Privacy and Security for K-12 Leaders’ and Podcasters behind K12 Tech Talk

  • Learn about State-of-the-Art Cybersecurity Solutions in our exhibit hall, featuring leading cybersecurity vendors serving the K-12 education market

Practitioner Speakers from K-12 Organizations, including:

  • Albuquerque (NM) Public Schools

  • Aldine Independent School District (TX)

  • Baylor School (TN)

  • Dallas Independent School District (TX)

  • DeKalb County (GA) School District

  • Denver (CO) Public Schools

  • Homer School District 33C (IL)

  • Lake Shore CSD (NY)

  • Manassas Park City (VA) Schools

  • Nassau Board of Cooperative Services (NY)

  • New Trier Township (IL) HS District 203

  • Richmond (VA) Public Schools

  • Sublette County SD1 (WY)

  • Washington (WA) School Information Processing Cooperative

  • West Irondequoit Central School District (NY)

Who will be there?

  • Organization types: Federal, state, regional, and local K-12 practitioners and policymakers

  • Representative job titles: District CIO/CTO/Director of Technology/IT, CISO/Cybersecurity Analyst/Cybersecurity Engineer, Network Administrator/Engineer, Systems Administrator/Engineer

  • National reach: Attendees travelling from 35+ states

Keynote Presentations Featuring:

  • Julian Albizo, School Safety Task Force, U.S. Cybersecurity & Security Infrastructure Agency (CISA/DHS): “Enhancing School Cybersecurity: Preparing Schools and Districts for Cyber Threats “

  • Micah Linehan, Microsoft Elevate Education CISO, Microsoft: “From Ransomware to Reality: Strengthening Schools with Tools You Already Own”

  • More to be announced soon

2026 Conference Sponsors

GUARDIAN

DEFENDER

Interested in sponsoring the event? Contact us.