The K12 SIX Essentials Series
Developed by K-12 IT practitioners, for K-12 IT practitioners—and aligned to cybersecurity risk management best practices—the K12 SIX Essentials series establishes baseline cybersecurity standards for U.S. school districts and provides guidance and tools to support their implementation. K12 SIX-recommended practices are designed to defend against the most common cyber threats facing school districts, including those identified by K12 SIX members, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the U.S. Department of Education (ED), school insurance carriers, and leading cybersecurity vendors.
The series includes:
NEW: K12 SIX Essential Cybersecurity Protections: 2026 — What K-12 Leaders Need to Know - a short list of actionable cybersecurity controls that all school districts should prioritize for implementation
NEW: K12 SIX Essential Cybersecurity Protections: 2026 - Implementation Rubrics– defines implementation standards for each of the K12 SIX recommended protections
NEW: K12 SIX Cybersecurity District Self-Assessment: 2026 - helps K-12 leaders prioritize time and resources in communicating about and addressing the cybersecurity risks facing their school community and kickstarting their cybersecurity plans
NOTE: K-12 practitioners and other interested parties are invited to share their feedback on the Essential Protections Series by completing this form. Feedback will inform future iterations of the implementation rubrics and self-assessment.
Other K12 SIX guidance:
K12 SIX Essential Cyber Incident Response Runbook v1.1 - tailored specifically to the needs and context of K-12 organizations, offering guidance for coordination with internal and external partners, stakeholder communications, and managing student-initiated incidents.
Mitigating Compromised K-12 Google Workspace/Microsoft 365 for Education Accounts - detailed guidance on how to secure your school’s data and IT systems after an account compromise
FCC Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program: Advice for K-12 Applicants on Maximizing the Impact - identifies a wide array of potentially eligible commercial cybersecurity solutions that may significantly reduce cybersecurity risks commonly facing school systems
Cybersecurity Frameworks: What K-12 Leaders Need to Know — encourages state and local education leaders to adopt nationally recognized cybersecurity best practices
Other products in this series can be found in the member-only K12 SIX Cyware Situational Awareness Platform (CSAP).