Fortinet Expands Cybersecurity Education with Free High School Curriculum — Fortinet, Inc.

Event summary

Fortinet launched a free two-year cybersecurity curriculum for high schools on August 31, 2026.
The program includes two year-long courses: 'Cybersecurity 1: Foundations' and 'Cybersecurity 2: Fundamentals'.
Chicago Public Schools is piloting the curriculum to complement its existing AP cybersecurity course.
The curriculum covers networking, cryptography, endpoint security, application security, risk management, and cyber defense.

The big picture

Fortinet’s initiative addresses the growing demand for cybersecurity professionals by providing early education. The program aligns with broader industry efforts to close the skills gap through accessible training. The partnership with Chicago Public Schools highlights the potential for scalable adoption across other districts.

What we're watching

Adoption Pace: How quickly other school districts will adopt Fortinet’s curriculum, given its free and ready-to-use nature.
Workforce Impact: Whether the curriculum will effectively bridge the cybersecurity skills gap by preparing students for industry certifications and careers.
Educational Integration: The extent to which the curriculum will be integrated into existing high school computer science and career technical education programs.