About K12HSN | K12HSN

What is the K-12 High Speed Network (K12HSN)?

K12HSN is a state program funded by the California Department of Education. The California Department of Education competitively selected the Imperial County Office of Education (ICOE) as the Lead Education Agency (LEA) and manager of the K-12 High Speed Network program.

K12HSN provides the California K-12 community with:

• Network Connectivity
• Network Support
• K-12 School Connectivity Data
• E-rate Filing Support

The mission of the California K-12 High Speed Network is to enable educators, students and staff across the state to have access to reliable high speed network which has the capacity to deliver high quality online resources to support teaching and learning and promote academic achievement.

K12HSN administers K-12’s participation in the California Research and Education Network (CalREN). CalREN is the high-speed, high-bandwidth statewide network of 14 Hub Sites and circuits linking to 83 K-12 Node Sites, 11 UC Node Sites, 24 CSU Node Sites, 111 community college Node Sites, as well as 6 Node Sites serving the three participating private universities. CalREN is also linked to the national Internet2 network forming an advanced state and national “Intranet” for educational use.

Backbone services are provided  by the Corporation for Education Networking Initiatives in California (CENIC).

Network and Internet services to the 86 K-12 Node Sites are extended to 80% (8,152) of schools, 88% (852) of 966 school districts, and 100% (58) of county offices of education in California, which provide direct service to nearly 4.7 million students.  

Why does funding by the State of California make good sense?

Because of the K12HSN program, the California K-12 segment leverages resources in aggregate with libraries and higher education institutions in California. Absent state funding, it would be difficult and cost-prohibitive to provide the level of service to every region of California. Many California districts could not obtain adequate connectivity and service levels if they had to self-fund connectivity. Advances toward equal opportunity and distance learning for teachers and students would be lost or made ineffective. Critical business functions of schools would be jeopardized, along with a variety of professional development opportunities and student programs.

Schools and County Offices of Education cannot function without network services. Without a coordinated, state-funded initiative ensuring equal access to cost-effective network services, California’s students, teachers, and administrators would suffer disparate results. Providing better service for better value makes good fiscal sense for all of California.