March is Women’s History Month, a time dedicated to remembering the trailblazers who gave women the right to vote and honoring women’s many contributions to U.S. education, science, technology, policy, and more.
The month—like Black History Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month, and other cultural awareness months—is celebrated in schools across the country. This year, however, how educators and students discuss race and gender in the classroom is under the microscope.
In his first month in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to rid K-12 curricula of “radical indoctrination” that typically refers to topics of gender, race, and equity. The new administration also declared “identity months dead” at the U.S. Department of Defense, although Trump issued a proclamation in commemoration of Women’s History Month for all Americans.
The federal guidance and backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts have left some educators unsure how to celebrate students’ identities. But other educators told Education Week that no matter the political climate, it’s still important to honor diversity.
Here are two examples of how schools celebrated Women’s History Month in 2025.
One school’s lessons on empowerment
In New York, Allison Persad, the principal of the Young Women’s Leadership School of Astoria, said the all-girls public high school had a full month of celebrations.
“We have a very strong empowerment culture at my school where students are advocates for everything from climate change to Black Lives Matter,” Persad said. “I think that they are staying true to themselves, and they’re going to continue in that vein.”
The school held a spirit week where students dressed up as their favorite “she-ro,” or female hero. Students also attended a wellness workshop, which was put on in partnership with the nonprofit Girls Inc., to talk about what it means to be physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually healthy.
Some new events included a virtual college fair for women’s colleges such as Barnard, Smith, and Wellesley, and an event on the importance of women voting, which was put on in partnership with the When We All Vote organization.
Persad said her school did more this year than in previous years. After the 2024 presidential election and because New York entered a mayoral election year in 2025, Persad said she wanted her students to better understand the importance of voting.
“I think more than ever, we want young women to understand those implications and to make sure that their voice is heard, and that they know that they matter,” she said.
A schoolwide approach
In Louisiana, Warren Easton Charter High School expanded its Women’s History Month celebration this year by taking a schoolwide approach. In previous years, the celebration depended and varied per classroom.
Educators there also wanted to make sure that their celebration focused on a diverse group of women.
“We do a lot with Black history, but when it comes to women’s history and looking for diverse voices, it takes a little bit of work,” said Tanisca Wilson, the district English/language arts interventionist and t response to intervention coordinator.
This year, teachers took students to the National WWII Museum in New Orleans to learn more about the Six Triple Eight women—the largest group of Black servicewomen to serve overseas during World War II—who faced discrimination while trying to fix a three-year backlog of mail during the war. After the field trip, students discussed what they learned during class.
When texts are paired with movies and experiences like field trips, students “are more engaged, and it’s more entertaining for them,” said Jessica Jones, an English teacher.
Despite the celebration of women’s history, educators at Warren Easton Charter High School have heard students talk about how education is being impacted at a federal level.
“Students are definitely watching; they hear about education funding being cut, conversation about the Department of Education and whatnot,” Wilson said.
Still, the school will continue celebrating identity months and the rest of the school year as normal.
“We are carrying out as usual, [I] haven’t heard [teachers] should be doing anything differently,” Wilson said.
