How to Get Free Constitutions for My School

Teachers and administrators ask the same question every fall: how to get free constitutions for my school without adding cost, paperwork, or a new curriculum to an already full plate. The answer is simpler than most people expect, and it starts with one grade: 8th grade.

The 917 Society exists to put a pocket Constitution into the hands of every 8th grader in America, free of charge. There is no purchase required from your school and no cost to your students. You request the copies, we work to supply them, and they arrive ready to use. That is the whole model, and it has never changed.

Why 8th grade is the focus

Eighth grade is where most students meet the Constitution as an actual document, not just a story about the founding. It is also the grade where that encounter often falls short. Only about 1 in 5 eighth graders reached the Proficient level on the most recent national civics assessment, and many students struggle to explain something as basic as the separation of powers written into the text.

That gap is exactly why a physical copy matters. Students who meet the Constitution only in slides, excerpts, or quotations never get the experience of holding the whole document and finding a passage for themselves. A pocket Constitution turns civic learning from something students are told about into something they can actually do.

How to get free constitutions for my school: the simple version

Here is the process, start to finish:

1. Confirm your grade level. The free program is for 8th grade classrooms. If you teach another grade, see the note below.2. Estimate your count. A good starting point is one copy per student, plus a few extras for new arrivals and classroom use.3. Submit the request. Use the order form at 917society.org/order-constitutions. It asks for your school, your contact information, and how many 8th graders you are serving.4. We coordinate delivery. Requests are filled based on availability and the shipping calendar, so earlier is better for fall and spring semesters.5. Put them to work. The copies belong to your students. They can mark passages, revisit them, and keep them.

That is it. No invoice, no purchase order, no budget line. Schools are never asked to buy anything through this program.

What to do with the Constitutions once they arrive

A shipment of pocket Constitutions is only as useful as the lesson around it. Three approaches work especially well in 8th grade classrooms:

Close reading. Ask students to locate and annotate a specific passage, such as the Preamble or a single amendment, then explain in their own words what the text actually says. This separates what the document states from what students assume it states.

Structured discussion. Pose a constitutional question and set one simple norm: make your claim with evidence from the text. Students learn to cite the document rather than repeat a headline.

Take it home. A pocket Constitution that goes home reaches a kitchen table, a backpack, a grandparent. The learning extends past the bell in a way a worksheet never does.

What about other grades, or a whole school?

The free distribution is specifically for 8th graders, and that focus is deliberate. It is the grade where the mission lands hardest and where we can promise every student a copy.

Other requests are handled individually. High schools and colleges that would like copies for courses can contact us to ask about availability at cost. Requests from other K-12 grades, such as a 7th grade civics class, are considered based on supply and may involve a small requested donation. If you are unsure where your request fits, send it in anyway and we will point you to the right path.

Request your free 8th grade Constitutions today

The best time to request is now, before the spring semester fills up. If you are a teacher, a department chair, a principal, or a parent who wants to make sure a classroom has what it needs, the first step takes a few minutes.

Request free 8th grade Constitutions for your school, or read more about the 8th grade Constitutions program. Not with a school but want to help? Support the mission directly and help us reach more classrooms this year. Learn more at 917society.org →

Read it. Know it. Carry it.