The 10 Most Common Accessibility Issues on School Websites

After scanning hundreds of school district websites, we have seen the same accessibility issues come up again and again. The good news is that most of them are straightforward to fix. Here are the ten most common problems — and what to do about each one.

1. Missing image alt text

This is the single most common issue. When images lack alt text, screen reader users have no idea what the image shows. The fix is simple: add a short, descriptive alt attribute to every informational image. For decorative images, use an empty alt attribute (alt="") so screen readers skip them.

2. Low color contrast

School brand colors often look great on printed materials but fail contrast requirements on screens. Light gray text on white backgrounds, or colored text on colored backgrounds, can be unreadable for users with low vision. Use a contrast checker and aim for at least a 4.5:1 ratio.

3. Missing form labels

Search boxes, contact forms, and newsletter sign-ups often lack proper <label> elements. Without them, screen reader users cannot tell which field they are filling in. Every input needs a visible or programmatically associated label.

4. Empty links and buttons

Social media icons, image-only links, and icon buttons frequently have no accessible name. Add aria-label attributes or visually hidden text so assistive technology can announce the link purpose.

5. Missing page language

A surprising number of school sites lack the lang attribute on the HTML element. Without it, screen readers may mispronounce content. This is a one-line fix in your template.

6. Inaccessible PDFs

School districts rely heavily on PDFs for handbooks, forms, and meeting minutes. Most are scanned images or lack proper tagging, making them completely inaccessible to screen readers. Re-create critical PDFs from source documents with proper heading structure and tags.

7. Missing skip navigation

Without a “Skip to content” link, keyboard users must tab through every navigation link on every page load. Adding a skip link takes just a few lines of code and dramatically improves the experience.

8. Auto-playing content

Homepage carousels and auto-playing videos can be disorienting for users with cognitive or attention-related disabilities. If you use a carousel, add pause controls. Better yet, consider replacing it with static content.

9. Missing heading structure

Pages that jump from H1 to H4, or use headings purely for visual styling, break the document outline that screen reader users depend on. Use headings in proper sequential order to create a logical content hierarchy.

10. Keyboard-inaccessible menus

Dropdown navigation menus that only open on hover are unusable with a keyboard. Ensure menus can be opened, navigated, and closed with keyboard controls alone.

What to do next

These ten issues account for the majority of accessibility barriers on school websites. The first step is finding out which ones affect your site. Run a free scan with AccessEval and you will get a detailed report in under two minutes. For districts that want to track fixes and maintain compliance, our paid plans include ongoing monitoring and progress dashboards.