170 Fresh Informative Essay Topics for Students for 2026

Great topics for an informative essay for students don’t always follow cookie-cutter rules. Yes, some are compelling because they focus on recent events or developments. Others, however, tackle timeless science, tech, or history questions.

What matters is your interest in the topic — and, of course, its relevance for the assignment.

Struggling to come up with one? Get inspired by 170 fresh informative essay topics EssayWriter’s experts came up with!

If choosing the topic isn’t the only reason you’re struggling with your informative essay, EssayWriter is here for you. Our experts can take care of it from start to finish!

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40 Best Informative Essay Topics for Every Level

Of course, no one would expect an elementary school student to write an informative essay on climate tipping points. So, when you pick a topic for your next assignment, you’ll have to factor in your academic level and the expectations that come with it.

To help you out, we’ve gathered 40 informational essay ideas for students across four academic levels, from elementary school to college.

10 Informative Essay Topics for Elementary Students

Elementary-level informative essays are simple and short, and they often focus on everyday experiences. For example:

Why do cats purr?
How do different animals see the world (in color, black and white, etc.)?
Why do volcanoes erupt?
How did the mountains form?
What is the fastest animal on land?
Why do we need to sleep?
Why do we yawn?
What do doctors do when they go to work?
Why are fish different from sea mammals?
Why does it rain?

EssayWriter’s tip: Think about things you’re already interested in to come up with a topic that’s easy to write about. Make sure it’s manageable enough to describe in three to five paragraphs!

10 Informative Essay Topics for Middle School

One level ahead, middle school students are expected to do a bit more research and explain causes, effects, and processes in their informative essays. For example:

What are the main renewable energy sources, and how do they work?
What are the main benefits of regular physical exercise?
What does it mean to eat healthy?
Are jellyfish effectively immortal?
How does cancer appear?
How did humans domesticate dogs?
Why do humans grow old and die?
Why do we dream while sleeping?
What is a virus, and is it alive?
How did television change people’s everyday lives?

EssayWriter’s tip: Link your topic to a hobby if you want to make the writing process more interesting for yourself. Make sure to outline the essay before writing it. Not sure how? Check out our informative essay outline example!

10 Informative Essay Topics for High School Students

If you’re in high school, get ready to do a thorough deep dive into a topic. Here are 10 examples of topics that match high-school-level expectations:

What are the benefits and downsides of using AI for homework?
How does online-only learning impact academic performance?
Which countries restrict social media use for teenagers, and why?
What native tribes were living on the land where your town/city is now?
What is the difference between reading a physical book and reading on a device?
What happens when you send a payment online?
What is CRISPR, and how does it work?
Why do federal shutdowns happen in the U.S.?
How much is a sample of moon rock worth?
How does playing video games impact players?

EssayWriter’s tip: Start with a broad topic and narrow it down in time, place, etc. For example: “climate change” -> “the impact of climate change on bird migration in the UK”.

10 Informative Essay Topics for College Students

If you’re in college, you can’t make do with a topic that’s too obvious, basic, or purely descriptive. You’ll need to flex your analytical muscles by focusing on topics like:

How does income inequality impact voting patterns?
Why do certain users turn to AI chatbots for therapy?
What is a backsliding democracy, and what are the signs you’re living in one?
What is a critical mass in social dynamics?
How did DEI come to be?
Why did humans develop consciousness?
How did we develop language, and why is it important?
Which countries have experimented with a universal basic income?
How does laser tattoo removal work?
How can AI drive new scientific discoveries in a given field (e.g., medicine, economics)?

EssayWriter’s tip: Look through the recommended reading and optional questions for a given class to get more relevant ideas for your college essay. Or, link your topic to concepts already covered in class.

130 Informative Essay Topics Across 13 Subjects

With these four categories of topics out of the way, let’s dive into 13 subjects you might want to focus on in your next informative essay. Our experts came up with a total of 130 informative essay topic ideas for students looking to write about animals, education, pop culture, and more.

10 Education & Learning Topics

There’s nothing more integral to a student’s life than learning itself. These 10 topics will help you take a fresh look at the staples of your everyday life:

Are there any discrepancies in academic performance across students’ income levels?
How did homework become part of the regular school experience?
What are the different types of learning (non-associative, associative, active, etc.)?
How does gamification affect learning outcomes?
What happens in your brain when you learn something new?
What are the main factors that impact learning outcomes?
What is the difference between formal, non-formal, and informal education?
How does educational level impact individuals’ income and wealth in the long run?
How can modern technology (e.g., VR) be used in educational processes?
What is grade inflation?

EssayWriter’s tip: Consider your personal struggles in learning to find a topic you’re genuinely interested in. For example, if you have trouble focusing, consider breaking down concentration-boosting strategies.

10 Animal-Related Topics

The animal world is full of surprising facts, from octopuses’ unique nervous system to cats’ adaptations to living with humans. Here are 10 topics exploring such facts:

How did fish evolve to adapt to living on land?
Why do sloths move so slowly?
How do owls manage to fly so silently?
How does human activity lead to species extinction?
What is the sixth mass extinction?
What are examples of species that were considered extinct but were later rediscovered?
How can we preserve species on the verge of extinction?
How do animals protect themselves against predators?
What are endemic species? Provide examples.
How do swallows build their nests?

EssayWriter’s tip: To find the best informative essay topic focused on animals, watch a nature documentary or two. Or, take a moment to watch animals in your immediate vicinity and wonder why they do what they do.

10 Topics Focused on Social Issues

Social issues can be polarizing, but they are some of the most compelling topics to write an informative essay on. Here are 10 social issues you can explore in your essay:

What is surveillance capitalism, and how does it affect consumer choices?
How does real taxation rate differ across income levels?
When does unemployment become a social issue?
How does ageism impact careers of older individuals?
How do racial and gender bias affect access to and quality of healthcare?
What is environmental racism, and how does it affect communities?
What are the consequences of mass incarceration?
What causes food insecurity?
How did the COVID-19 pandemic impact social inequality?
How does gun violence affect communities?

EssayWriter’s tip: Check out the news to find examples of the pressing social issues currently making the headlines. Make sure you’re focusing on describing the problem, not advocating for a particular solution.

10 Informative Essay Topics About Mental Health

Mental health is a sensitive subject, but understanding it can help your readers cope with or prevent challenges. Dive into its key facets in your informative paper with one of these 10 topics:

How does experiencing discrimination impact an individual’s mental health?
What is self-efficacy, and what role does it play in emotional well-being?
What are the main factors that correlate with happiness?
How does cyberbullying impact mental health?
How do cultural differences lead to differences in mental health definitions?
How does interacting with AI chatbots impact users’ mental health?
How does climate change impact young people’s mental health?
How do diet and sleep affect mental health?
What are the main disparities in access to mental healthcare?
What are the main strategies for preventing mental health issues?

EssayWriter’s tip: Browse the APA website for more ideas. When searching for sources, make sure to rely on peer-reviewed studies, not pop-science articles.

10 Science-Driven Topics

Science is the epitome of what humans are capable of, driving progress and making everyday lives easier for billions. Here are some foundational informative essay ideas for students looking to examine what science means:

What are the foundational principles of scientific thinking?
What are the main branches of science?
How can we preserve scientific knowledge for centuries or millennia?
What is a hypothesis, and how do scientists test it?
What is academic bias, and how does it affect the reliability of research findings?
How do scientific studies get funded?
What is the difference between science, antiscience, and pseudoscience?
What is open science, and what are its benefits and challenges?
What is academic integrity, and what are its defining principles?
What are conspiracy theories, and how can science debunk them?

10 Technology Topics

Much like science, technology is ingrained in every aspect of our lives. Here are 10 topics that cover everything from its impact to its inner workings:

How does cryptocurrency mining affect energy grids?
How can we use excess heat from data centers?
How are new programming languages created?
Why do we need so many programming languages and frameworks to build software?
What was the first program ever created?
What is the difference between back-end, front-end, and full-stack development?
How do you write a good algorithm for a program?
How does augmented reality (AR) work?
How does ChatGPT understand and generate natural language?
What is the difference between AI, machine learning, and deep learning?

EssayWriter’s tip: Reflect on the technology you use every day if you’re short on ideas. Ask yourself: How does it work? Or, how does it impact you or the world at large?

10 Business & Finance Topics

If you’re working toward a degree in business and management, finance, or economics, these 10 ideas can be a good place to start brainstorming:

What is the difference between fixed and variable costs, and how do you calculate them?
What is circular trading, and how does it affect company valuation?
What is risk management, and why is it essential for a business?
What are the main privacy regulations a business has to comply with?
What is intellectual property, and why is protecting it important?
What causes inflation, and how can monetary policy curb it?
What are the main types of market failure (information asymmetries, natural monopolies, etc.)?
How do consumers make purchasing decisions, and what factors impact those decisions?
What is the optimal unemployment rate in a given economy?
What emerging types of money can we observe today?

10 Religion Topic Ideas

Religion has been shaping the world for centuries, and it still holds an important place in the lives of millions today. These 10 essay topics are a good place to start exploring its role:

What are the main world religions?
What are the main teachings of Buddhism?
Why do people turn to religion in hard times?
How did religion impact law and politics in medieval Europe?
What is the difference between religion and cults?
What makes religion different from mythology?
What is the difference between monotheistic and polytheistic religions?
What are indigenous religions, and how do they differ from world religions?
What is the link between religion and morality?
What is agnosticism, and how is it different from atheism?

EssayWriter’s tip: Remember to take a step back and approach any religion-related topic impartially. You can draw inspiration from your own experiences with religion.

10 Pop Culture Topics

You’re probably a fan of something, a TV show, a graphic novel, or a K-pop band. These 10 topics will help you look at pop culture through a different lens:

What are the tenets of the horror genre?
How did going to the cinema become a leisurely pastime?
What is the appeal of the superhero genre?
What are the differences between pop culture and high culture?
What are the emerging forms of entertainment (e.g., VR games, generative films)?
How does fandom impact creative choices?
Why does online piracy re-emerge as an alternative to multiple streaming subscriptions?
How do horror movies and TV shows reflect society’s current fears?
Has news become a form of mass-culture entertainment?
How is generative AI transforming entertainment?

EssayWriter’s tip: Think about your own likes and dislikes to find an interesting topic. For example, if you’re a fan of K-pop, ask yourself: Why does it appeal to people?

10 Health & Medicine Topics

We’ve never known as much about the human body as we do today, and yet we still have a lot of mysteries to solve. These 10 topics explore both the latest advancements in medicine and health tips for everyday life:

How do individual vaccination choices impact community health?
What constitutes a healthy diet, according to science?
How does smoking affect the human body, and does the number of cigarettes smoked matter?
How can CRISPR cure genetic disorders?
How does excessive stress impact the long-term health of an individual?
What causes diabetes, and is there anything you can do to prevent it?
What are the main stress management methods, and how can you use them?
What are the main predictors of longevity?
How do brain-computer interfaces work, and what are their key ethical considerations?
What is the relationship between mental and physical health?

10 Racism Informative Essay Topics That Can Make a Difference

Racism isn’t a fun subject, but it’s no use pretending it doesn’t exist, either. These 10 topics will introduce you to the key topics in this domain:

How did the Jim Crow laws impact the generational wealth of African Americans?
What are slavery reparations, and what forms can they take?
How does racial profiling affect the minorities’ relationship with law enforcement?
What is symbolic racism, and what are its consequences?
What were the benefits and downsides of affirmative action policies in college admissions?
How did racism impact scientific research in the 19th and 20th centuries?
What is anti-racism, and what are its main strategies?
How did redlining policies impact the minorities’ ability to accumulate generational wealth?
How did the white genocide conspiracy theory find its way into politics?
How does racial bias affect criminal news reporting?

EssayWriter’s tip: Browse the latest headlines to get some ideas, or head to the websites of nonprofits like NAACP and ACLU.

10 Topics About Sports

A fan of sports yourself? Or just curious about why it holds such a special place in many people’s lives? Consider focusing on one of these 10 topics in your next essay:

What is the oldest unbroken record in the history of sports?
How does playing team-based sports in childhood impact players’ ability to collaborate with others later on in life?
Is video gaming a sport?
How does American football impact players’ long-term health?
Do countries benefit from hosting the Olympic Games?
Is darts a game of chance or a game of skill?
How does online betting impact sports competitions?
Why do people become sports fans?
What are the benefits of playing sports late in life?
Can social media influencers affect sports events' attendance or viewership?

10 History Topics That Are Actually Interesting

Need to write an informative essay for a history class? Start brainstorming topics with these 10 ideas:

How did people entertain themselves in Victorian England?
What is the Neolithic Revolution, and why did it take place?
How did the invention of the atomic bomb affect the events of World War II?
Did Switzerland really remain neutral throughout World War II?
How was the European Union formed, and how was the euro adopted?
What was the first country to grant women the right to vote and be elected?
Why was the United Nations created?
How did the Great Recession impact democracies around the world?
How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect global trade?
Why did many African, Asian, and Oceanian countries gain independence in the 1950s and 1970s?

EssayWriter’s tip: History essays need engaging, attention-grabbing introductions as much as any other essays. Browse our introduction paragraph examples to learn how to kick off your essay with maximum impact.

10 How-To Topics That Cover Most Riveting Questions

Informative essays are effective at guiding the reader through a certain process step-by-step. These 10 informative paper topics can turn your essay into a great how-to guide:

How to interpret the statistics you see in your daily life to make informed decisions
How to protect yourself against data brokers while browsing the internet
How to perform first aid if there is an accident
How to navigate the wilderness using a compass, a shadow stick, or a watch
How to write your first program using pseudocode
How to create art that gets sold for millions
How to recognize misinformation and propaganda
How to improve your creativity through daily practice
How to critique a piece of art
How to reduce your screen time and the benefits of doing so

10 Easy Topics for an Informative Essay That Won’t Take a Week to Write

If you don’t want to labor over this particular assignment, we have you covered. These 10 easy topics for an informative essay for students will make writing a breeze:

How does the internet work? How does data travel across countries and continents?
What gives the sky its blue color?
Why are there twenty-four hours in a day?
Why are clothes from brands like Shein and H&M so cheap?
Why is it hotter at the equator?
What are the most famous codes and ciphers used to encrypt messages?
How old is the universe, and how can we tell?
What are rogue planets?
How do tech companies make money without charging users?
Does stronger airport security prevent terrorist attacks and plane hijackings?

10 Fun Topics That Will Make Your Essay Stand Out

Who said informative essays have to be serious? There’s always room for diving into fun topics full of surprising facts, like these ten:

Did dinosaurs have scales or feathers?
How can you misrepresent statistics to tell a lie or support a false claim?
Why is the letter R pronounced so differently across languages?
When do slang words die?
What makes something a meme?
Can you go viral on purpose? If so, how?
What are the most expensive foods and drinks in the world today?
What was the first AI program, and how does it differ from a modern one?
Is it 2026 for everyone around the world?
What does reading with dyslexia feel like?

10 Interesting Informative Essay Topics You’ve Been Curious About

Now, what counts as interesting depends on your particular preferences and those of your readers. That said, these 10 informational writing topics are a good place to start searching for a subject that makes you want to learn more:

What is programmed obsolescence, and how can regulations protect consumers from it?
What are the signs you’re living in an illiberal democracy?
What are the different types of cyberattacks, and how can you protect yourself against each of them?
What is microevolution, and what prompts it?
Why is life carbon-based? Could there be non-carbon-based life forms out there?
Why are many English words not pronounced the way they’re spelled?
How did life emerge on Earth for the first time?
What does it mean to be neurodivergent?
Why do crickets chirp, and how do they do it?
How can you give back to your community (without becoming another Mother Theresa)?

10 Controversial Topics That Will Make You Think

Finally, you don’t have to stay away from controversial subjects in an informative essay. Just make sure to remain unbiased in your writing, even if it focuses on one of these 10 topics:

How is capitalism causing environmental degradation?
How environmentally friendly are electric vehicles, really?
Is the United States a backsliding democracy?
Is agnosticism a form of religion?
What are the risks of using solar radiation modification to curb global warming?
How do we enable AI systems to make ethical decisions?
What is the impact of the post-ChatGPT AI boom on the environment?
What are the arguments of opponents and supporters of capital punishment?
What happens when a political leader denies the principles and rules of international law?
What are the main myths and misconceptions about Native Americans?

4 Markings of Good Informative Essay Topics

How do you know if the topic you settled on is actually a good one? Fret not: we’ve prepared a checklist that you can compare your topic against. Here are the four defining characteristics good topics share, no matter your academic level or subject:

They’re specific enough. Good topics are neither too broad nor too narrow. For example, don’t try to cover the whole climate change in a span of a single essay. Narrow it down to its impact on marine life, instead.
They don’t reflect your opinions. Don’t get this wrong: you can cite surveys that relay the population’s opinions and feelings within an informative essay. However, it can’t be all about defending one particular stance or solution as opposed to others.
They offer enough evidence. Choose a topic too niche, and you’ll make the whole writing process way more difficult for yourself than it could be. Make sure there’s enough credible evidence, however; blog posts from obscure websites aren’t reliable sources.
They’re neutral. Even if you have an opinion on the topic, make sure it doesn’t show in the phrasing of the topic itself or your treatment of it. Explore multiple angles without drawing conclusions on what’s best, more effective, etc.

How to Choose a Topic You Won’t Regret

The list above can be a tall order, and it’s understandable if you feel a bit lost after reading it. So, we’ve decided to prepare this mini-guide on picking the right topic:

Understand your limitations. Your assignment may limit the scope of topics. Read it multiple times to have a full understanding of what kind of topics you can consider.
Reflect on your interests. Sure, you don’t absolutely have to be passionate about the topic you choose. But if you’re curious about it, researching it will be a lot more enjoyable.
Focus on specifics. Topics like “plants,” “science,” or even “AI” are too vast. Create a mindmap: start with general concepts like these and narrow them down. For example, you can move from “plants” to “they’re green” to “why are they green?”
Keep your audience in mind. Think about what your readers already know to avoid boring them with a topic that reveals nothing new. Prioritize topics that focus on information they could find useful or interesting.
Verify your intent. Make sure your topic is neutral and seeks to explain, not persuade. Check the phrasing for bias or opinionated language, too.
Check available sources. Can you find reliable information easily enough? Is it up to date and comprehensive enough?

Final Thoughts

A good informative essay starts with a good topic. Don’t worry if it takes you a bit of time to find one. With time and practice, it’ll become easier; trust us.

Remember that your topic should be interesting, specific, clear, and researchable. Double-check it before researching and writing. Otherwise, you might waste time working on a topic that needs reworking, only to realize you should probably change it once you’re halfway through.

Is a particular assignment overwhelming you? EssayWriter can connect you with experts in just about anything from technology to business. Just tell us what you need help with, and consider it done.