diff --git a/playbooks/roles/analytics_api/defaults/main.yml b/playbooks/roles/analytics_api/defaults/main.yml
index b8a785ff966..f22d32ce2ab 100644
--- a/playbooks/roles/analytics_api/defaults/main.yml
+++ b/playbooks/roles/analytics_api/defaults/main.yml
@@ -42,7 +42,9 @@ analytics_api_newrelic_appname: 'analytics-api'
 analytics_api_debian_pkgs:
   - 'libmysqlclient-dev'
 
-ANALYTICS_API_USE_PYTHON12: True
+ANALYTICS_API_USE_PYTHON12: False
+
+ANALYTICS_API_USE_PYTHON38: True
 
 ANALYTICS_API_VERSION: "master"
 ANALYTICS_API_NGINX_PORT: '1{{ analytics_api_gunicorn_port }}'
diff --git a/playbooks/roles/analytics_api/meta/main.yml b/playbooks/roles/analytics_api/meta/main.yml
index 223d5fb8db5..967a14c4082 100644
--- a/playbooks/roles/analytics_api/meta/main.yml
+++ b/playbooks/roles/analytics_api/meta/main.yml
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 dependencies:
   - role: edx_django_service
     edx_django_service_use_python312: '{{ ANALYTICS_API_USE_PYTHON12 }}'
+    edx_django_service_use_python38: '{{ ANALYTICS_API_USE_PYTHON38 }}'
     edx_django_service_repos: '{{ ANALYTICS_API_REPOS }}'
     edx_django_service_name: '{{ analytics_api_service_name }}'
     edx_django_service_user: '{{ analytics_api_user }}'