Public Satisfaction With Schools Hits an All-Time Low. Politics May Be to Blame

This year, public satisfaction with K-12 education across the United States has plummeted to unprecedented lows, with approximately one-third of Americans expressing contentment with the quality of education that students receive. This alarming trend is highlighted in a nationally representative survey conducted by Gallup, in collaboration with the Walton Family Foundation.

According to the Gallup report, only 35% of Americans feel “completely” or “somewhat” satisfied with the nation’s education system. This represents an 8-point decline compared to last year and is a single point below previous record lows documented in 2000 and 2023. Gallup has been tracking public sentiment on this matter annually since 1999.

Furthermore, nearly a quarter of the respondents—24%—indicated being “completely dissatisfied” with the quality of the nation’s K-12 schools, while 38% reported being “somewhat dissatisfied.” Historically, public satisfaction with K-12 schools has seldom exceeded 50%, peaking at 53% in 2004 and 51% in 2019, which were considered all-time highs.

The significant drop in satisfaction appears to be influenced by the political climate, particularly among Democrats and independents, since Donald Trump regained the presidency. Megan Brenan, a senior editor at Gallup, noted that Democrats’ satisfaction with schools decreased by 12 points to 42% following Trump’s inauguration, while independents’ satisfaction hit a new low of 34%.

Experts suggest that national politics plays a critical role in shaping public perceptions of K-12 education. Brenan stated, “It seems that respondents’ partisanship is impacting their views on K-12 schools.” Among Republicans, 29% expressed satisfaction with the education system, which is statistically similar to last year’s level of 31%. Interestingly, this marks a decline from 2017 when Republican satisfaction surged to 45%, up from 32% in 2016.

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Why hasn’t there been a notable increase in satisfaction among Republicans this time? One possible explanation is the Trump administration’s predominantly negative stance toward schools, coupled with cuts to educational funding, as suggested by Brenan.

In open-ended responses gathered during the survey, Democratic respondents voiced concerns regarding inadequate funding and its detrimental impact on students’ educational experiences. Conversely, Republicans were more inclined to express worries that schools were promoting a political agenda.

Parental Satisfaction Remains Strong

Despite the overall dissatisfaction with K-12 education, a silver lining emerges from the survey results: parents of K-12 students continue to express high levels of satisfaction with their local schools. About 75% of parents reported being either “completely” or “somewhat” pleased with the quality of education their oldest child is receiving, with only 6% completely dissatisfied and 17% somewhat dissatisfied. This trend aligns with Gallup’s findings over the past 26 years, where an average of 76% of parents have been satisfied with their children’s schools.

This year’s survey also introduced a new question regarding how well schools prepare students for college and the workforce. Approximately 21% of U.S. adults believe schools perform an “excellent” or “good” job getting students ready for employment, while 33% feel the same about college preparation.

Interestingly, younger adults aged 18 to 29 were more likely to rate schools positively regarding college and career readiness compared to older adults. Brenan highlighted that individuals who have recently experienced K-12 education tend to hold more favorable views than those observing from a distance.