Nearly 60% of parents would enroll their child in private or religious schools if at least partial funding were provided. Yet, most Americans believe keeping the U.S. Department of Education open would improve the state of public schooling.
There’s an eroding confidence in public education, as revealed by the 57th annual PDK “Poll of the Public Attitudes Toward the Public Schools.” Only 13% of respondents graded the nation’s public schools an A or B, down 26% from 2004.
This sentiment is backed by a strong push among parents for school choice, one of President Donald Trump’s priorities for K12 education. Seventy-one percent of Republicans support using public funding to send their child to a non-public school, followed by 47% of Democrats.
However, support for charter and lab schools is not as high as indicated in previous PDK polls. Only 46% of respondents support funding charters or lab schools in 2025, a stark contrast to 2013 figures, when support reached 68%.
Dismantling the Department of Education
Amid Trump’s push to eliminate the Education Department, only 12% of respondents strongly support this decision. Sixty-six percent say they strongly oppose the agency’s closure.
Forty-six Republicans “strongly support” or “support” the elimination of the Education Department, versus 23% of independents and 0% of Democrats.
Despite the nationwide migration toward private schooling options, 65% of respondents believe that eliminating the Education Department would hurt have a negative impact on public education, with 19% believing the opposite.
Other findings
The researchers also captured respondents’ opinions about the state of teacher pay, school cell phone policies and more. Here’s what they found:
- Only 20% of respondents think teacher salaries are “just about right.” 64% say teacher salaries are too low.
- A complete ban on cellphone use in schools is supported by 40% of Americans; 46% support access to cellphones during lunch or in between classes. Overall, 86% support some kind of restriction.
- 68% of respondents do not support allowing AI to access to student data, including grades, assessment data and other personal information.
- 70% of parents report feeling satisfied with the amount of influence they have in their child’s education.
- 61% of Americans say diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives are important.
Read the poll results here.
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