The Washington Post

Trump’s school voucher program could become a public school cash machine

Starting next year, taxpayers can earmark up to $1,700 to not only help families pay private schools, but also to support some services at public schools.

Florida school board at the center of culture wars loses conservative majority

Democrats say the flip in Sarasota County indicates voters want education to move on from political fights over social issues, while conservatives point to their wins.

Chronic absenteeism remains high six years after pandemic began

Nearly a quarter of U.S. children did not show up for school regularly in 2025, a slight decline from the previous year but still up from about 15 percent before COVID.

Shrinking student populations cause spike in public school closures across U.S.

Limited funds and low enrollment forced districts to close more than 1,000 schools in 2025-26.

The sweeping ways religion is mixing with public education

Public school classrooms are required to post the Ten Commandments, Bible verses are being injected into social studies curriculums and some school districts are required to allow students to leave campus midday to participate in Bible study.

Three students. Lots of offers. Which college should they choose?

The Washington Post asked more than a dozen counselors, researchers and policy analysts about the most important considerations when choosing a college.

A school locked down after AI flagged a gun. It was a clarinet.

A growing number of schools across the country use AI-powered surveillance to detect guns and contraband, all in the name of making schools safer.

With voting under attack, Arizona schools don’t want to be polling locations

The reasons have been building for years, but the final straw for Mesa Public Schools officials came last November with a small, low-turnout election that became mired in misinformation and menace.

Tenn. school district where students held ‘slave auction’ settles with DOJ

The Hawkins County School District—where federal investigators said students subjected a Black classmate to repeated harassment, including calling him racist slurs, hitting him and holding a mock “slave auction” to sell him to White peers—will implement several changes under a settlement.

Billions in taxpayer dollars now go to religious schools via vouchers

The rapid expansion of state voucher programs follows court decisions that have eroded the separation between church and state.

Where classrooms are becoming too hot for learning

As heat waves creep north, they are baking schools that previously did not need air conditioning. Fixing the problem will be neither cheap, nor easy.

How a Connecticut middle school won the battle against cellphones

When Raymond Dolphin became assistant principal of a middle school in Connecticut two years ago, it was clear to him that the kids were not all right. The problem was cellphones.

Ex-Montgomery superintendent McKnight to get $1.3M in separation deal

Most of the payout covers “agreed upon wages,” though it also includes $30,000 to cover her attorney fees, according to the agreement, which was obtained by The Washington Post through a public records request.

In states with laws targeting LGBTQ issues, school hate crimes quadrupled

At the same time, calls to LGBTQ+ youth crisis hotlines have exploded, with some advocates drawing a connection between the spike in bullying and hate crimes, and the political climate.

States bet big on career education, but struggle to show it works

When Kim Rider and her team contact a former student, they aren’t just checking in—they’re also gathering data. Rider oversees career and technical education in Allen Parish, a region of rural Louisiana known for pine forests and the state’s largest casino.