The Public, Parents, and K–12 Education - National Polling Report 62 - August 2025

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Kyle

National Polling Report #62 (August 2025) examines public and school-parent views on K–12 education in the United States. Findings show pessimism about the direction of K–12 schooling, widespread priorities for core academic subjects and advanced courses, and differing attitudes toward issues such as school switching, tutoring, and advanced education options. The report also covers support for federal funding roles, parental donation patterns, satisfaction gaps between private and district schools, and positions on education choice policies including ESAs, vouchers, charters, and open enrollment.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages65

Reading Time2 h 44 min

AccessFree to download

Key Findings

Methodology

The Public, Parents, and K–12 Education National Polling Report \#62 August 2025 © 2025 Morning Consult. All rights reserved. KEY FINDINGS 1. In July, half of Americans said that K-12 education is on the wrong track nationwide. Only a quarter of Americans feel optimistic about the direction of K-12 education. Among school parents, optimism in K-12 education has fallen across all levels, though half of parents still believe local schools are headed in the right direction. 2. Nearly a quarter of parents indicate that their child has switched from one school type to another. School switching is highest among private school parents and second-generation immigrants. Parents of school switchers are most likely to indicate a switch because of bullying, excessive stress, or anxiety at their former school compared to other difficulties. 3. More adults and school parents oppose closing the Department of Education than support it, though parents are slightly more supportive of the idea. Republican adults express much stronger support for closing the department than Democrats. 4. Parents think the federal government should play a major role in providing funding for schools serving low-income students and students with special needs. 5. Nearly 3 in 4 parents say it is important that their child’s school offer advanced academic classes. More than 2 in 3 parents are satisfied with the advanced education options that their child’s school offers. Parents satisfied with their child’s advanced education options appreciate their skilled teachers, the variety of course options, and the pace of learning. Insufficient advanced education options are a leading source of parents’ dissatisfaction. 6. Parents of gifted children are most likely to say school is too easy for their child, while those with a child in an IEP are most likely to say school is too hard for them. The vast majority of parents think school is neither too easy nor too hard for their children. Methodology These polls were conducted between May 9-11, 2025, June 5-7, 2025, and July 10-13, 2025 among a sample of 2,257, 2,251, and 2,251 adults, respectively. The interviews were conducted online and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of Adults based on gender, educational attainment, age, race, and region. Results based on the full survey have a measure of precision plus or minus 2.30 to 2:40 percentage points. 2 KEY FINDINGS 7. Americans are most likely to say core academic subjects are extremely important for grades K-8. They see skills for future employment as most important for grades 9-12. School parents are most likely to say core academic subjects are extremely important for K-8 education, and skills for future employment are important for high school. 8. More than half of parents would prefer having their child learn at home at least one day per week. 9. Parents have a diverse range of schooling preferences. A plurality tend to prefer regular public schools over other school types. 10. In July, 39% of parents were currently using a tutor or were interested in finding tutoring for their children – a decrease since April. This summer, the amount parents were willing to spend on tutoring remained roughly level with April at around $360 per month. 11. School parents are more likely than adults generally to give monetary donations to K-12 schools. They are also more likely to donate higher amounts of money compared to adults. When it comes to giving non-monetary donations to schools, adults are most likely to donate goods like books, food, and clothing items. The vast majority of these donations benefit public district schools. 12. Private school parents are much more likely to say they are “very satisfied”with their child’s schooling experiences than district school parents. Strong satisfaction with school experiences among private school parents has risen since April. The gap in satisfaction levels between private and distric

FAQs

How do Americans overall view the direction of K–12 education in July?

In July, half of Americans said K–12 education is on the wrong track nationwide, while only a quarter feel optimistic about the direction.

Why do parents report switching their child’s school type?

Nearly a quarter of parents indicate their child switched school types, and switchers most often cite bullying, excessive stress, or anxiety at their former school.

What education choice policies receive the highest support in the report?

Support remains high for choice-based policies, including open enrollment (77% among parents / 70% generally), education savings accounts (74% / 69%), school vouchers (70% / 62%), and charter schools (67% / 63%).

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Kyle