Poll: Only 32% of Americans Satisfied with K–12 School System; 67% Dissatisfied

A new survey finds widespread dissatisfaction among Americans with the quality of education from preschool through the end of high school, blaming deepening political divides and concerns that schools are not preparing children for further study and future jobs.

Only 32 percent of U.S. adults say they are "completely" or "somewhat" satisfied with the American school system, according to a poll conducted in August and released today by Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation.

The result marks an 11 percentage-point drop from the previous two years and is the lowest level Gallup has recorded since it began asking the question 27 years ago. At the same time, dissatisfaction climbed to 67 percent.

Partisan shifts drive the decline

Education experts described the findings as alarming though not entirely surprising. Much of the decline is driven by Democrats: satisfaction among that group fell by about 19 percentage points since the start of Donald Trump's second term in 2025. Independent voters’ satisfaction fell by roughly 10 points compared with 2024, while Republican satisfaction also edged down by about six points.

Commenting on the causes, Jack Schneider, director of the Center for Educational Policy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, said the Trump administration has contributed to an erosion of trust by portraying schools as sites of political conflict, raising questions about what teachers should be allowed to discuss in classrooms, and taking steps to curtail diversity programs and to dismantle the Department of Education.

The Gallup–Walton Family Foundation poll underscores the political as well as practical anxieties many Americans have about K–12 schooling and its ability to prepare students for college and the workforce.

Photo: press material from the event