Despite a shift in attitude away from public schools, 57th annual PDK International Poll released August 19, 20205 found that 66% of respondents were opposed or strongly opposed to the closure of the U.S. Department of Education (USDE). Only 22% said they support or strongly support shuttering the agency.
Conversely, nearly 60% of parents support using public funds for their child to attend a private or religious school, up from 50% in 2007, according to the poll.
Overall support for public schools has dropped, as the percentage of respondents grading their own community schools with an A or B fell from 53% in 2013 to 43% in 2025.
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