Gallup: Americans’ satisfaction with K-12 education hits record low

Americans’ satisfaction with the quality of K-12 education has fallen to a record low in Gallup’s 27-year polling trend.

Just 32% of U.S. adults said they were either completely or somewhat satisfied with K-12 education nationwide, down 11 percentage points over the past two years, according to Gallup findings released Sept. 7. In 2024, 43% of adults reported satisfaction, compared with 35% in 2025. 

The Walton Family Foundation-Gallup telephone poll conducted Aug. 3-24 among a random sample of 1,200 adults across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. found the lowest satisfaction level since Gallup began tracking the issue in 1999. Satisfaction previously peaked at 53% in 2004 and has averaged 44% since 1999.

The decline crossed party lines, yet Democrats drove much of the recent drop. Thirty-five percent of Democrats, 32% of independents, and 25% of Republicans said they were satisfied. 

Democratic satisfaction has fallen 19 percentage points since 2024, compared with declines of 10 points among independents and six points among Republicans. The current figures represent record lows for Democrats and independents, while Republican satisfaction was lower only in 2023. 

In a separate Walton Family Foundation-Gallup online survey of 2,143 adults conducted Aug. 3-17, respondents explained why they were dissatisfied and evaluated how well schools prepare students for the future.

Americans who expressed dissatisfaction most commonly cited a lack of instruction in basic subjects, with 25% identifying that concern, up from 16% last year. Seventeen percent said the overall quality of education was poor or inferior to that of other countries, while 11% cited insufficient funding or resources. 

Another 10% criticized teaching methods or the excessive use of computers, and 10% cited too much government interference. Eight percent raised concerns about indoctrination in school curricula, down from 19% in 2025. 

“Republicans and independents are most likely to cite what they perceive as a lack of teaching basic skills,” Gallup reported. “Roughly equal shares of dissatisfied Democrats mention a lack of teaching basic skills, lack of funding or resources, and poor quality of education or inferiority compared with other countries.”

The survey also asked Americans to evaluate how well schools prepare students in six areas: preparation for college and the workforce, effective use of artificial intelligence (AI), critical thinking and problem-solving, working effectively with others, and adapting to new technologies.

Critical thinking and problem-solving received the lowest rating, with just 20% saying schools were doing an excellent or good job, and 47% rating their performance as poor. Only 21% rated schools positively for preparing students for the workforce. 

Schools received higher marks for preparing students to work effectively with others (28%) and attend college (32%) and teaching them to use AI effectively (30%). Readying students to adapt to new technologies received the strongest rating, with 44% saying schools were doing an excellent or good job in that area.

Parents were more positive about their own children’s education than about the education system as a whole, but their satisfaction also reached a record low. Sixty-six percent of parents with children in kindergarten through 12th grade said they were satisfied with their oldest child’s education, down from 74% last year and 83% when Gallup first asked the question in 1999.

Parents nevertheless gave relatively low marks to schools’ preparation of their children for the future. Twenty-nine percent said schools were doing an excellent or good job teaching critical thinking, while 27% gave positive ratings for workforce preparation.