Gallup: K-12 Education Satisfaction Hits 27-Year Low
Public satisfaction with U.S. K-12 education has fallen to 32%, an 11-point drop in two years and the lowest level since 1999, according to a Gallup poll.
Only 32% of Americans are satisfied with the quality of K-12 education, according to a Gallup poll. This marks a 27-year low and an 11 percentage point drop in just the last two years.
Dissatisfaction with the nation's schools has simultaneously reached a record high of 67%. Megan Brenan, a senior editor at Gallup. It peaked at 53% in 2004 and has only been above 50% once since then.
Americans Rate School Preparation Poorly
Nearly half of those surveyed said schools do a poor job preparing students to think critically and solve problems. Preparing students for the current world of work and preparing them to work effectively with others were the next most poorly rated categories.
U.S. Adults offer largely negative ratings, Brenan said. There were some slightly more positive assessments. Forty-four percent said schools do a good or excellent job preparing students to adapt to new technologies. Forty-one percent gave a fair rating for college preparation, and 42% said the same for preparing students to use artificial intelligence tools effectively.
| Preparation Area | Rating (Good/Excellent) | Rating (Fair) |
|---|---|---|
| Adapt to new technologies | 44% | Not specified |
| For college | Not specified | 41% |
| To use AI tools | Not specified | 42% |
Parents Are More Positive, But Still Concerned
Parents of K-12 students consistently rated school performance more positively across all preparation areas than non-parents. Just over half of parents said schools do an excellent or good job preparing students to adapt to new technologies.
Working effectively with others and college preparation were the next highest-rated skill categories among parents. However, parents were least likely to give a positive rating for how schools prepare students for the current world of work.
A Persistent Gap in Perception
A long-standing trend continues. Parents are far more satisfied with their own child's education than with the national K-12 system. In 2026, 66% of parents said they were satisfied with their child's schooling.
That figure is still a new low, dipping one point below the previous low from 2013. The record high was 83% in 1999, when Gallup first began tracking this metric.
Brenan suggested the persistent gap indicates Americans' concerns are less about their local school and more about the state of the national education system. Parent satisfaction with their own child's education has not reached that 1999 high since.
