Satisfaction With K-12 Schools Plummets Among Parents

A new survey from Gallup shows that Americans' satisfaction with public schools is declining. In 2022, just 42% of parents said they were satisfied with the K-12 schools, down from 51% in 2019. It is the lowest percentage in two decades and the second-lowest in the history of the poll.

"This shows that while about four in 10 Americans are broadly satisfied with public education, just 9% are completely satisfied. Meanwhile, 23% are completely dissatisfied, and 32% are somewhat dissatisfied. This means that more than twice as many Americans are completely dissatisfied as completely satisfied," Gallup explained.

This year, Gallup tried to understand why parents were not satisfied with their children's education and asked them to state their reasons for being dissatisfied. A majority of parents noted they were concerned with the rigor of the curriculum in schools.

Fifteen percent of parents noted outdated curriculum, while 11% said schools are failing to teach kids basic skills like reading, writing, and arithmetic.

Just over one in five parents cited a lack of resources as a major problem with schools in the United States. The respondents said the schools were being hurt by a lack of funding and the inability to hire quality teachers due to low pay.

The poll found that 17% of parents believed that political agendas are being forced on their children, with 3% voicing concerns about critical race theory being taught in the classrooms.