Americans' Satisfaction With K-12 Education on Low Side

 Americans have become less content in recent years with the quality of the nation's K-12 education. The 42% who say they are satisfied today is the lowest measured in the past two decades by one percentage point and the second-lowest reading in Gallup's 23-year trend. Americans' satisfaction with schools was at a near-record high of 51% in 2019 before dropping slightly each year since.

At the same time, parents of children attending kindergarten through grade 12 remain largely content with their oldest child's education. The 80% who are completely or somewhat satisfied is slightly improved from the 73% measured a year ago and exceeds the average of 76% that Gallup has recorded since 2001.

Gallup has tracked Americans' and parents' particular perspectives on K-12 education annually each August as part of its Work and Education survey. The latest installment was conducted Aug. 1-23 as students were getting back to school in some parts of the country and enjoying the last days of summer vacation in others.

Gallup asks respondents for their views of K-12 education on a four-point scale, going from completely satisfied to completely dissatisfied. 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.

The picture is far more positive for parental satisfaction with their oldest child's education, as 32% are completely satisfied and just 6% are completely dissatisfied. The bulk of parents, 48%, are somewhat satisfied.