Nonprofit Poll: Majority Back Closing Education Dept

A majority of registered voters support closing the Department of Education after learning more about what President Donald Trump's proposal entails, according to a new poll commissioned by the Yes Every Kid Foundation.

When asked about terminating the Education Department, 51% opposed the plan in the absence of other details, while 38% supported it.

But when provided with more information about the proposal, such as folding important elements of the department into other federal agencies and preserving K-12 funding, the numbers flipped — 56% said they were in favor of shuttering the department, compared to 30% who were opposed.

The nonprofit, which is connected to the Koch network, advocates for school choice.

Madi Biedermann, deputy assistant secretary for communications at the Department of Education, told the New York Post that the president and Education Secretary Linda McMahon "are dedicated to improving education for our nation's students," beginning with "empowering" those figures who "are closest to the child."

"Returning education to the states means rightsizing the federal role in education by removing unnecessary red tape and micromanagement by D.C., while maintaining critical funding for students with disabilities and low-income schools and continuing to protect students' civil rights," Biedermann said.

Support for eliminating the department ticked up by 3 percentage points – to 59% – when respondents were given more information about topics like protections for students with disabilities and the gradual closure of the agency, while 30% remained opposed.

Established in 1979, the Department of Education has overseen a national decline in student reading and math scores, according to the statistics presented to survey respondents.

Since taking office in January and beginning his second White House term, Trump has focused on abolishing the department, directing McMahon to dismantle it to the "maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law."

Closing it completely would require an act of Congress, but Republicans lack the necessary votes to get such a proposal through the Senate.

The foundation's findings conflict with other polls that show the idea of closing the Education Department is unpopular with the American people.

Two-thirds of respondents in a survey commissioned over the summer by PDK International were opposed to doing away with the agency, while 60% were against the plan in a March poll by Quinnipiac University.

In fiscal year 2024, the Department of Education spent $268 billion, which accounted for 4% of federal spending that year.

A full 44% of those who participated in the Yes Every Kid Foundation survey voted for Trump in the 2024 presidential election, versus 42% who supported Vice President Kamala Harris.

The poll was conducted Oct. 22-23 and surveyed 1,500 registered voters. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

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