A strong majority of Americans approve of homeschooling as their faith in public schools diminishes, new polling shows.
A Rasmussen Reports survey found that 59 percent of American adults approve of homeschooling children, including 25 percent who “strongly approve.” Thirty-percent disapprove of homeschooling, including 11 percent who “strongly disapprove,” and 11 percent are unsure.
At the same time, only 8 percent of respondents rate the performance of public schools in America as “excellent” and 18 percent rate them “good.” Slightly more than a third (34 percent) rate public schools as “fair,” and 35 percent give them a “poor” rating — findings which have only slightly changed from last year, according to the survey.
“Most Americans rate their local schools as better than public education in general,” the survey report reads. “Asked about the performance of public schools in the community where they live, 14 percent rate them excellent, while 28 percent say their local schools are good, 35 percent rate them fair and 19 percent give them a poor rating.”
The survey’s findings are similar to recent polling from Gallup, showing that only 9 percent of Americans are “completely satisfied” with the quality of U.S. K-12 education, while 34 percent are “somewhat satisfied,” 34 percent are “somewhat dissatisfied,” and 21 percent are “completely dissatisfied.” Per Gallup, satisfaction with U.S. education tied with its 2000 record low in 2023, and only slightly rebounded in 2024.
In recent years, homeschooling has been on the rise, leading researchers to conclude that it is now viewed as a “viable” choice in the United States. A 2023 analysis by The Washington Post estimated that there were between 1.9 million and 2.7 million home-school children in the U.S. and credited some of the sustained growth in part to parents choosing to keep their children home after the coronavirus pandemic.
It should be noted that Americans’ record-low confidence in education within the last several years arose in the aftermath of government and union-led school shutdowns during the coronavirus pandemic, which led to catastrophic learning losses. At the same time, many parents were exposed to the left-wing ideology infiltrating their children’s education, along with the discovery of pornography in schools, drag performances for minors, and schools assisting or facilitating sex changes for minors without their parents’ knowledge or consent.
Interestingly, majorities of all political affiliations at least “somewhat approve” of homeschooling, although Republicans (70 percent) are more likely to approve than Democrats and unaffiliated voters (both at 54 percent), the Rasmussen survey found. Democrats (38 percent) are more likely than Republicans (25 percent) and unaffiliated voters (18 percent) to give American public schools a “good” or “excellent” rating. Democrats also give higher ratings to schools in their own communities.
The survey additionally found that women (61 percent) approve of homeschooling more than men (56 percent), although majorities of both sexes approve. Women under 40 — who tend to be the ones having children — are also most likely to give public schools low ratings, the survey found.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
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