Poll: Satisfaction With U.S. Education Hits 15-Year High

Americans are particularly pleased with the education systems and opportunities that the country offers. That figure reached a 15-year high this year. Since education results in the United States often lag those in other developed countries, the numbers are unusually strong.

According to Gallup, its “annual update of how Americans feel about the quality of primary and secondary education in the U.S. finds the public relatively upbeat this year. For the first time since 2004, a slim majority of U.S. adults, 51%, are satisfied with the overall quality of education that students in kindergarten through grade 12 receive. This is up from 43% in 2018 and an average 45% since 2005.”

There have been outlier years over the past two decades Gallup has done the research, while the range most years has been between 43% and 48%. The approval rating fell to 36% in 2000. Gallup believes that may be because of a battle over education quality of the country fought in the presidential race that year. The figure spiked to a high of 53% in 2004.

Why is this year’s figure so high? Gallup does not have a firm answer, but it does have an educated guess. It may be that satisfaction with education coincides with consumer confidence, although the two figures are not substantially linked. Another reason is that there are no major public debates about the quality of the education systems as there were recently with the tension over the fates of the No Child Left Behind Act and, more recently, the Common Core educational standards.

Opinions about the state of education vary significantly by demographic group. Satisfaction is particularly high among people who make less than $40,000, at 59%. Among Hispanics, the figure is 66%. The lowest numbers posted were among people who make more than $100,000, at 47%. Among college graduates, the number is a relatively low 46%.

Gallup researchers came to two conclusions based on the data. The fact that there is no national debate about issues that involve education may have pushed satisfaction higher. The other conclusion is a bit more troubling. A 51% approval means the opinion of kindergarten through 12th grade education still has a very long way to go. The quality of K-12 systems also varies regionally in the United States. These are the states with the best and worst schools.

Some states are spending more to improve their school systems compared to others. These are the states investing the most in Higher Education.