Voters Share K-12 Concern; Disagree About Causes

In September 2025, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reported that 12th-grade reading and math scores had fallen to their lowest recorded levels in 2024, with 45% of high school seniors scoring below the NAEP basic level in math. Eighth-grade science scores also declined relative to 2019.

A Change Research national survey of 2,021 registered voters in the United States, conducted September 15–24, 2026, finds that 79% of voters are extremely or very concerned about underperformance of K-12 students. Concern holds broadly across party lines, though voters disagree on what is driving the decline and what should be done about it.

Concern Levels Span Party Lines

94% of voters express concern about K-12 schools and students underperforming, with 47% saying they are extremely concerned, 32% being very concerned, and an additional 16% somewhat concerned. 83% of Republicans and 78% of Democrats fall in the extremely or very concerned category.

The Diagnosis Divide

We asked voters to choose up to three factors most responsible for the K-12 decline. The responses to these questions highlighted divisions by party.

As a top issue, 70% of Republicans cited curriculum becoming focused on social and political topics, whereas only 14% of Democrats agreed. Republicans were twice as likely to cite less accountability and lower standards for students than Democrats (53% vs 26%), and four times as likely to cite less effective teaching as a leading cause (30% vs 8%).

58% of Democrats cited less funding for schools, more than any other option we asked about, while only 6% of Republicans agreed that was a cause of the decline. Democrats were more likely to cite shortages of funding and staff turnover compared to Republicans.

Where Views Converge

There were a few factors for which voters across party lines agreed. Social media adoption in schools was cited by 22% of Democrats, 25% of Independents, and 20% of Republicans. COVID-19 disruptions to learning were cited by 21% of Democrats, 16% of Independents, and 19% of Republicans. Lack of parental involvement was cited as a factor by 33% of Democrats, 40% of Independents, and 41% of Republicans.

The Solutions Divide

We asked voters to choose up to three preferred approaches to the problem. At the top of the list for Democrats (64%) is increasing funding for public schools, especially in lower-income areas, but only 13% of Republicans agreed. 55% of Democrats selected improving teacher pay and recruitment, compared to 15% of Republicans. 43% of Democrats cited reducing poverty and food insecurity, compared to 8% of Republicans.

There was no one preferred solution among Republican respondents, with parental involvement (33%) and school choice (32%) receiving the most support. Democrats were far less enthusiastic about either. Parental involvement drew 19% of them, compared with 3% for school choice.

Screen time is one of the few solutions where some sort of agreement can be seen. Reducing technology and screen time in the classroom was selected by 26% of Democrats, 27% of independents, and 33% of Republicans. Reducing screen time outside the classroom was cited by 21% of Democrats, 22% of independents, and 24% of Republicans.

Beyond Party Lines

When looking at the data outside of political party lines, 41% of Black voters point to social media as a key driver for the decline in K-12 performance. 50% of AAPI voters selected less accountability and lower standards for kids as a leading cause for the decline.

For possible solutions, 49% of voters aged 18 to 34 believe the priority is improving teacher pay and recruitment, compared to 28% of voters aged 50 to 64. 31% of women cited reducing standardized testing in favor of individualized learning, compared to 18% of men.

Methodology:

Polling was conducted online from September 15–24, 2026. Using Dynamic Online Sampling to attain a representative sample, Change Research polled 2,021 registered voters nationally. The modeled margin of error is ±2.3 percentage points. As a member of AAPOR's Transparency Initiative, Change Research discloses all relevant details about our research, with the principle that the public should be able to evaluate and understand research-based findings in order to instill and restore public confidence in survey results.