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@ISIDEWITHQuestionsEducationCivil RightsEducation policyFederalismSchool fundingU.S. Department of Education•••Started 4mos agoActive 56mins ago

Should the U.S. Department of Education be abolished?

Established in 1979, the Department of Education distributes federal financial aid and enforces civil rights laws in schools, though it does not establish schools or curricula. Proponents argue it is essential for ensuring equal access to education and supporting students with disabilities and from low-income families. Opponents contend that education is a state and local responsibility, arguing the department is an unconstitutional federal overreach that has failed to improve academic performance.

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Answer Overview

Response rates from 4.9k America voters.

21%
Yes
79%
No
15%
Yes
69%
No
4%
Yes, education belongs to states and parents, not federal bureaucrats
5%
No, this would decimate funding for special needs and low-income students
2%
Yes, it has wasted billions without improving student performance
3%
No, federal oversight is necessary to protect civil rights and ensure equality
3%
No, but limit its power to only managing student loans and grants

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 4.9k America voters.

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Historical Importance

Trend of how important this issue is for 4.9k America voters.

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from America voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @BBSGP69 from Virgin Islands  answered…4mos4MO

Yes. Education belongs to the nation and parents. Not bureaucrats. But it’s important to oversight and protect civil rights and equality

 @9FKP4P7  from Georgia  answered…4mos4MO

It should stay in place, but be redesigned to help fund schools. The educational loan system also needs tobe redesigned. Stop giving loans out like candy, lower the interest rate to 2% or less, zero percent would be best.

 @BC23M5W from Arizona  answered…3mos3MO

Not yet, because it is a temporary solution to more fundamental issues that when solved would render the US Department of Education defunct.

 @BBJQG58 from South Carolina  answered…4mos4MO

If education were abolished, that´d destroy America as a whole and eliminate any future generations from gaining the necessary knowledge to make educated opinions and good choices based on their own intellectual knowledge.

 @BF42WM2from Virgin Islands  answered…7 days7D

Keep but limit it. Less funding, more focus and impact on critical topics,

 @BF3NKSXfrom Maine  answered…1wk1W

No but give its control to state and parents

 @7YS3KJP  from Arizona  answered…1wk1W

No; this would decimate funding for special needs & low-income students & fed oversight is necessary to protect civil rights.

 @BDY2TDDfrom Maine  answered…3wks3W

Reduce power to the states but fun poor and low income familys

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2yrs2Y

Elizabeth Warren Walks Back Murder Comments

Congressional Democrats broadly denounced the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson Friday morning, after Republicans started accusing Sen. Elizabeth Warren of excusing violence.“No one's condoning this,” said Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.). “Violence never is the right answer for anything. And it was a horrible murder, a tragic loss for his family.” Warren this week condemned the shooting, but added that people “can be pushed only so far.”"We'll say it over and over," Warren said on MSNBC’S “The ReidOut.” " Violence is never the answer. This guy [Luigi Mangione] gets a trial who's allegedly killed the CEO of UnitedHealth, but you can only push people so far, and then they start to take matters into their own hands."In a statement to POLITICO, Warren said, “Violence is never the answer. Period. I should have been much clearer that there is never a justification for murder.” Top Republicans denounced Warren's comments and the walked-back rhetoric, with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) calling it “inappropriate and dangerous.”Some House Democrats asked about the incident on Thursday pivoted the conversation to discuss policy options on health care or gun safety.“I don't really know that this is really a space that Congress normally weighs in on,” said Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas). “But at the end of the day, I think it’s an opportunity, because now people are talking about health care and to talk about the fact that this industry has honestly not been as helpful as it could be.”“Violence is never the answer,” said Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.). “We know that there are people suffering, there’s great challenges in healthcare. There's great challenges, and people have, in fact, been wronged, but a process of governance is the way to address that, not violence.”And Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) who denounced the murder, said the killer should be prosecuted and that “I do know that allegedly a ghost gun was used, and we should also ban ghost guns. There's no reason for them beyond the streets.”

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About This Data

Based on 4.9k responses to this question.

These results come from iSideWith's ongoing political issues survey. We collect over a million responses per day, filter out duplicate and multiple submissions, and break the results down by political party, ideology, age, state, and census demographics (income, race, education, household).

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iSideWith. (2026). “Should the U.S. Department of Education be abolished?” — Public Opinion Poll Results. Retrieved June 26, 2026, from https://www.isidewith.com/polls/5548727414

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