According to an annual education survey, confidence in California’s K-12 public education system has dropped to its lowest point since 2020, with over half of the people believing that the current direction of California’s education is wrong.
The survey also found that while a majority of Californians oppose enforcing immigration laws on school campuses and shutting down the federal education department, they support the Trump administration’s policy of prohibiting male athletes from participating in women’s sports.
This survey, released on April 17, was conducted by the non-partisan think tank, the Public Policy Institute of California, from March 27 to April 4. The survey included 1,591 adults, of which 1,094 were likely voters and 279 were parents of public school students.
When asked whether they believe the direction of California’s K-12 public education system is correct or wrong, 45% of respondents said “correct,” while 51% said “wrong,” and 4% were unsure. In contrast, 56% of parents of public school students believe that the education direction is correct.
Democrats have the highest confidence in the education system, with 65% believing the direction is correct, while independent voters have a confidence level of 38%, and Republicans only have 16% confidence.
49% of Californians believe that the quality of education has worsened in recent years, with only 10% believing there has been improvement, and 37% seeing no significant change. The negative rating in this survey is the highest in recent years, except for 2023 (when 57% believed it had worsened).
However, the majority of Californians and parents of public school students still believe that their schools are performing well in preparing students for college, employment, and civic engagement. 81% of Californians gave their schools an A, B, or C grade, while 11% gave a D, and 8% gave a failing grade of F.
In February, President Trump signed an executive order banning male athletes from participating in women’s sports programs at educational institutions. The survey shows that a majority of Californians support this order.
65% of Californians and 71% of parents of public school students support this order, which requires transgender athletes to compete on teams based on their sex assigned at birth, rather than their identified gender.
The policy has overwhelming support among Republicans (91%) and high support from independent voters at 71%. Even within the Democratic party, about half (49%) expressed support for the policy.
On March 20, President Trump signed an executive order to push for the dissolution of the U.S. Department of Education. The survey found that 71% of Californians and 74% of parents of public school students oppose the closure of the department, while only 27% support it, and 1% are uncertain.
Within the Democratic party, 91% oppose the dissolution of the education department, with 72% of independent voters against it. In contrast, 69% of Republicans support closing the education department.
On his first day back in the White House, Trump signed an executive order to strengthen federal enforcement against illegal immigrants.
The survey shows that 63% of Californians and 72% of parents of public school students support their school districts designating themselves as sanctuary safe zones, promising to protect undocumented students and their families from immigration enforcement.
Additionally, 69% of Californians and 74% of parents also support local public schools requiring staff to keep students’ and their families’ immigration statuses confidential.