Trump’s Effect on K-12 Education
The Department of Education (DOE) represents 4% of the U.S. budget, which includes funding for low-income students and students with disabilities. Founded in 1970, it has a congressionally-mandated duty to ensure a high-quality education for all students regardless of race, ethnic origin, religion, disability status, sex, and gender identity, among other categories.
Donald Trump now intends to eliminate the DOE during his second presidency, although it requires congressional approval to close entirely. The White House argues that despite the fact that the DOE has spent over $3 trillion and increased per-pupil spending by more than 245% since 1979, it has not meaningfully improved student outcomes in reading or math.
While it is true that K-12 schools are struggling with underperformance, many agree that the Trump administration’s harsh course of action will actually harm student populations—and is more aligned with the desire to push back against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) than to give students at large what they need to succeed.
Trump Heralds Massive Changes to K-12 Education
Although education wasn’t a major focus of Trump’s first term, education experts noted his interest in elevating school choice, limiting funding and regulation on schools, and reinterpreting educational amendments like Title I, which provides for children in low-income districts, and Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination. Both Trump administrations have associated the implementation of such policies—as well as affirmative action and other programs with a DEI focus—with progressive overreach and “woke ideology.”
On March 20, 2025, Trump signed an executive order “direct[ing] the Secretary of Education to take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return education authority to the States, while continuing to ensure the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.”
In Secretary of Education Linda McMahon’s subsequent statement, she wrote, “Closing the Department does not mean cutting off funds from those who depend on them—we will continue to support K-12 students, students with special needs, college student borrowers, and others who rely on essential programs.” However, this means shifting critical programs like Pell Grants and disability programs to other federal departments without a specialized education focus and a higher risk of mismanagement.
The statement concluded with a vision for how this move will benefit Americans. Sec. McMahon wrote that closing the DOE is “a significant step forward to give parents and states control over their children’s education,” which will “[unshackle teachers] from burdensome regulations and paperwork [and unburden taxpayers from] tens of billions of dollars of waste on progressive social experiments and obsolete programs.” (These “burdens” are described in a White House fact sheet.)
What School Administrators Should Expect
Many entities focused on education and civil liberties disagree with Trump’s and McMahon’s stance. The National Education Association says most Americans don’t support the changes, which pose wide-ranging harm to students. The American Civil Liberties Union wrote in a statement, “President Trump is abusing his power and putting the fundamental civil rights of millions of students at grave risk — threatening everything from racial and gender equality to the rights of disabled students.”
The education community also expects that a DOE closure will make it harder for vulnerable students to ensure the enforcement of their civil rights, rights to privacy, and their overall ability to access high-quality education. Here’s what it may look like:
1. Reduced funding for Title I school districts
The majority of American students attend public schools, whose total budget consists of roughly 14% federal funding. $15 billion of that funding is earmarked for “Title I schools” to support low-income students. The Trump administration has suggested it will turn Title I funding into block grants to individual states, but it’s unclear how the states would distribute federal money to schools that need it without federal oversight.
Primary, secondary, and tertiary schools are also facing pressure to end DEI programs or risk funding. For example, the Trump administration aims to withhold Title I grants from public schools that do not comply with its demands to shelve DEI efforts.
2. Difficulty ensuring accommodations for students with disabilities
Educational accommodations like individual education plans were created to support students with neurodiversity and various physical and developmental differences that can impact student achievement—in fact, about 15% of the student population receives support under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Many parents have expressed concerns that transferring the $15 billion of IDEA-related funds to another agency could weaken legally entitled access.
3. Crackdown on support for undocumented students
The Trump admin has signaled its intention to crack down on immigrant families, especially undocumented K-12 students. For example, the administration rescinded Biden-era guidelines for the federal TRIO program in Oregon and California, which offered admissions counseling, financial planning, and other support to undocumented students.
School administrators expect to see increased immigration enforcement presence, especially in areas with high diversity and immigrant populations. A new directive enables ICE to make arrests at schools and other “sensitive locations.” In April 2025, agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) already tried to enter Los Angeles schools, claiming they wanted to perform a wellness check. This sets a precedent for future action.
4. Restrictions on student expression of gender identity
An executive order signed on the first day of Trump’s new administration set the direction for U.S. policy to recognize only two sexes: male and female, as assigned at birth. This also ended the Biden administration’s efforts to extend Title IX protections against sex-based discrimination further to sexual orientation and gender identity, which would also protect transgender students.
The reversal is already shifting school policies around gender orientation and empowering renewed bullying and harassment, which causes families with trans kids to fear for their civil rights and children’s mental health.
5. More teacher vacancies, worsening educational outcomes
Some observers have said Trump’s actions could lead to “systemic chaos” in education, and that the removal of funding will force states and local districts struggling to fill educator gaps.
Analysis by the Center for American Progress found that if the Trump administration enacts its goals, U.S. schools could lose 180,000 teaching positions, in turn impacting 2.8 million students in low-income communities. This is bad news for the existing teacher hiring crisis and may further hurt retention among educators who disagree with school compliance measures that they perceive to restrict civil liberties and educational methods.
There’s a lot at stake in education right now. But if there’s one thing we know for sure, it’s that teacher vacancies have a strong negative impact on student achievement—and that’s not what the Trump administration, or anyone, really wants.
The Future of K-12 Education
While educators push back on these policies, K-12 students and teachers are caught in the crossfire—and they need our support.
Teachers On Demand, INC remains focused on our north star: helping schools fill critical staff vacancies and maintain a high level of educational quality. Reach out now to discuss tailored staffing solutions.