Americans are more pessimistic than optimistic about many aspects of the country’s future
63% of Americans are pessimistic about the country’s moral and ethical standards, and 59% are pessimistic about its education system.
In the U.S., 180 days of school is most common, but length of school day varies by state
School has started in most of the United States. On average, K-12 public schools will be in session close to 180 days this year.
‘Back to school’ means anytime from late July to after Labor Day, depending on where in the U.S. you live
Most K-12 students at U.S. public schools have a school year of about 180 days, but when that year starts and ends varies substantially by region.
What federal education data shows about students with disabilities in the U.S.
Public K-12 schools in the United States educate about 7.3 million students with disabilities – a number that has grown over the last few decades.
Private, selective colleges are most likely to use race, ethnicity as a factor in admissions decisions
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to limit affirmative action in higher education is likely to have the biggest impact on a relatively small group of schools.
Americans and affirmative action: How the public sees the consideration of race in college admissions, hiring
Here’s a closer look at what recent surveys have found about Americans’ views of affirmative action.
Asian Americans Hold Mixed Views Around Affirmative Action
About half of Asian adults who have heard of affirmative action (53%) say it is a good thing, 19% say it is a bad thing, and 27% say they don’t know whether it is good or bad. However, about three-quarters of all Asian adults (76%) say race or ethnicity should not factor into college admissions decisions.
More Americans Disapprove Than Approve of Colleges Considering Race, Ethnicity in Admissions Decisions
Half of U.S. adults say they disapprove of selective colleges and universities taking prospective students’ racial and ethnic backgrounds into account when making admissions decisions. 33% approve of colleges considering race and ethnicity to increase diversity at the schools, while 16% are not sure.
Partisan divides over K-12 education in 8 charts
The public is sharply divided along partisan lines on topics ranging from what should be taught in schools to how much influence parents should have over the curriculum.
School District Mission Statements Highlight a Partisan Divide Over Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in K-12 Education
Around a third of U.S. school districts mention the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in their mission statements. But these references are far more common in parts of the country won by Joe Biden in 2020 than in areas won by Donald Trump.
