When the United States Department of Education was created in 1979, Washington promised a bold new chapter in American education. The pitch was simple: centralized oversight, massive federal investment, and a coordinated national strategy would raise academic standards, close achievement gaps, and secure the future for America’s students.
But nearly half a century later, the results are in — and they’re damning. The Department has grown into one of the largest, least accountable bureaucracies in the federal government. It has consumed trillions of taxpayer dollars while student outcomes have remained stagnant or, in some areas, declined. The American classroom hasn’t improved because the system was never designed to empower parents or teachers. It was built to empower Washington.
A Record of Spending Without Results
Since 1979, the Department of Education has spent over $3 trillion in today’s dollars. To put that in perspective, that’s more than the entire cost of the Marshall Plan, the Interstate Highway System, and the Apollo program — combined.
And what do we have to show for it? According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 70% of 8th graders in America cannot read proficiently. Seventy-two percent are below proficiency in math. High school graduation rates have crept upward, but standardized test scores — the real measure of academic achievement — have been stuck in neutral for decades.
On the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), known as “the Nation’s Report Card,” scores reveal a sobering reality:
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In 1980, the average reading score for 17-year-olds was 285.
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In 2024, the average is 286.
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Math scores have followed the same pattern: minimal or no meaningful improvement in over 40 years.
This isn’t a lack of funding; it is clear and undeniable evidence of a systemic failure that prioritizes bureaucracy over real educational progress.
Bureaucracy Over Classrooms
The Department of Education employs approximately 4,000 bureaucrats and oversees more than 100 separate grant and assistance programs. Billions of dollars vanish into administrative overhead, compliance reporting, and consultant contracts rather than flowing into classrooms.
Examples of this waste include:
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$4.6 million for a “video conference coordinator.”
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$3 million for duplicative research studies that produced no measurable impact on student learning.
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Millions more in compliance monitoring, data collection, and reporting systems.
Meanwhile, teachers across the country dig into their own pockets to buy classroom supplies.
The Institute of Education Sciences — once envisioned as a research engine for reform — has become a paperwork factory, tracking failure rather than fixing it. Washington’s obsession with control and compliance has sucked resources away from students, teachers, and communities.
This isn’t investment. It’s a transfer of power — from parents, teachers, and local communities to unelected bureaucrats in D.C.
The Shutdown That Exposed the Truth
The recent federal government shutdown revealed something extraordinary: nothing happened to America’s classrooms.
Schools remained open. Teachers were paid. Students went to class.
As Linda McMahon, now Secretary of Education, noted: “Two weeks in, millions of American students are still going to school, teachers are getting paid, and schools are operating as normal. It confirms what the President has said: the federal Department of Education is unnecessary, and we should return education to the states.”
When the Department disappears and the system still runs, that’s not a sign of strength — it’s proof of irrelevance.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Federal education spending has climbed nearly 300% since 1979 (inflation-adjusted). Yet the Nation’s Report Card, officially known as the NAEP, tells a stark story of stagnation and decline.
The NAEP provides two long-running measures of academic performance:
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Long-Term Trend (LTT) assessments for ages 9, 13, and 17 in reading (since 1971) and math (since 1973).
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Main NAEP assessments for grades 4, 8, and 12, aligned with state-level data and administered more frequently.
For decades, NAEP results showed slow, steady gains from the 1970s to the early 2010s. But since then — and especially after the COVID-19 pandemic — performance has flatlined or declined sharply.
Reading:
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Age 9 reading scores are back to 1970s levels after modest gains.
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Age 13 scores dropped 4 points from 2020 to 2023.
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Grade 12 reading fell 9 points from 2019 to 2024, the lowest in 20 years.
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Only about 33% of students in grades 4 and 8 are proficient in reading, with grade 12 at 35%.
Mathematics:
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Early gains have completely stalled.
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Age 13 math scores fell 9 points between 2020 and 2023, with the lowest-performing students down 14 points.
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Grade 12 math is at its lowest level in 30 years.
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Just 26% of students in grades 4 and 8 are proficient in math; only 22% at grade 12.
Demographic Gaps:
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White students outperform Black and Hispanic students by 20–30 points.
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Low-income students trail peers by 25–40 points.
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Gaps narrowed slightly before 2010 but widened again post-pandemic.
Over five decades, reading scores rose just 7 points for 9-year-olds and math 15 points — only to lose much of those gains in the last few years. In real terms, we’ve spent trillions of dollars to end up almost exactly where we started.
This is not a temporary dip — it’s a structural failure. Even with massive federal involvement, proficiency has never exceeded one-third of students in core subjects. That’s the hard data behind the rhetoric.
A Constitutional and Cultural Issue
The Founders never intended education to be a federal responsibility. The Tenth Amendment is clear: powers not delegated to the federal government are reserved for the states and the people.
For most of American history, education was a local and state matter. Schools were run by communities, accountable to parents, and tailored to the values and needs of local students.
Federal control has reversed that dynamic. Instead of responsive school boards, we have distant mandates. Instead of innovation, we have uniformity. Instead of accountability, we have insulation.
Homeschooling: A Proven and Growing Alternative
Perhaps the most compelling evidence against federal necessity comes from a growing movement: homeschooling.
Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with no federal regulations governing it directly. Instead, each state sets its own rules under compulsory attendance laws, typically applying to children between ages 6 and 18.
States fall into three broad categories:
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Low/No Regulation: minimal or no notification required.
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Moderate Regulation: basic notification and recordkeeping.
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High Regulation: notification, testing or evaluations, and sometimes curriculum review.
As of 2025, about 60% of states fall into the low or moderate oversight categories, reflecting a post-pandemic surge in homeschooling. An estimated 3.7 million students, or roughly 6–7% of all K–12 students nationwide, are now educated at home.
Common requirements across most states include:
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Compulsory ages between 6–16 or 18.
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Basic subjects like reading, math, science, and history in 33 states.
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160–180 days or 900–1,080 hours of instruction annually.
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Attendance records, portfolios, or immunization documentation.
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Testing or evaluation in approximately 20 states.
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Only 10 states require parents to have a high school diploma; just two require background checks.
Special Considerations for Homeschool Families
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Special Needs: Most states require homeschool programs to provide an equivalent education for students with disabilities, but access to services can vary widely. The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) recommends families review their state’s policies on Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and 504 plans to ensure compliance and support.
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High School & Graduation: Fifteen states offer state-recognized diplomas for homeschoolers, while others require GEDs or affiliation with private umbrella schools. Parent-generated transcripts are widely accepted by colleges and universities, but they must meet academic standards and clearly document course content, grades, and credit hours.
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Interstate Travel: Families who travel for more than a month during the school year must comply with the host state’s homeschooling regulations, per HSLDA guidance.
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Trends in 2025: Recent expansions in Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) — particularly in states like Arizona and Florida — allow parents to use public funds for homeschool curricula, tutoring, and learning materials. Following the 2024 elections, states such as Utah and Iowa have reduced reporting burdens, signaling a continued nationwide shift toward parent-centered education models.
Why This Matters
Homeschooling has proven what Washington refuses to admit: parents are fully capable of educating their children without federal oversight.
Homeschooled students consistently outperform their public-school peers on standardized tests and college entrance exams. They do so with more flexibility, lower costs, and greater alignment with family values and local priorities — all without a single directive from Washington.
This isn’t a niche movement anymore. It’s a national pivot — one that exposes just how unnecessary and ineffective the federal education bureaucracy has become.
Accountability: The Missing Ingredient
Local school superintendents can be fired. School boards can be voted out. Principals can be held accountable.
But no parent can vote out a federal bureaucrat. No community can remove a policy imposed from Washington. Federal control strips away democratic accountability from education.
Follow the Money
Much of the Department’s budget is redistributed state tax dollars. States send money to Washington, Washington deducts billions in administrative costs, and then sends what’s left back — with strings attached.
This inefficiency forces states to beg for their own tax dollars, comply with top-down mandates, and surrender local control in exchange for funding.
It’s like taking $10 from your wallet, giving it to a stranger, and then asking for $7 back if you fill out their paperwork correctly.
The Human Cost
The price of this failed system isn’t just measured in dollars — it’s measured in opportunity lost. It’s students sitting in overcrowded classrooms while bureaucrats debate grant criteria. It’s teachers stuck filling out compliance forms instead of preparing lessons. It’s parents watching their influence shrink as Washington grows.
The system rewards process over outcomes, control over creativity, and bureaucracy over learning.
The Myth of Federal Superiority
Supporters of the Department argue that without Washington, some states might fail to meet standards. But the facts tell a different story: states like Massachusetts, Florida, and Utah outperform national averages because of state-driven innovation, not federal mandates.
Federal programs standardize mediocrity. Local control encourages excellence.
Rethinking the Entire Model
Eliminating the Department of Education doesn’t mean abandoning students. It means cutting out the middleman. Funds can be block-granted directly to states — or better yet, kept in the states from the start.
States can innovate, parents can choose, and schools can compete. Charter schools, ESAs, vouchers, and homeschooling are already proving what happens when Washington gets out of the way: children thrive.
The Moment of Truth
For 45 years, Washington has insisted that more federal control means better education. After $3 trillion and decades of failure, that myth has collapsed.
America doesn’t need another bureaucratic promise. It needs accountability, transparency, and local empowerment.
And the truth is this: a Department that can disappear for weeks without disrupting a single school day isn’t essential — it’s obsolete.
The Department of Education was born of good intentions but has become a monument to inefficiency. It’s time to turn the page, return power to the states, and put education back where it belongs — in the hands of parents, teachers, and communities.
Disclaimer: The views expressed are for editorial and commentary purposes. Facts and figures are drawn from congressional testimony, education reports, and publicly available data from the National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the Home School Legal Defense Association. Readers are encouraged to consult multiple sources and perspectives when forming their own conclusions.
