Across the country, a growing number of parents – Democrats and Republicans alike – are saying the same thing: they want more control over where their children go to school.
A new national poll from 3D Strategic Research found that 57% of voters say they’d support candidates in their state legislature who favor school choice.
That includes more than half of parents with kids in public schools. Only 20% said they’d refuse to vote for such candidates.
That’s a big shift from just a few years ago, when school choice was often seen as a strictly Republican issue.
A Bipartisan Boost for Parental Choice
Even among Democrats, support for giving parents more options is growing.
According to the poll, 53% of Democrats back a new federal plan that would allow people to earn a tax credit for donating to nonprofits that provide scholarships for private school tuition or tutoring programs.
In total, 58% of all voters support the idea.
The survey included 1,000 voters nationwide – 300 of whom were parents of children under 18 – and was commissioned by the American Federation for Children Growth Fund, a leading school choice advocacy group.
Tommy Schultz, the group’s CEO, said the message is clear: “Parents are the interest group to which politicians at all levels must respond or face political consequences.”
He pointed to the latest results from the federal Nation’s Report Card, showing that U.S. students are falling further behind in reading, math, and science.
“Our nation’s education system is in an undeclared state of emergency,” Schultz said, “and in desperate need of meaningful competition.”
The National Picture
The test results back him up.
The National Center for Education Statistics reported that American high school seniors performed worse in 2024 than they did before the pandemic.
More students are now scoring below basic levels in reading and math – meaning they can’t meet even the minimum benchmarks.
That’s happening despite record-high spending on education.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, public schools spent an average of $16,500 per student in 2023 – a 20% increase since 2019.
As Education Secretary Linda McMahon recently said, “Clearly success isn’t about how much money we spend, but who spends it.”
She and President Trump have been pushing to return control of education decisions to the states, encouraging them to adopt the administration’s school choice model.
Nevada’s Role in the Debate
Here in Nevada, the issue is front and center.
Governor Joe Lombardo has long supported expanding Opportunity Scholarships – privately funded scholarships that help lower- and middle-income families afford private education.
But Democrats in the Legislature blocked his efforts to grow the program earlier this year.
Now, with new polling showing national momentum, some conservatives are urging Lombardo to call a special session to put school choice back on the agenda.
Nevada currently ranks 48th in education, according to U.S. News & World Report, and more parents are pulling their kids out of the public system entirely.
Enrollment in Nevada’s public schools has dropped by more than 10,000 students since 2019, while homeschooling and private options have grown.
Critics Still Push Back
Some Democrats, including North Carolina’s Gov. Josh Stein, argue that school choice programs “cut public education funding by billions of dollars while providing tax giveaways to wealthy parents.”
But supporters counter that the opposite is true – that the money follows the student, not the system.
Where Things Stand
The new polling shows what many parents have felt for years: education isn’t a red or blue issue anymore – it’s a mom and dad issue.
Whether in Nevada or North Carolina, parents are tired of being told they have no say in where their kids go to school.
The numbers show they’re ready to change that – and politicians who ignore them might find themselves failing the next big test: Election Day.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
