K-12

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.

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.

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.

Here’s a look at what surveys by Pew Research Center and other organizations have found about Americans’ mental health during the pandemic.

A quarter of U.S. parents of K-12 students say racism or racial inequality comes up in conversation with their children very or fairly often.

About six-in-ten parents of K-12 children (61%) say the first year of the pandemic had a negative effect on their children’s education.

Republican and Democratic parents differ widely over what their children should learn at school about gender identity, slavery and other topics, but they are equally satisfied with the quality of education their children are receiving.

Mothers are more likely than fathers to be extremely or very worried about a school shooting, and concerns also vary by race and ethnicity.

Both the number and share of new college graduates with a bachelor’s degree in education have decreased over the last few decades.

On a couple of policies related to transgender people, there is some agreement among Americans, but views of other policies are more divided.