WASHINGTON — A federal research office that tracks the progress of America’s students is being hit with almost $900 million in cuts after Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency found no need for much of its work.

It’s unclear to what degree the Education Department’s Institute of Education Sciences will continue to exist after Musk’s team slashed scores of contracts. Industry groups said at least 169 contracts were suddenly terminated Monday, accounting for much of the institute’s work.

Education Department Says it Will Not Affect Primary Work

The Education Department did not immediately share details on the cuts. Madison Biedermann, an agency spokesperson, said the action will not affect IES’ primary work, including the NAEP assessment, known as the nation’s report card, and the College Scorecard, a database of university costs and outcomes.

Advocates for students raised alarms the cuts could hurt the accountability of America’s education system.

IES shines a light on inequity and its work is “more than just numbers and statistics,” said the Education Trust, a nonprofit research and advocacy group. “Without it, we are left in the dark, unable to see where educational gaps exist or how to close them,” the group said in a statement.

Biedermann declined to share the names of vendors whose contracts were cut, citing “sensitive business information.” In response to questions, she referred to a social media post from DOGE that said Musk’s team had terminated 89 contracts with $881 million, including $1.5 million to a contractor hired to “observe mailing and clerical operations” at a mail center. Another post said 29 DEI training grants totaling $101 million had been cut.

The Institute of Education Sciences is a central source of information on the health of America’s education system. Across the country, it tracks student progress over time and across demographics. It evaluates the effectiveness of federal programs, and colleges and schools rely on its research to improve student outcomes.

Last month the institute released the latest NAEP results, revealing that America’s children have continued to lose ground on reading skills and made little improvement in math in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

$800M Is Roughly 1% of Education Department’s Budget

Congress gave the institute about $800 million last year, roughly 1% of the Education Department’s annual budget.

Two prominent research associations jointly called for the contracts to be reinstated, saying much of IES’ work is mandated by Congress and relies on contracts to support its limited staff. The groups said 169 contracts had been cut, curbing the institute’s ability to report data on school finances and student outcomes.

“Without such research, student learning and development will be harmed,” according to leaders of the American Educational Research Association and the Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics.

The institute oversees a wide range of work, including the administration of the NAEP exam and U.S. participation in PISA, an assessment that compares academic progress across nations. It’s also a major funder of education research and keeps a database on research that has shown results in improving education.

Democrats Sound Alarm

Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, a former teacher and member of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, said she will be “sounding the alarm” to fight back.

“An unelected billionaire is now bulldozing the research arm of the Department of Education — taking a wrecking ball to high-quality research and basic data we need to improve our public schools,” the Washington senator said in a statement. “Cutting off these investments after the contract has already been inked is the definition of wasteful.”

Trump has promised to abolish the Education Department and turn its power over to states and schools. The White House is considering an order that would direct Trump’s education chief to dismantle the agency as far as possible while calling on Congress to fully shut it down.

It’s unclear how far Trump could act on his own to slash the department’s spending, much of which is ordered by Congress.