Just 35% of Americans are satisfied with the overall quality of K-12 education in the United States, a Gallup survey released Tuesday shows — the lowest level on record. The figure represents an eight percentage-point drop from last year and edges below prior low points seen in 2000 and 2023.

Only about one-quarter of U.S. adults believe K-12 schools are moving in the right direction, per the same Aug. 1-20 poll by Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation. Even fewer rate schools as “excellent” or “good” when it comes to preparing students for the workforce, about 20%, or for college, about one-third.

Parents of current K-12 students are more optimistic about their own child’s education. Roughly 74% say they are at least somewhat satisfied with the education their oldest child is receiving. Still, parents’ confidence doesn’t rise to majority levels on school performance for college or career prep.

Partisan and demographic divides are sharp. Satisfaction among Democrats dropped 12 points to 42%, essentially matching their 2003 low. Independents are at a record-low 34%. Republicans’ views are little changed, dropping slightly to 29%. Young adults (18-29) and those without college degrees are more likely than others to say schools are headed in the wrong direction.

Methodology: The telephone poll surveyed 1,094 U.S. adults Aug. 1-20, with a margin of error ±4 percentage points. Parent subset results have higher margins.