Recently elected President Trump and his administration are considering shutting down the Department of Education (DoE), through the newly instated Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), creating critical concerns about the future of American education. The DoE, established in 1979, is crucial as it ensures students’ access to education through financial aid, provides funding for schools, and prevents discrimination; abolishing it would harm millions of students.

Government layoffs are on the horizon; the DoE, like many other departments, has already offered its employees money, $25,000, specifically, to resign. While not an outright dismantling of the department, it does present a worrying trend. This comes with an overall increase in federal job cuts, and reduction in resources and budget available. 

Some of the most significant contributions of the DoE are Pell Grants, supporting students with disabilities, and enforcing civil rights laws in schools. Pell Grants, provided by the federal governments, allow low income students to access higher education. According to the National Association of student financial aid and admission, “In the 2020-21 award year, approximately 6.4 million students received a Pell Grant…with just over 78% of recipients during the 2019-20 award year having a family income of less than $40,000.” Furthermore, programs such as the Individuals with Disabilities Act, are ensured by the DoE, which makes sure that the 7.5 million kids with disabilities receive proper education. The DoE also ensures that schools abide by the civil rights laws, and prevents the discrimination of students. According to Education Week, “The office for civil rights resolved 16,005 complaints in 2024.” The Department plays a crucial role in creating a safe equal learning environment for all students.  

If the DoE was in fact abolished, we would lose the federal funding which ensures that all students have access to education. Students from lower-income families would be disproportionately affected due to their dependence on financial aid, furthering the education and wealth gap. Schools serving low-income communities would also be disproportionately affected, as they depend more on federal funding than student donations. Public schools nationwide rely on federal funding for 8% of their budgets. States and local governments are not equipped to fulfill the DoE’s role, which would leave underfunded schools with even less resources. Currently, wealthier districts receive more funding, with school districts with a higher poverty rate spending about $1,000 less per student compared to wealthier districts due to differences in taxpayer funding. These funding gaps would simply widen, increasing socioeconomic disparity in America. 

Trump and his administration accuse the DoE of “indoctrinating young people with inappropriate racial, sexual, and political material”. However this is false as the state government sets curriculums, not the DoE, which plays a crucial role in simply ensuring that everyone gets access to education. Shutting the Department of Education down would take away from these protections, and leave students more vulnerable to inequitable treatment and unsupportive resources.