Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Expands Educational Opportunities for American Families

Fact Sheets

TLDR

This fact sheet and referenced executive order promotes school choice by redirecting federal education funds to private schools, citing declining test scores. However, it faces legal constraints on federal authority, relies on selective data interpretation, and raises concerns about equity, segregation, and resource diversion from public schools. The order also includes ideological elements targeting certain curriculum content while promoting “patriotic education.”

This “fact sheet” on President Donald Trump’s executive order on educational freedom and school choice presents several claims requiring scrutiny based on available evidence and legal context:

Federal Overreach and Legal Limits

  • Redirecting Funds: While the order directs federal agencies to prioritize school choice in grants and funding formulas, constitutional and statutory constraints limit federal authority over K-12 education. The U.S. Department of Education’s role is traditionally restricted, with funding allocations determined by Congress. Attempts to reroute formula grants (e.g., Title I) to private schools may violate existing laws like the Every Student Succeeds Act.
  • Defense and Interior Departments: Plans to use Department of Defense and Bureau of Indian Education funds for private schools face practical hurdles, as these agencies oversee specific, federally managed school systems. Legal experts argue such moves exceed executive authority.

Misleading Use of NAEP Data

  • Declining Scores: The order cites 2024 NAEP results showing 70% of 8th graders below proficient in reading and 72% in math. However, these declines began before the pandemic and reflect systemic inequities, not solely public school failures. Lower-performing students saw the steepest drops, exacerbated by COVID-19 disruptions.
  • Selective Framing: While Trump attributes stagnation to “government-run education,” states like Alabama improved math scores through teacher coaching and interventions—not school choice. The order ignores that school choice programs themselves show mixed academic results.

Unproven Benefits of School Choice

  • Academic Performance: Research on school choice programs is mixed. While some studies show modest gains in graduation rates or parent satisfaction , others find no significant improvement in test scores compared to public schools. A 2023 study noted that emphasizing school “growth” data (improvement over time) could reduce segregation, but most choice programs prioritize “status” metrics (test scores), which correlate with wealth and whiteness.
  • Safety Claims: Parent-reported safety improvements in choice schools are not universally validated. Public school safety perceptions often correlate with socioeconomic factors rather than school type.

Equity and Funding Concerns

  • Resource Diversion: Redirecting federal funds to private scholarships risks draining resources from public schools, which serve 90% of students, including rural and low-income communities where private options are limited or unaffordable. Block grants like CCDBG, meant for childcare subsidies, may now subsidize private tuition, straining existing programs.
  • Segregation Risks: School choice programs often exacerbate racial and economic segregation. Wealthier families disproportionately benefit from vouchers, while marginalized communities face barriers to access. For example, Arizona’s universal ESA program primarily serves higher-income families.

Ideological Motivations and Curriculum Control

  • “Radical Indoctrination” Rhetoric: The order reinstitutes the 1776 Commission, promoting “patriotic education” while targeting discussions of systemic racism and LGBTQ+ identities as “indoctrination”. This aligns with state-level bans on critical race theory and gender-related topics, which have led to censorship lawsuits and teacher firings.
  • Legal Risks: Provisions threatening funding for schools teaching “gender ideology” or “discriminatory equity ideology” may violate Title IX and FERPA, which protect student rights and parental access to information.

Contradictions in Public Support

  • Limited Enrollment: Despite claims of overwhelming support, only 2% of U.S. students use private choice programs. Universal eligibility in 12 states has not translated to widespread adoption, suggesting logistical or awareness barriers.
  • Project 2025 Influence: The order mirrors the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 playbook, which seeks to dismantle the Department of Education and promote privatization. This agenda lacks bipartisan backing and faces public skepticism.

The executive order leverages selective data and ideological rhetoric to advance school choice, despite limited evidence of efficacy and significant legal and equity concerns. By diverting resources from public schools and targeting curricular content, it risks exacerbating educational inequities while overstepping federal authority. Sustainable improvements require addressing systemic underfunding and inequities—not privatization.

DEFENDING PARENTAL RIGHTS AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order expanding educational freedom and opportunity for families. It recognizes that parents, not the government, play a fundamental role in choosing and directing the upbringing and education of their children.

  • It directs the Department of Education to issue guidance on how the States can use federal funding formulas to support their K-12 scholarship programs.
  • It directs the Secretary of Education to prioritize school choice programs in the Department’s discretionary grant programs.
  • The Order requires the Department of Health and Human Services to issue guidance on how states receiving block grants for children and families can use those funds to support educational alternatives, including private and faith-based options.
  • It directs the Secretary of Defense to submit a plan to the President for how military families can use Department of Defense funds to send their children to the school of their choice.
  • The Order also directs the Secretary of the Interior to submit a plan to the President for how families with students attending Bureau of Indian Education schools can use federal funds to send their children to the school of their choice.

EMPOWERING PARENTS AND STUDENTS THROUGH SCHOOL CHOICE: Every child deserves the best education available, regardless of their zip code. However, for generations, our government-assigned education system has failed millions of parents, students, and teachers. This Executive Order begins to rectify that wrong by opening up opportunities for students to attend the school that best fits their needs.

  • According to the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 70% of 8th graders were below proficient in reading and 72% were below proficient in math. 40% of 4th graders did not even meet the basic reading levels.
  • Standardized test scores have essentially been flat for over 30 years, despite hundreds of billions of dollars spent on government-run education.
  • A dozen states have universal or near universal school choice programs and 33 states have some form of school choice program.
  • School choice programs have a strong record of improving students’ academic performance.
  • School choice has proven to be cost effective and saves taxpayer dollars.
  • Parents report higher levels of school safety for their children who participate in school choice programs.
  • Support for school choice is overwhelming, with 70% of Democrats, 73% of Black Americans, and 69% of Hispanic Americans in favor of it.
  • President Trump is dedicated to ensuring every child has the opportunity to receive a world-class education.

FULFILLING THE PROMISE TO STRENGTHEN EDUCATION THROUGH FREEDOM AND OPPORTUNITY: President Trump promised to bring school choice to every family in the Nation. Today’s historic executive order is a critical step in delivering on that promise, and builds on the long list of accomplishments from the first Trump Administration, including:

  • Calling on Congress to pass the School Choice Now Act and the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act.
  • Providing in-person learning options for low-income parents forced to send their children to virtual school during the pandemic.
  • Re-authorizing the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program twice.
  • Investing nearly $1.5 billion in the development of public charter schools, helping this innovative sector grow to 7,500 charter schools serving more than 3 million students.
  • Allowing parents across the nation to withdraw up to $10,000 tax-free per year from 529 education savings plans to cover public, private, or religious K-12 schooling costs, thanks to the President’s historic tax cuts.

Parents can be confident that under his Administration, President Trump will provide every available opportunity for parents to enrich the education of their children through individual choice.