The Trump Administration’s Education Cuts Are Devastating Our Schools
Updated April 29, 2025
Author: Chenelle Hammonds, Senior Policy Associate
Since returning to office, the Trump administration has significantly reduced federal investment in K-12 education, illegally cutting or eliminating funding for teacher training, civil rights enforcement, mental health supports, and more. These changes are already being felt in classrooms across the country, with schools facing staffing shortages, program cancellations, and increased barriers to student well-being. The chart below outlines some of the actions the administration has taken to date, and what they mean for students, educators, and communities. These attacks reflect a broader ideological effort to weaken public education as a civic institution, shifting power away from educators and communities and toward centralized control over what students learn and who is allowed to thrive.
| What’s Happening | Has it Happened? | Impact & What’s at Stake |
|---|---|---|
| $600 Million Cuts to Teacher Training & Pipeline Programs. The Trump administration massively slashed funding from initiatives that fund scholarships, mentorship, and professional development for new and current teachers. This includes more than 70 educator prep grants Congress funded, including: the Supporting Effective Educator Development Grant Program, the Teacher Quality Partnership Program, and the Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program. | Directed; under legal challenge | If upheld, this could cause new teacher pipelines to dry up, especially in high-need schools. This may lead to fewer experienced mentors, fewer scholarships for aspiring teachers, and stagnant professional development to prepare and adequately train the next generation of teachers. |
| $225 Million Cut from the Comprehensive Centers Program. The administration defunded this program that helps schools apply research-backed strategies to improve academic achievement, address educator shortages, and support schools identified for improvement. | Directed; pending implementation | Schools will lose support in applying evidence-based practices to improve student learning. In school districts already struggling to improve learning outcomes—especially for students of color, English learners, and low-income communities—access to high-quality instructional support could further decline. |
| $900 Million Eliminated in Education Research Infrastructure. The administration initiated the termination of $881 million in contracts from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and let go of 90% of staff, halting studies on reading, math, and student equity. | Directed; under legal challenge | States and researchers will lose access to data to evaluate programs, close achievement gaps, allocate funding, and inform policy. The hallowing out of IES will make it impossible to track academic progress, assess learning, identify gaps affecting students, or set well-informed education priorities, leaving states with fewer tools to respond to learning loss and racial disparities. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the “Nation’s Report Card,” will be reduced to barebones operations, limiting reliable data on student learning. |
| $350 Million Eliminated from Regional Education Labs (RELs). Plans are underway to eliminate the funding for all ten RELs across the country, which collaborate with state and local education agencies to identify education challenges and develop evidence-based solutions tailored to regional needs. These efforts have produced real results: in Mississippi, REL-supported reforms helped transform early literacy outcomes, raising the state’s national fourth grade reading rank from 49th to 29th in under a decade. | Directed; under legal challenge | Schools will no longer have access to tailored guidance and support for student achievement, making it harder to improve outcomes based on local needs. Eliminating RELs will remove a critical support system that helps educators apply research to practice, weakening school systems’ capacity to improve student outcomes, especially in communities with the fewest resources. |
| Massive Layoffs at the Department of Education. This includes deep cuts to the Office of Civil Rights (OCR), which investigates thousands of discrimination and harassment complaints each year. It is one of the federal government’s largest enforcers of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. | Ongoing; under legal challenge | Students facing racial discrimination, sexual harassment, or disability-based bullying will be less likely to have their cases investigated. The loss of federal oversight weakens accountability for schools to protect vulnerable students. The department says it will now be “virtually impossible” to resolve discrimination complaints. |
| Elimination of Federal DEI Guidance & Support; Funding Threats to Schools Teaching about Race, Gender. The administration has removed federal policies encouraging schools to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. Additionally, the administration ordered U.S. schools to halt all DEI programs and classroom teaching, or risk federal funding. | Directed; under legal challenge | Schools are not only losing federal guidance to support diverse student body populations, but are being pressured to certify the absence of DEI programs entirely in order to receive federal funding. This creates a chilling effect across school districts, forcing educators and administrators to navigate between fostering supportive environments for students and complying with federal demands that deride equity and inclusion efforts as “wasteful indoctrination.” The result is a hostile climate for differently abled, LGBTQ+, POC, and immigrant students. |
| Withholding Federal Funding from Schools with Vaccine Requirements. The administration pulled funding from school districts that mandate COVID-19 vaccinations as part of their public health protocols. | Directed | This contributes to a climate of misinformation and distrust in proven public health interventions. This may embolden vaccine hesitancy, even for well-established immunizations, at a time when preventable disease outbreaks, like measles, are on the rise. |
| Executive Order to Abolish the Department of Education. This executive order details a plan to dismantle the Department and shift responsibilities to states. | Ongoing; under legal challenge | If carried out, this order would eliminate Title I, IDEA, and other federal programs and supports that millions of low-income and disabled students rely on. |
| ICE Permitted on School Grounds. The administration revoked protections that barred immigration enforcement at schools. | Directed; under legal challenge | Immigrant students are skipping school or dropping out altogether out of fear, now that classrooms are less safe for undocumented children and mixed-status families. Despite the request for a temporary restraining order being denied by a Trump-appointed judge, some school districts are implementing “safe haven” policies, conducting “Know Your Rights” workshops, and providing resources to support immigrant families. |
| Federal Budget Threats Prompt School Districts to Cancel Teacher Raises. The chilling effect of federal instability has led school systems to halt planned raises and bonuses. | Ongoing | Districts are pulling back on raises and bonuses due to concerns about federal funds disappearing. This could make it harder to attract and retain qualified educators, especially in under-resourced schools. |
| Canceled Funding for School Infrastructure & Safety Upgrades. The administration cut the Renew America’s Schools grant and Clean School Bus Program. | Directed; pending implementation | Schools have halted plans to make their buildings and buses more energy efficient. Many American classrooms, particularly those in underserved communities, lack proper heating, cooling, or ventilation, which directly impacts student learning and well-being. These cuts may also limit future infrastructure upgrades to crosswalks, sidewalks, and traffic-calming near schools, putting students at greater risk as they travel to and from school. |
| $43 Million Eliminated for Career & Life Skills Programs for Differently Abled Students. The Trump administration defunded the Charting My Path for Future Success Program, which aided differently abled students in transitioning from high school to adulthood. | Directed; pending implementation | High school students with disabilities will lose access to the training they need to transition into adulthood, work, or to attend college, leaving them more isolated and economically vulnerable. |
| Executive Order to Revise Federal School Discipline Guidance. The administration revised school discipline guidance to discourage schools from considering how discipline policies might have disparate impacts on specific student populations. | Directed | This opens the door to increased racial disparities by chilling efforts to remove implicit bias in school discipline. Given existing racial inequalities in school discipline, Black and Brown students may face increased suspensions, policing, and removals under the guise of “neutral” behavior standards, reinforcing the school-to-prison pipeline. |
Conclusion
Federal support plays a critical role in ensuring that every student—regardless of zip code, background, or ability—has access to a safe, well-resourced, and inclusive learning environment. As these cuts continue to impact classrooms across the country, it is essential for educators, families, and communities to stay informed about the shifting landscape of public education and what’s at stake.