Public education

In the United States, public education is instruction open to all children in a particular community. It is a free system funded by taxpayers that is responsible for educating every child in a certain area, according to state and national guidelines and with input from students, parents, community leaders, and more.

Public schools are part of a system of institutions overseen and directed by locally elected officials who sit on a school board. With input from the public, these school board members make decisions about academic standards, the hiring and firing of teachers and administrators, operating costs, and more. Elected state and congressional representatives also help make school decisions. Parents, community members, businesses, and organizations may obtain information about their schools and get involved in school-related activities. They may form special advisory councils to ensure the values of the students and communities are being taught.

Public schools must follow district, state, and national standards that affect students' academic performance. This includes the instruction of certain academic subjects by qualified teachers in an environment deemed safe and conducive to learning. Public schools are held accountable for students' performance. If students' performance falls below certain standards, schools must provide resources to raise performance or risk being penalized.

Overview

Public education has a long history in the United States and dates back to colonial times, when communities would band together and pay a person to teach children. This evolved into a school system, governed by elected officials and paid for by property taxes. As time passed, the local, state, and national governments enacted certain guidelines and laws that public schools must follow to ensure education is uniform and fair.

Public schools are required to provide services to meet every student's needs academically, socially, and individually. They must follow certain guidelines to ensure all children receive a fair and equal education. These guidelines are enforceable by law and include rights for educators, students, and parents that also must be followed. By law, public schools must accept all children regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, prior education, income, and more. They must also accept and provide additional services to students with special needs or disabilities, or who do not speak or understand English.

Reform

Prior to the mid-twentieth century in the United States, not all students received an equal education, nor did laws exist to ensure this. Black students and other minorities received inadequate education and were often sequestered from White students. In 1954, Brown v. Board of Education helped to abolish segregated schools, paving the way for equal education for all students, regardless of skin color.

In the years that followed the landmark decision in the Brown v. Board of Education case, the public began to focus on securing equal education rights for other students, such as those with disabilities and those who do not speak English.

In addition to fulfilling educational needs and upholding students' rights, public schools are also required to provide support services to address the well-being of students. These include tutoring services, health screenings, after-school programs, and free transportation to and from school each day.

In 2001, US president George W. Bush introduced the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act to overhaul education in the United States. Signed into law in January 2002, the act began to hold schools accountable for students' achievements. The act required each state to conduct yearly testing in reading and math for grades three to eight. In addition, the states must test reading and math once in grades ten to twelve and science once in grades three to five, six to eight, and ten to twelve. The test results must be reported by subgroups such as low-income students, students with disabilities, English language learners, and racial and ethnic groups.

Schools were required to meet or exceed standards set forth by each state. Schools that did not meet these standards faced penalties and risked losing federal funding. The NCLB Act also held teachers to high standards and required them to be "qualified." A qualified teacher is one who has attained at least a four-year college degree and passed licensing and certification requirements by the state. The NCLB was vigorously debated after its passage, and many questioned the effectiveness of the act. In 2010, President Barack Obama released A Blueprint for Reform: The Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which was a revamping of the NCLB law and called for overall changes in the ways in which schools and school districts are judged to be succeeding or failing. 

Meanwhile, in 2010, public education was reformed once again with the introduction of the national Common Core State Standards (CCSS). These math and English language arts (ELA) standards are designed to ensure that students learn the needed skills to prepare them for life after high school, whether they enter college or enter the workforce. The CCSS outlines what all students should know by the end of each grade; this knowledge should be consistent across every state that uses the standards.

Many states rushed to adopt the new standards. As educators began to fully learn the new standards, some were frustrated with the requirements. Some states protested, and others withdrew from the program. Critics felt that the CCSS was too controlling and put too much emphasis on teaching students materials to help them succeed in standardized tests. Further, proponents pointed out that the CCSS placed too much emphasis on math and ELA, while other subjects were ignored or even abandoned. On the other hand, supporters appreciated the guidance on what should be taught and saw the benefits of having consistent learning goals across states.

In 2015, the No Child Left Behind Act was replaced by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). ESSA, signed into law by Obama, gave states more flexibility in deciding their own standards for measuring schools and student performance than NCLB. It also measured schools' success by 4-year and 5-year graduation rates and did not require labels for low-performing schools.

Parents who disagree with the requirements and guidelines of public education have several options. They can pay to send their children to private schools or educate their children at home, for example. However, the US government requires all children to receive an education.

Bibliography

"Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)." US Department of Education, 23 Sept. 2025, www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/laws-preschool-grade-12-education/every-student-succeeds-act-essa. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.

Greene, Peter. "Further Evidence That Common Core Did Real Harm to US Education." Forbes, 9 Aug. 2021, www.forbes.com/sites/petergreene/2021/08/09/further-evidence-that-common-core-did-real-harm-to-us-education/. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025. 

Hawkins, Pauline. "A Brief History on NCLB and Common Core (Part 1)." Huffington Post, 30 June 2014, www.huffingtonpost.com/pauline-hawkins/nclb-and-common-core_b_5236016.html. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.

Mahnken, Kevin. "New Study Shows States That Veered From Common Core Adopted Weaker Academic Standards." The 74, 22 Aug. 2018, www.the74million.org/new-study-shows-states-that-veered-from-common-core-adopted-weaker-academic-standards/. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025. 

"The New Rules: An Overview of the Testing and Accountability Provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act." Frontline, PBS, www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/schools/nochild/nclb.html. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.

Saiger, Aaron. "What Is a 'Public Education'?" State Court Report, 9 Apr. 2024, statecourtreport.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/what-public-education. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.