End of School Year Survey: Parents Divided on Technology and Student Preparation for Life after Graduation 

As the school year comes to a close, it’s a good time to check in on how the public is feeling about K-12 education.  

We asked thousands of Americans and school parents to share their perspective on a variety of topics ranging from tech in the classroom to preparing students for life after high school.  

In partnership with Morning Consult, EdChoice surveyed a nationally representative sample of approximately 2,250 adults and 1,300 school parents each month in March, April, and May. Read the full polling report here. You can also access crosstabs detailing demographic group results on our Tracker polling series website.  

Here are a few highlights: 

Parents have mixed feelings about technology’s role in the classroom. 

We asked school parents whether they support or oppose different types of technology being used at school. School parents are very supportive of technology such as laptops (86%) and online learning platforms like Canvas or Blackboard (84%) being used in their child’s classroom. However, they are less likely to support the use of artificial intelligence (60%) and cell phones (50%) in the classroom. It’s worth noting that school parent support for AI and cell phones being used in classrooms has increased slightly (+5 points for both) since we last asked the question in November 2025.  

Taking a closer look at AI, one-third of school parents feel either extremely or very concerned about the effects of AI on their child’s learning during the school year. Additionally, there is a big divide between private school parents and district school parents on the issue of using AI help for homework. Private school parents (77%) are 24-points more likely than district school parents (53%) to support allowing their child to use AI assistance on schoolwork.  

Parents who switch their child’s school do so for a variety of reasons.  

Just over one in five school parents (22%) say they have switched their child’s school (besides the standard progression from grade school to middle school to high school). We’ve asked this question for several years, and the data consistently shows that roughly one in five school parents make the choice to switch schools.  

While the switcher data is consistent, the reasons why school parents switch their child’s school are more variable. In May, among school parents that reported switching their child’s school (N=299), bullying (33%) and excessive stress or anxiety (27%) were the most prominent difficulties children faced at their former school, prompting parents to make the switch. The next most common reasons were difficulty with teachers (26%), academic needs not being met (24%), and not enough individual attention (24%).  

In the first few years of data on this question, academic needs not being met was a staple at the top of the list, usually the first or second most common reason for switching. But recently, it’s drifted down from the top spots. Lately, bullying has been the most common reason, followed by excessive stress and anxiety. Issues like difficulty with teachers and not enough individual attention have become more common over time. 

Parents are split on whether students are prepared for life after high school.  

School parents feel pretty optimistic about how their child’s school is doing in several key areas. Nearly two-thirds of school parents say their child’s school is doing very well preparing students academically (63%) and helping students feel engaged and hopeful about their future (60%). Just over half of school parents feel their child’s school is doing well preparing students for careers and the workforce (54%), connecting students with mentors or community members (52%), and helping students develop networks or professional contacts for their future (51%).  

We asked school parents about different aspects of life post-high school graduation, and whether they feel students are prepared for the future.  

• 50% of school parents say students are prepared to succeed in college or other post-secondary education  
• 47% of school parents feel that students are prepared to work effectively with others in a professional setting 
• 45% of school parents feel that students are prepared to handle real-world responsibilities like managing finances and navigating adult life generally 
• 44% of school parents say that students are prepared to enter the workforce and find a good job 

School parents are much more likely than the general public to feel students are prepared for all of the above situations after graduating high school — by 15 to 18 percentage points in each category. Only about one-third of Americans think students are well prepared for these different areas of life after high school. 

We dove deeper into this topic, asking school parents what’s most important to help young people get a good job once they graduate high school. School parents were most likely to say that having a strong work ethic (53%) and getting real work experience (43%) is most important in helping young people build a career after high school. Roughly one-third of school parents emphasized the importance of having mentors or connections in a chosen field (35%), living in a community with people of different backgrounds (31%), or completing a technical training program (30%). Notably, only 28% of school parents feel that earning a four-year college degree is important for young people building a career.  

Americans and school parents consistently support school choice. 

In May, three-fourths of parents (75%) and two-thirds of Americans (68%) supported education savings accounts (ESAs), when provided with a brief definition of an ESA. These high levels of support have remained remarkably steady over time. Since our last polling report, support for ESAs has been virtually unchanged.  

ESAs also garner support from a diverse crowd. This spring, two of the most supportive groups included those who identified themselves as MAGA supporters (77%) and liberals/progressives (75%). It’s a type of school choice policy that has appeal across traditional political lines. 

Vouchers are also widely supported. In May, three-fourths of parents supported vouchers — the same percentage that express support for ESAs. Typically, vouchers are more divisive than ESAs and receive slightly lower support, so this finding is especially striking. Just over 6 in 10 Americans expressed support for vouchers; lower than parents, but a substantial majority.