What Happens If the Department of Education Is Completely Dismantled?

On Thursday March 20, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to begin dismantling the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) — a dramatic move aimed at reducing federal involvement in public education.

At a White House ceremony, Trump called for the DOE to be “greatly minimized” and said, “Hopefully she [McMahon] will be our last Secretary of Education.” But while the executive order sets the wheels in motion, it’s important to understand this:

The Department of Education cannot be fully eliminated without an act of Congress.

Abolishing a federal agency requires congressional approval, and with current political divisions and strong public opposition — including from civil rights groups, educators, and parents — the path ahead will be difficult.

Despite this, Trump’s move has intensified the conversation about the future role of the federal government in education. So, what could actually happen if the DOE were completely dismantled?

Here’s a breakdown of the possible major consequences:

1. Federal Education Funding Could Dry Up or Be Mismanaged

The DOE administers over $70 billion in funding to support K–12 and higher education each year. These funds are essential for:

• Title I programs serving low-income students.

• Special education funding under IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Act)

• Pell Grants for college students from low-income families

• School safety and mental health programs

If the DOE disappears:

• States may face chaotic disruptions in funding or struggle to take over complex grant management.

• Delays and inefficiencies could jeopardize staffing, student support services, and classroom resources - most notably for students with disabilities.

• Worsen educational inequalities, as economically disadvantaged districts might struggle to provide critical support services, such as remedial education, tutoring, and after-school programs.

• Without federal guidance and enforcement, students with disabilities could experience wide variations in access to essential educational supports and services.

• Reduce higher education access for millions of low-income students, limiting their ability to afford college tuition. Economic disparities would deepen, likely decreasing college enrollment and completion rates among disadvantaged populations.

• Federal programs addressing school safety, violence prevention, and student mental health would face severe cuts or elimination, weakening schools' capacities to provide safe, supportive learning environments.

• Schools may lack the resources needed to identify at-risk students and effectively respond to behavioral and mental health challenges, compromising overall student safety and well-being.

  
  

2. Civil Rights Protections for Students Would Be Weakened

The DOE’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) plays a crucial role in enforcing laws that protect students from discrimination. This includes:

• Title IX (gender equity)

• Section 504 (disability rights)

• Racial equity and protections for English learners

If the DOE is abolished:

• Thousands of discrimination complaints may go uninvestigated. Without OCR (Office for Civil Rights), many complaints about discrimination based on race, gender, disability, and other factors may not be properly reviewed or addressed. This would leave vulnerable individuals without recourse, potentially increasing civil rights violations.

• Schools might no longer feel accountable to federal equity standards. If OCR disappears, schools could become less committed to maintaining equity and inclusion, as the federal oversight that ensures compliance would diminish. This might lead to increased disparities in education and reduced efforts toward fairness and equality.

• Students and families could lose access to a powerful legal safeguard against systemic bias and injustice. Eliminating OCR would weaken essential protections that students and families rely on to challenge institutional discrimination. Without this legal safeguard, marginalized groups could face greater difficulty advocating against systemic injustice in educational environments.

3. Special Education Could Be Undermined

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) guarantees services and accommodations for millions of students. The DOE funds and oversees state compliance.

Without the DOE:

• States might not have the capacity or will to monitor and enforce special education laws. Without the DOE, states might lack resources or incentive to consistently uphold and enforce federal special education standards. This could lead to uneven protections, leaving many special-needs students vulnerable to neglect or inadequate education.

• IEP funding could be delayed or lost, leaving students without the support they need. If the DOE is eliminated, critical federal funds for Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) might be reduced, delayed, or eliminated altogether. Consequently, students requiring specialized services could be left without essential educational support, severely impacting their learning outcomes.

• Parents would lose a federal ally in ensuring their children’s rights are protected. The DOE serves as a crucial advocate for families navigating special education laws, offering support when states or districts fail to protect student rights. Losing the DOE means parents would have fewer avenues to seek help, weakening their ability to secure appropriate educational opportunities for their children.

  
  

4. Teacher Training and Development Would Suffer

The DOE supports teacher quality initiatives through:

• Federal grants

• STEM and literacy partnerships

• Special education training programs

If DOE is dismantled:

• New teachers could face fewer training opportunities and mentorships. Without federal oversight and support, schools might significantly cut back on structured mentorship programs for new educators. This would leave novice teachers unprepared and unsupported, potentially increasing turnover and negatively impacting student learning.

• Ongoing professional development would shrink, especially in high-need districts. Loss of federal guidance and resources would disproportionately affect underfunded districts, causing a sharp decline in ongoing teacher training and professional development. Teachers in these districts would struggle to access essential growth opportunities, widening educational inequalities.

• Teachers would lack access to national research and best practices, reducing classroom innovation. Eliminating federal agencies like the DOE would limit teachers' access to evidence-based instructional practices and national research networks. Consequently, classrooms would become less innovative, and educational quality could decline due to isolation from cutting-edge pedagogical advancements.

  
  

5. National Education Data and Accountability Could Collapse

The DOE’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) tracks everything from graduation rates to school safety trends — vital for guiding reform. The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) provides rigorous, evidence-based research and data to inform educational policy, practice, and improvement nationwide.

Without the NCES and the IES:

• Policymakers and schools would lose access to transparent, reliable data. Without the DOE, standardized collection and reporting of critical educational data would diminish, leaving policymakers and educators without clear, reliable insights into student achievement and school performance. This loss of transparency could impair informed decision-making, leading to policies based on incomplete or misleading information.

• State-by-state reporting could become inconsistent, making it harder to spot gaps in equity and performance. In the absence of federal oversight, educational data reporting standards could vary widely among states, complicating comparisons and undermining efforts to identify disparities. Such inconsistency would hinder targeted interventions, leaving equity gaps undetected and unresolved.

• Evidence-based education reform would weaken, relying on outdated or incomplete information. The disappearance of a centralized source of rigorous educational research and analysis would severely limit policymakers' ability to implement reforms grounded in current, evidence-based practices. This could lead to ineffective or harmful policies driven by anecdotal, outdated, or fragmented information.

• If IES were to disappear, educators and policymakers would lose access to impartial, scientifically validated research necessary for informed decision-making. Without this reliable source of evidence, education reforms could become less effective and more influenced by ideology or anecdote, ultimately weakening efforts to close achievement gaps and enhance educational quality across diverse communities.

  
  

6. Underserved Communities Would Bear the Brunt

Federal education programs were designed to level the playing field. If they disappear:

• Wealthier districts may adapt — poorer communities would struggle. Without federal support through the DOE, affluent districts could tap into local funding sources to maintain educational quality. In contrast, poorer communities would face severe resource shortages, deepening existing inequalities and leaving disadvantaged students underserved.

• Students of color, students with disabilities, and rural youth could fall further behind. Eliminating the DOE's oversight and funding would disproportionately harm students already facing systemic barriers, such as students of color, those with disabilities, and rural youth. The loss of targeted support and protections would increase disparities, pushing these vulnerable groups further away from equitable education outcomes.

• Achievement and opportunity gaps would widen, undermining decades of progress toward educational equity. The absence of the DOE's role in ensuring equity could reverse critical gains made in closing educational gaps, causing existing disparities to expand significantly. Longstanding efforts toward fairness and equal opportunity could be dismantled, negatively affecting generations of students.

A Nation Without the Department of Education

Removing the federal agency that protects, funds, and guides that system would be a radical and potentially devastating change — one that could affect generations of students.

Dismantling the Department of Education and shifting responsibilities back to states is achievable, but it requires thoughtful planning and careful implementation to prevent disruption or gaps in essential services. A sudden or poorly executed transition risks harming the most vulnerable students by weakening protections and equity standards that currently ensure fairness across state lines. To protect educational quality and equity, national standards must be preserved to guide states, ensuring consistency and accountability in special education, civil rights, teacher quality, and data reporting.

Ultimately, any decentralization effort must prioritize maintaining a baseline of federally-supported standards so all students, regardless of geography or circumstance, continue to have access to high-quality, equitable, and safe education.