New Poll Released by Agency: Parents Willing to Cross Party Lines for Education--and Demanding More Public School Choice

65% would vote outside their party over education; only 29% support anti-choice candidates

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A new national poll of more than 2,000 U.S. parents finds that education is not only a top priority—it's a political dealbreaker. Parents say they are willing to vote outside their party, reject candidates who oppose school choice, and take education into their own hands when the system fails them.

View the poll results at AgencyWorks.org/Research.

"Parents want strong public education options—and they're ready to hold leaders accountable when those options are limited," said Debbie Veney, Founder and CEO of Agency.

Key findings from the poll, conducted by Atomik Research and commissioned by Agency:

• 65% of parents would vote outside their party based on a candidate's education stance

• Only 29% would vote for candidates who oppose public school choice

• 62% say education influenced their vote in the most recent state election

Today's education voters are mostly Millennials (55%) and Gen X (25%), and they're bipartisan:

• 72% of Democrats and 71% of Republicans say education influenced their last vote

• 67% of Democrats, 67% of Republicans, and 70% of Independents say they would vote outside their party for better education options

• 71% of urban parents say they'd do the same

Despite this political motivation, many parents are dissatisfied with their public school options. Nearly 60% have considered or started home-schooling their children in the last five years—

• 50% cited safety as the reason

• 37% said they don't like the public options but can't afford private school

• 34% said they believe they can teach their children better

• Only 12% cited vouchers or education savings accounts as a motivator

Rural parents expressed the lowest levels of confidence in their assigned public schools and the highest levels of dissatisfaction with available public options.

Methodology

The survey was conducted online between June 19–23, 2025, among 2,007 parents of children under 18. Margin of error is +/- 2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

Contact:
Jennifer Diaz
[email protected]
813-293-2112

SOURCE Agency