Having pledged to get rid of the U.S. Department of Education and get “woke” out of public schools, Donald Trump is returning to office. The coming year could start to reveal what these promises mean for American schools that face significant challenges, including looming building closures, stagnant student learning, and big questions about the very purpose of education.

Here are some of the education stories we’re watching in 2025.

What a Trump presidency means for schools

President-elect Donald Trump had some strong words for American schools on the campaign trail. He promised to get rid of the U.S. Department of Education and “send education back to the states.” He also promised to get the “woke” out of public education, an endeavor that presumably would require some bureaucracy to oversee American schools.

With Trump returning to the White House, the big questions are whether he’ll follow through on campaign pledges — and whether American students will feel the difference in their classrooms.

Most observers think actually abolishing the U.S. Department of Education is unlikely. It would require an act of Congress, and there’s probably not enough votes. But the idea does seem to have more traction than in the past, and a bill that would reassign many functions to other departments — as envisioned in the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 — was recently filed by a GOP senator.

The Trump administration could also cut funding for or eliminate certain programs, and replace career bureaucrats with political appointees, all without getting rid of the department. Civil rights enforcement could also look very different.

Some Republican state leaders have hailed the prospect of getting rid of red tape associated with federal compliance. They envision keeping similar levels of federal funding but with fewer requirements around how to spend it.

Trump has also promised to roll back new Title IX regulations that treat discrimination against transgender studnets as a form of sex discrimination. Conservative parent groups and Republican attorneys general have already sued to block the new rules, which LGBTQ advocates saw as providing some protection against hostile state laws. Some conservatives want these cases to still go to the Supreme Court in hopes the court finds gender identity is not protected under laws barring sex discrimination.

Increased immigration enforcement also is likely to have big ripple effects in schools. Reports indicate Trump may do away with the sensitive locations policy that limited immigration enforcement in schools, hospitals, and churches. Widespread deportations could leave traumatized children behind.

Other Top Education Trends for 2025

  • School closures are increasing, but not everywhere
  • NAEP could add to discouraging post-pandemic scores
  • How states and Congress could expand school choice
  • The meaning of high school is changing

Read the full article about education trends for 2025 by Erica Meltzer at Chalkbeat.