Cheri Fields
[Originally published as Atheistic Public Education: Endangers our Nation]
In the United States today, the preservation of American culture relies on our educational institutions. Currently, approximately 49.6 million students are enrolled in public schools, comprising nearly 85% to 87% of the total K–12 population.1
Meanwhile, another 5.5 million students, roughly 10%, attend private schools.2
Homeschool enrollment numbers can fluctuate, as many students switch to public or private school systems at some point during their K-12 education. Keeping accurate data is challenging since the rate can range from 3.2% to 6.7% or even higher, depending on each state’s homeschool policies. The Pew Research Center reported a conservative 3.4% in the 2022-23 school year, but this figure is likely higher now, as homeschooling is becoming a more popular method for families to ensure their values are shared with their children.3
It’s easy to see that most Americans attend public schools and are directly influenced by these institutions, which play a critical role in transmitting traditional American culture and values from one generation to the next. If we want to preserve our unique American values and knowledge for the future, public schools must not be overlooked.
A Portrait of Failure
American schools are in serious trouble, as evidenced by the recent test scores released in late January from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which involved 4th and 8th-graders participating in a series of tests in math and reading. The results were discouraging, with only 31% of 4th graders and 30% of 8th graders reading at grade level, exposing the deficiencies in our education system. In math, 39% of 4th graders and just 28% of 8th graders are considered proficient on the NAEP. These subjects are considered strong indicators of future academic success.
According to an April 2024 Pew Research study reported by Rachel Minken, only 16% believe U.S. public schools are on the right track, while 51% say they’re headed in the wrong direction. The survey revealed that, among those who feel it is going in the wrong direction, 69% agreed with the statement, “Schools are not spending enough time on core academic subjects, like reading, math, science, and social studies.”4
Our public schools, which serve the majority of the next generation, have been struggling with declining student performance in reading, math, and other core subjects for many years. The quality of education in public schools continues to decline, accompanied by increasing rates of illiteracy and a loss of cultural knowledge and values that are vital for the future of America.
Observers have repeatedly sounded alarms over the years, warning that the public school system is failing to prepare the next generation with the skills they will need for their future careers. In 1983, the National Commission on Excellence in Education issued a report titled “A Nation at Risk,” which stated, “Some 23 million American adults are functionally illiterate by the simplest tests of everyday reading, writing, and comprehension.”
Another shocking statistic was that our standardized test scores, such as those on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) used for college admissions, steadily declined from 1963 to 1980 by as much as 50 points in the verbal section and 40 points in math. The report also noted that high school graduation requirements had been lowered. President Reagan at the time summarized it this way, “Our educational system is in the grips of a crisis caused by low standards, lack of purpose, and failure to strive for excellence.”5
There was definite reform following the release of the “A Nation at Risk” report, as evidenced by the addition of standards and assessments to our educational programs to meet the expectations set by the state. Graduating from high school became more rigorous due to increased academic course requirements, adding more time in the classroom. It proved to be a clarion call for improvement, changing the educational system forever. The changes were necessary, but a crucial component was still missing, as student performance continued to decline.
Over the years, our school systems have implemented numerous changes to overhaul the curriculum and improve student performance; however, these efforts seem to be failing in every way. Diane Ravitch, an author and one of the nation’s leading education historians, conducted a critical analysis of how reforms have let students down by downplaying the importance of academic excellence at the start of the twenty-first century. She prophetically stated, “Many of the most popular reforms in American education have been based on sentimentality, ideology, and utopian thinking rather than on evidence and results.”6
Twenty-five years have passed since Diane Ravitch made this statement, and we still face the same dilemma — sentimentality, ideologies, and utopian ideas have hindered our basic educational progress in teaching the next generation vital skills in literacy and math to function effectively. The American culture is at risk!
Taking God Away
The public school system in America was established by Horace Mann (1796–1859), a successful lawyer who entered politics and became the first Secretary of Education in 1837, when Massachusetts created the department. Other states soon established their own Departments of Education.
Horace Mann, known as “The Father of American Public Education,” initiated free, tax-funded common schools in Massachusetts. Common schools expanded their reach in New England and across the U.S. as the public recognized the importance of education, using taxes to pay for it.
Mann played a pivotal role in organizing these schools and establishing governing principles based on the belief that education should be for all.
Horace Mann believed that education has intrinsic value for society and should be provided by the government for children from elementary through high school. He thought that schools should be secular, devoid of God or any religious authority, with a standard state curriculum and teachers who are professionally trained to lead society toward a new utopia. Mann thought education would save humanity. Intellectualism, seen as an arrogant idol, would be our savior, not Jesus Christ or any religion. These schools would be non-sectarian and replace church schools that taught biblical values, which the community and families who want their children to learn God’s Word desire.
The Challenge
We must remember that the founding of our nation was based on the principle of religious freedom, with the Pilgrims and Puritans coming to America to practice their faith. They were committed to God’s Word and teaching the next generation to carry on their mission as a vital part of their culture; therefore, literacy and education were key values for them, as Blumenfeld and Newman eloquently noted.
To our forefathers, the purpose of education was to pass on to the next generation the knowledge, wisdom, and values of the previous generation. To them, man was made in God’s image, and therefore children had to be educated with that concept in mind.7
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When our country was founded, the founding fathers humbled themselves, acknowledging that the unifying power to create a nation would come not from themselves but from Christ, their Creator and Savior. This is reflected in the Declaration of Independence, which states,
“We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness…”
The uniqueness of our nation is based on this principle.
The overwhelming challenge is to break the atheistic chains that doom secular educational institutions to failure, and to restore the light of eternal hope found in Christ, which once shone brightly in our nation.
References
1. National Center for Education Statistics. The NCES Fast Facts Tool Provides Quick Answers to Many Education Questions. Ed.gov, 2024.
2. Maya Riser-Kositsky. “The U.S. Private School Market: An Explainer.” EdWeek Market Brief, April 16, 2025.
3. Isabelle Pula. “A Look at Homeschooling in the U.S.” Pew Research Center, February 20, 2025.
4. Rachel Minkin. “About Half of Americans Say Public K-12 Education Is Going in the Wrong Direction.” Pew Research Center, April 4, 2024.
5. Sarah Mondale and Sarah B. Patton. School: The Story of American Public Education. Boston: Beacon Press, 2001, p. 184.
6. Diane Ravitch. Left Back: A Century of Battles Over School Reform. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000.
7. Samuel Blumenfeld and Alex Newman. Crimes of the Educators: How Utopians Are Using Government Schools to Destroy America’s Children. Washington: World Net Daily Books, 2025, p. 67.
