U.S. Schools Are Teaching Socialism: The Hidden Crisis in American Education

By Ken Buck
Thursday, 18 December 2025 01:55 AM EST

For a nation founded on principles of limited government, personal liberty and free-market competition, the United States has a socialism problem.

And one of the chief contributors is an unlikely culprit: our schools.

About four in ten Americans—including two-thirds of Democrats—hold a positive view of socialism, according to a recent Gallup poll. Another study by the CATO Institute reveals more than 60% of voters under age thirty favor socialism over capitalism. These shifting attitudes stem not from failures of capitalism but from the far left’s relentless drive to consolidate power under an elitist ruling class that has hijacked U.S. education systems and transformed them into vehicles for advancing its agenda.

The United States remains the world’s economic leader with the highest GDP, driven by small businesses that employ nearly half the workforce. Despite concerns about wealth inequality, Americans constitute most of the global population living at or above middle-class standards, and our country continues to lead in economic opportunity for those who work hard. American democracy serves as a global exemplar for freedom, defending individual liberties and free speech beyond our borders—a beacon of hope for people struggling under socialist and communist regimes.

Yet this reality is obscured by anti-American messaging pushed through U.S. schools. Under the influence of powerful teachers’ unions, curricula have been altered to indoctrinate students into believing America’s history—however imperfect—justifies vast cultural redistribution. Instead of fostering critical thinking and preparation for real-world success, the Department of Education has prioritized advancing a liberal agenda that stokes culture wars.

Recent initiatives like critical race theory and the 1619 Project reframe American history to vilify national institutions rather than empower students with analytical skills. This approach explains why most Americans now view traditional four-year degrees as economically unwise—a trend accelerated under former President Joe Biden’s retreat from American exceptionalism.

A growing number of college graduates hold positive views of socialism, while only 40% see capitalism favorably. This shift reflects years of students being repeatedly exposed to socialist narratives and capitalist criticisms without counterbalance.

The Department of Education, now nearly 50 years old, has failed in its primary mission: improving student outcomes. Its unelected officials have instead focused on amplifying left-wing agendas while weakening American ideals.

President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon have vowed to dismantle the Department of Education—a move Congress must support to restore educational integrity. When students eventually read about this administration closing the department in history books, it will signal that conservatives finally ended the left’s campaign against American youth and reclaimed education for future generations.