Washington, DC [US]: US President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order on Thursday that aims to eliminate the US Department of Education, fulfilling a key campaign promise, USA Today reported, citing senior Trump administration officials.
Trump is expected to sign the order at a White House ceremony attended by several Republican governors and state education commissioners.
According to a White House summary of the order, Trump will instruct his Education Secretary, Linda McMahon, to take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return educational authority to the states.
The order emphasizes the “uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.”
This move follows Trump’s earlier efforts to close the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which was blocked this week by a federal district judge in Maryland.
Although Trump’s order initiates the process, eliminating the Department of Education entirely will require congressional action.
In recent weeks, Trump has reduced the department’s workforce. Despite these cuts, the agency still exists and continues to oversee crucial federal funding programs for schools.
In a statement to USA Today, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields said the order aims to “empower parents, states, and communities to take control and improve outcomes for all students.”
He added that recent National Assessment of Educational Progress test scores “reveal a national crisis — our children are falling behind.”
The order also targets “regulations and paperwork” required by the Department of Education, claiming that federal guidance, such as “Dear Colleague” letters, diverts staff time and resources away from schools’ primary teaching roles.
A White House official clarified that funding for programs like the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Title I funding for low-income schools, and federal student loan payments will remain unaffected. These funds will be managed closer to states, localities, and students.
Additionally, education programs that receive “any remaining Department of Education funds” will be prohibited from promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, or gender ideology, USA Today reported.
Among the expected attendees at the signing ceremony are Republican Governors Ron DeSantis (Florida), Glenn Youngkin (Virginia), Greg Abbott (Texas), and Mike DeWine (Ohio).
Republican lawmakers have long accused the federal government of overreaching in local and state education policy, despite the federal government’s limited role in school curricula.
Trump’s executive order comes shortly after over 1,300 Education Department employees received termination notices as part of “reductions in force” initiated by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Combining layoffs with voluntary buyouts, the administration has reduced the department’s workforce from 4,133 to 2,183 since Trump began his second term.
Trump has frequently criticized the performance of US public schools compared to international standards. In February, he remarked, “We’re ranked at the very bottom of the list, but we’re at the top of the list in one thing: the cost per pupil.”
He has also repeatedly praised states like Iowa and Indiana as models for independent education management.
Local school districts and states currently oversee school curricula, with federal oversight largely tied to funding. Trump’s order is seen as another test of his executive authority, following previous moves to shut down USAID offices and reduce the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s influence.