Slightly over one-quarter of Americans, or 28 percent, claim to have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the public education system, a release on the poll said.
The figure is down from 32 percent last year and from 41 percent in 2020, during which there was a surge in support for schools in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the release said.
The 28 percent figure is only two points above the all-time low of 26 percent in 2014, the release said.
The percentage of Republicans having a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in public schools fell from 34 percent in 2020 to 20 percent in 2021 and 14 percent today, the release said.
“Since 2020, independents' confidence has declined nine percentage points to 29 percent and Democrats' has remained fairly high - currently 43 percent, versus 48 percent in 2020," the release added.
The gap between Republican and Democratic confidence in public education has averaged seven points since Gallup began studying institutional confidence in 1973, compared to a current gap of 29 points, according to the release.
The political divide has reflected the growing differences between Republicans and Democrats on whether and the extent to which sex education should be taught, especially to the youngest pupils, as well as elements of the so-called Critical Race Theory, among other controversial subjects.