Who Loses Under Trump’s Education Plan? (Hint: The Most Vulnerable)

Low-income, rural, urban, BIPOC, Indigenous, and the disabled are left in the cold.

Feb 06, 2025

Since the Department of Education was signed into existence by President Carter in 1978, efforts have been made by GOP administrations to dismantle it. Born out of nearly a century of efforts to expand and equitize free public education for all, the Department has remained under attack since its inception, and Trump’s Executive Orders, Secretary of Education nominee, and statements leave no room for doubt that he intends to bring it to its knees.

Donald Trump’s education policies follow a dangerous pattern of defunding public schools, slashing federal protections, and prioritizing privatization—but the biggest irony? The communities that would suffer the most are the very ones that helped elect him.

From rural towns and deep-red states to low-income urban districts and Indigenous communities, Trump’s plan would gut public education funding, eliminate critical support programs, and leave millions of students with fewer opportunities. He’s promised to defund Head Start and Title I, essential lifelines for many Americans. His push for school vouchers, charter school expansion, and the elimination of the Department of Education may sound like “school choice,” but in reality, it’s a direct attack on public education that leaves many families—especially his supporters—with no real choices at all.

Rural Communities: No Alternatives, No Funding, No Future

Rural America has been a stronghold for Trump, yet his education agenda would devastate rural schools—many of which already suffer from teacher shortages, outdated facilities, and limited resources.

Trump has pledged to eliminate the Department of Education, which distributes billions in Title I funds to low-income schools. Many rural districts heavily rely on this money—but their state governments won’t be able to replace it.
School choice and vouchers don’t work in rural America because private schools and charters don’t exist in many areas. Rural students are left with nothing when public school funds are redirected to vouchers.
West Virginia, Mississippi, and Kentucky are among the states that receive the highest per-student federal education funding—if Trump’s plan goes through, these states will be hit the hardest.

Despite promises to help small-town America, Trump’s policies would gut the very schools that serve his rural base.

Low-Income Urban Communities: A Rigged System

While Trump’s policies claim to offer “school choice” to low-income families, the reality is private and charter schools don’t have to accept everyone—and public schools are left even weaker.

Private schools accepting vouchers can choose students based on test scores, behavior records, and family income. That means many low-income students, English language learners, and kids with disabilities get left behind.
Often used as an alternative, Charter schools have a history of shutting down or underperforming compared to traditional public schools.
With federal funding cuts, public schools in urban areas will lose essential resources like free meal programs, mental health support, and after-school activities.

Students in Black and Latino communities—who already face underfunded schools—will be left with even fewer opportunities for success.

Indigenous Communities: A Return to Federal Neglect

Indigenous students have endured centuries of discrimination in education, from forced boarding schools designed to erase their culture to the chronic underfunding of tribal schools today. Trump’s policies would continue this legacy of harm in several ways:

Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools rely almost entirely on federal funding. If the Department of Education is eliminated, who will pay for them?
Indigenous schools already face some of the worst infrastructure issues in the country—many buildings lack running water, reliable internet, or air conditioning. Funding cuts could force closures of already struggling tribal schools.
Erasing Native history: Trump’s ban on “woke” curriculum could remove Indigenous history and sovereignty education from schools, much like the forced assimilation practices of the past.

Instead of investing in Indigenous education, Trump’s policies could wipe out what little progress has been made in ensuring Native students have equal opportunities.

Students with Disabilities: Stripped of Critical Support

Students with disabilities are at severe risk under Trump’s education plan, particularly with his proposed elimination of federal education programs.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provides legal protections and funding for students with disabilities to receive IEPs, specialized instruction, and accommodations—financing that would disappear if Trump’s plan takes effect.
Public schools would struggle to provide essential services like speech therapy, occupational therapy, and classroom aides.
Private schools do not have to follow IDEA rules—meaning vouchers won’t guarantee students with disabilities access to the support they need.

Instead of helping disabled students, Trump’s plan would leave millions of families scrambling to find services that public schools can no longer afford to provide.

Red States & Trump Voters: The Biggest Losers

Trump’s education agenda will hit his own voters the hardest.

Mississippi, West Virginia, Alabama, and Louisiana rank among the worst in education. Instead of fixing these issues, Trump’s plan would take even more money away from struggling schools.
Red states are among the most reliant on federal education funding—but if that funding disappears, Republican state governments won’t have the tax revenue to replace it.
Rural, working-class voters—Trump’s base—stand to lose the most when public schools close, teachers leave, and students are left with no options.

Instead of empowering these states, Trump’s plan will leave them further behind.

The Bottom Line: Trump’s Education Plan Is a Direct Attack on the Vulnerable

Trump’s 2025 education proposals aren’t about helping families or improving education—they are about privatization, erasing federal protections, and leaving millions of students with no real options.

Who loses the most?
✅ Rural communities with no private school alternatives
✅ Low-income urban students who rely on public school resources
✅ Indigenous students already attending underfunded tribal schools
✅ Disabled students who need federally funded support services
✅ Red-state voters who depend on public education more than they realize

For the millions of low-income, rural, and marginalized voters who depend on public education, Trump’s policies are a direct betrayal. And in every one of these communities, LGBTQ+ students will suffer as protections are stripped away.

Free public education for all has been a hallmark of democratic countries worldwide. It hasn’t always been fair or pretty and remains imperfect. However, we have consistently expanded access to education.

Trump’s policies aren’t just unfair and troubling; they are anti-democratic and anti-American. Education is an essential aspect of the American Dream. It is one of the few tools available to all to help overcome generational poverty and the zip code ball and chain. When it is undermined, the equality and opportunity gap widens— and the most vulnerable pay.