Almost from the moment it was created in 1979, the U.S. Department of Education has faced calls for its elimination from conservatives, who have argued that it gives the federal government too much sway over what should be a state and local matter.
President Donald Trump has revived those efforts. A draft executive order directs his newly confirmed education secretary, Linda McMahon, to prepare the department for closure, while acknowledging that actually dissolving it would require an act of Congress. (Asked directly if the United States needs her department, McMahon said, “No, we don’t.”) The department has already shed around 2,000 staffers – nearly half its workforce – through layoffs and buyouts, and canceled dozens of research contracts.
As the main conduit for federal aid to public K-12 schools and a major lender to college students, the Education Department’s work directly or indirectly affects millions of American families.
As of last September, 4,209 people worked there, according to the Office of Personnel Management. That equaled to about 0.2% of overall federal employment last year. The Education Department has the fewest employees of any Cabinet-level agency.
The department’s workforce has fluctuated over the years, peaking at 4,930 in 2000. But the ups and downs have been small overall: In fact, the department employed almost exactly as many people in September 2024 as it did 15 years earlier (4,218 in 2009).
