It is easy to get depressed when surveying the landscape of K-12 public education in our nation. We are constantly bombarded by stories of out-of-control students, teacher misbehavior, parental irresponsibility, and failing schools. 

And yet, I am thrilled to let you in on some cause for hope. At Christian Educators, we recently conducted our 2025 Membership Survey (more complete data to be published soon), and I am encouraged and challenged by the results. 

The truth is, there is an army of educators serving in our public schools who actually enjoy their jobs, see teaching as a calling from the Lord, and are making a difference in the lives of students across the nation.

The survey respondents were largely classroom teachers (78%) at traditional public schools (87%), and were balanced between elementary (34%), middle school (20%), and high school (30%). 

“Joy” Factors

Their responses are encouraging, especially in what I call the “joy” factors. For example, over 92% believe that their work in education is one way they “live out their Christian calling.” Furthermore, 85% receive a “great deal of satisfaction” from their work, and 94% believe they have a “strong positive impact” on their students’ lives. This doesn’t sound like a bunch of disgruntled, burned-out teachers. One member added, “Every day I work with [students] is an act of service to them and their families. I am in constant prayer that my actions and words would reflect Jesus’ love!”

Prayer & Service

It seems likely that these levels of positivity are at least partially an outgrowth of their prayer lives. Over 97% report that they pray for their students (50% do so frequently), and nearly 94% (41% frequently) indicate that they pray for their administrators, colleagues, and support staff. As an active prayer life will always result in service, over 60% report serving students/youth at least occasionally or frequently outside of school through church or community activities. Meanwhile, 20% report serving on campus through a Christian club or group.

What About Unions?

But what does this prayerful, fulfilled, and happy group of educators think about teachers unions? Given the tendency of unions to focus on radical politics and negativity, it is not surprising that over 98% of respondents don’t believe that the national teachers unions like the NEA and AFT and their state affiliates represent their values and beliefs.  

Full disclosure: Of course, I am aware of the selection bias of asking members of Christian Educators about their feelings about unions, given that negative feelings about unions drive many of our members to join in the first place. But still, I believe that the high correlation with joy, prayer, and service factors tells an important story—that those who refuse to partner with the weaponized anger and discontent of teachers unions, but rather turn to Jesus in prayer to find joy and purpose in a life of service, end up happier and more fulfilled. 

LGBTQ/Title IX

However, it’s not like these heroic educators lack challenges, especially regarding being faithful to Christ and a Biblical worldview while serving in public schools. Over 27% fear losing their jobs because of disagreements about LGBTQ policies—these are typically conflicts regarding names/pronouns and bathroom/locker room/sports team access for students experiencing gender identity confusion. Almost half of respondents (47%) say that they have been asked to refer to a student by a different name or pronoun, and as I’m sure you’re aware, these numbers are growing—the affirmative responses to an identical survey question from 2019 were 27%. At the time, we thought that number was shockingly high.

I remain filled with gratitude for our members and other faithful Christians who remain in our public schools to love these hurting students experiencing identity confusion. They overwhelmingly agreed (96%) that “all students, including those identifying as LGBTQ, should be treated with dignity and respect.” These image-bearers need to see loving Christian educators walking in their true identities. 

So far, only 5% report experiencing any professional consequences, such as a warning, disciplinary meeting, reprimand, suspension, reassignment, or termination as a result of LGBTQ issues. But 5% is 5% too much! That’s why we at Christian Educators are working toward school policies that allow educators to disagree on these issues without losing their jobs. And our members appreciate it—85% indicated support for our lawsuit to protect Title IX from being upended by the inclusion of gender identity as a protected class. This change would have effectively removed protections for girls, violating their rights to have private spaces and their own sports teams. 

School Culture/Discipline

Through the many calls and emails we receive from our members, we have noticed the growing frustration with “positive” discipline policies that have grown in popularity in recent years, such as PBIS or restorative practices. While these policies are built partially on a Biblical worldview to the extent that they seek to recognize and reward good behavior, restore relationship rather than simply punish, and understand that there is a backstory to sin that ought to be considered and addressed in love—nonetheless, in practice, many of these policies seem to err on the side of no accountability. 

In fact, 70% of respondents agreed that these policies either make no difference (37%) or make student behavior worse (33%). Over 34% feel that students “rarely” or “never” face real consequences for misbehavior. Additionally, only 54% believe that their school’s discipline policies are appropriate and effective if enforced, suggesting that almost half of the respondents don’t even believe their policies will work on paper! It is no surprise, then, that over 37% have considered leaving education or transferring schools due to student discipline, safety concerns, or lack of enforcement from administrators. The good news is that 87% of respondents feel safe at their school, suggesting that most of the student behavior issues they are experiencing do not threaten their personal safety. 

Religious Liberty

I am happy to report that many years of positive court rulings and publicity regarding religious freedom have had a positive effect in our public schools: 79% of our surveyed members report that their “administrators allow legally appropriate faith expressions” at their school, a 10% increase from a nearly identical survey question in 2019. And while I wish this number were higher, it is encouraging that nearly 66% of our members report that they are confident in their “understanding of the laws regarding religion and the public schools.” For the other 34%, may I suggest taking an hour of your time to watch Teach with Faith (not Fear)? Knowing what’s legal gives us confidence to step into what we can do. 

Thankfully, over half (55%) report that Christian Clubs are available for students at their school. While encouraging, what an opportunity for God’s love and truth to be proclaimed at the remaining 45% of schools!

Conclusions

What can we see in these results? I am deeply encouraged by the picture that emerges—a dedicated army of faithful Christian educators in our public schools who serve with purpose, pray faithfully for their students and colleagues, and confidently exercise their religious freedoms. Their lives reflect the fruit of Paul’s exhortation in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV): “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” By embracing these commands, they experience joy and contentment in their callings and deeply impact the lives of their students. We are truly blessed and honored to serve them!

P.S. A brief update on the Oklahoma case I mentioned in March, which explored whether a charter school could be religious. Due in part to Justice Barrett’s recusal, the Supreme Court deadlocked 4-4, upholding the Oklahoma State Supreme Court’s decision to block the Catholic charter school. For now, religious organizations managing charter schools must continue to operate them without including their faith.