History of United States Department of Education in Timeline

The United States Department of Education is a cabinet-level department established in 1980 after being split from the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. President Jimmy Carter signed the Department of Education Organization Act in 1979, leading to the department's formal operation on May 4, 1980. A previous version existed briefly in 1867 before being reduced to the Office of Education. It is officially abbreviated as ED and informally as 'DoEd'.

1920: Smith-Towner Bill

In 1920, an unsuccessful attempt at creating a Department of Education, headed by a secretary of education, came with the Smith–Towner Bill.

1939: Office of Education renamed

In 1939, the organization, then a bureau, was transferred to the Federal Security Agency, where it was renamed as the Office of Education.

1953: Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1953

In 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower promulgated "Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1953".

October 17, 1979: President Carter signed Department of Education Organization Act

On October 17, 1979, President Jimmy Carter signed into law the Department of Education Organization Act, which split the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare into the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services.

1979: President Carter Advocated for cabinet-level Department of Education

In 1979, President Carter advocated for creating a cabinet-level Department of Education by transferring education-related functions from various departments.

1979: Office of Education Budget and Staff

In 1979, the Office of Education had 3,000 employees and a $12 billion budget.

1979: Opposition to Cabinet-Level Status

In 1979, the proposal to upgrade Education to cabinet-level status faced opposition from Republicans who viewed it as unconstitutional.

1979: Department of Education Establishment Budget

In 1979, when the Department of Education was established, it had a budget of $14 billion.

May 4, 1980: Department of Education began operating

On May 4, 1980, the United States Department of Education officially began operating as a cabinet-level department of the United States government.

1980: Reagan's Campaign Promise

During the 1980 presidential campaign, Gov. Reagan called for the total elimination of the U.S. Department of Education.

1980: Republican Party platform on Department of Education

In 1980, the Republican Party platform called for the elimination of the Department of Education created under Carter, and President Ronald Reagan promised during the 1980 presidential election to eliminate it as a cabinet post.

1982: State of the Union Address

In the 1982 State of the Union Address, President Reagan pledged to dismantle the Department of Education as part of his budget plan.

1984: GOP dropped call for elimination

In 1984, the GOP dropped the call for elimination from its platform.

1988: Reagan's Budget Request Increase

In 1988, President Reagan requested an increase in the Department of Education's budget, from $18.4 billion to $20.3 billion.

1988: Election of President George H. W. Bush

With the election of President George H. W. Bush in 1988, the Republican position evolved in almost lockstep with that of the Democrats.

1994: Federal spending on education soared

In 1994, after the Newt Gingrich–led "revolution" took control of both houses of Congress, federal control of and spending on education soared.

1996: Abolition of the department a cornerstone

In 1996, The Republican Party made abolition of the department a cornerstone of its platform and campaign promises.

2000: Goals 2000

In 2000, Goals 2000 a virtual joint effort.

2000: Republican Liberty Caucus resolution

In 2000, the Republican Liberty Caucus passed a resolution to seek to abolish the Department of Education.

2002: Focus on elementary and secondary education

In 2002, under President George W. Bush, the department primarily focused on elementary and secondary education, expanding its reach through the No Child Left Behind Act.

2004: Department's budget increased

Between 2002 and 2004, the Department of Education's budget increased by $14 billion, from $46 billion to $60 billion.

March 2007: Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building

In March 2007, President George W. Bush signed into law H.R. 584, which designates the ED Headquarters building as the Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building.

2008: Ron Paul campaigned on an opposition to the department

In 2008, presidential candidate Ron Paul campaigned in part on an opposition to the department.

2012: Ron Paul campaigned on an opposition to the department

In 2012, presidential candidate Ron Paul campaigned in part on an opposition to the department.

December 2015: Every Student Succeeds Act signed

In December 2015, President Barack Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act, which reauthorized the Elementary Secondary Education Act and replaced the No Child Left Behind Act.

2016: Candidates ran against the Common Core standards

In 2016, conservative Republican presidential candidates ran against the Common Core standards elevated by President Barack Obama's "Race to the Top" program.

2021: Department of Education Staffing in 2021

In 2021, the Department of Education had over 4,000 employees, making it the smallest staff among Cabinet agencies.

2022: Department's budget

In 2022, the Department's budget was $637.7 billion.

2023: Department's budget

In 2023, the Department's budget was $274 billion, which included funding for children with disabilities (IDEA), pandemic recovery, early childhood education, Pell Grants, Title I, work assistance, among other programs.

2024: Department of Education Budget in 2024

In 2024, the Department of Education had a budget of $268 billion.

February 2025: Department of Education established an "end-DEI" portal

In February 2025, the Department of Education established an "end-DEI" portal to take complaints about DEI programs in schools.

March 3, 2025: Linda McMahon sworn in as nation's 13th Secretary of Education

On March 3, 2025, Linda McMahon was sworn in as the nation's 13th Secretary of Education.

March 11, 2025: Department of Government Efficiency Announcement

On March 11, 2025, the Department of Government Efficiency announced it would fire nearly half of the Department of Education's workforce.

March 2025: Student Loan Data

As of March 2025, the Department of Education oversees approximately $1.6 trillion in outstanding loans for over 40 million borrowers.

March 2025: Executive order which would begin the dismantling of the Department of Education

In March 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order which would begin the dismantling of the Department of Education, seeking to fulfill decades of conservative ambition to eliminate the agency.

March 2025: Senators speak out against mass layoffs at Department of Education.

In March 2025, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and a group of Democratic senators jointly criticized the mass layoffs at the Department of Education, urging Education Secretary McMahon to reinstate the laid-off employees. Representative Bobby Scott also expressed concerns that dismantling the department would negatively impact low-income students, students of color, students with disabilities, rural students, and English as a Second Language students.

March 2025: Universities under investigation for antisemitism allegations

In March 2025, the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights announced that 60 universities were under investigation for allegations of violations related to antisemitism.

March 2025: Department announced a plan to reduce its workforce by half

In March 2025, the department announced a plan to reduce its workforce by half.

March 2025: Polls showed opposition to close Department of Education

Multiple polls in February and March 2025 showed that roughly two-thirds of Americans oppose the idea to close the Department of Education.

March 20, 2025: Executive order to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education

On March 20, 2025, Trump signed an executive order directing the secretary of education to "facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities".

March 21, 2025: Trump announces plans to move student loan management to other departments

On March 21, 2025, Trump announced that the management of the federal student loan portfolio and other "special needs" programs overseen by the Department of Education would be moved to other departments, with the Small Business Administration taking over student loans and the Health and Human Services office handling special needs and nutrition programs.

April 2025: Department of Education will resume garnishment

In April 2025, Linda McMahon announced that the Department of Education would resume garnishment of the wages of student debtors whose loans are in default.

May 22, 2025: Judge blocked mass layoff and dismantle attempt

On May 22, 2025, U.S. district judge Myong Joun in Boston blocked the mass layoff and the dismantle attempt.

2025: Department of Education budget in 2025

In 2025, the Department of Education's budget was about four percent of the total US federal spending.

2025: Project 2025 Policy Plan

In 2025, the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 policy plan deals heavily with the closure of the Department of Education, mass privatization of public schools, and ending subsidized and free school lunches.