With the end of the school year rapidly approaching, a recent survey found the top worries plaguing Washington-area parents.

Some concerns vary depending on whether students are going to school inside the district or in its suburbs, but the primary problems parents see appear to be vestiges of the COVID-19 pandemic that interrupted everyone’s lives four years ago, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll.

Here are the top five concerns that parents have about their children’s education. 

Across the region, 46% of parents say that learning loss caused by disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic is a major problem for their children. More than half of parents (55%) in the district said they are concerned about the loss of progress for their children and for others’.

Four years ago, students in the Washington metropolitan region were sent home and took to online learning. Test scores in reading and math took a dip and have not returned to their pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, 37% of children could read at grade level, but the number of students who could read proficiently dropped to 31% during the pandemic. There’s been progress in district students’ reading ability, for as of 2023, 34% of students were on target with their grade level.

In an effort to boost student performance and test scores, Washington has spent millions in federal pandemic relief funding on tutoring and summer enrichment programs. 

With growing classroom sizes and a rise in substitute teachers, 46% of the region’s parents are concerned about the falling number of teachers. 

While teachers in the Washington metropolitan region are among the highest paid in the nation, a union representing 5,000 teachers told the Washington Post they deal with disrespect from students and their families and are often paid late, both with bonuses and regular paychecks.

Over the past two years, 1 out of 4 area teachers has left the profession, according to districtwide data.

What makes matters more difficult is that the district’s budget for next year proposes to cut 200 positions in schools — including 63 teachers. 

For 47% of Washington parents, there is great concern about the quality of education that their children are receiving. This is a stark contrast to Virginia, where 22% of parents are concerned about their children’s education quality, and 36% of Maryland parents. 

The quality of a student’s education is drastically affected by the rise in teacher shortages, which has led to larger class sizes. 

For district parents, absenteeism is the most concerning factor, with 57% saying they are worried about its effect on their children. Meanwhile, only 11% of Virginia parents and 21% of Maryland parents are concerned with this problem. 

Last year, nearly 60% of high schoolers were chronically absent from school. Students skipping school seemed to worsen during the pandemic, for chronic absenteeism is up by 9 percentage points compared to pre-pandemic levels.

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Virginia and Maryland parents are moderately concerned about their children getting to school safely, with 11% and 21%, respectively, saying they were worried. However, almost half of parents in the district are worried about their children’s safety during their commute to school. 

Last October, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the “Safe Passage, Safe Blocks” program dedicated to ensuring students’ safety as they commute to and from school. The program received $8.5 million for fiscal 2024.