Yes, libertarians generally oppose public schools on the local and state level and call for abolishing the federal Department of Education.
Libertarians believe in economic liberty and view the public school system as a failing socialist endeavor. Instead, libertarians prefer private schools, home-schooling and alternative forms of voluntary funding to offer children of indigent families access to education.
Libertarians support educational freedom while opposing school taxes, compulsory attendance laws, and government involvement with education, although this is not a view held by all libertarians.
Some libertarians, while opposing the federal Department of Education, believe in school vouchers, a government-funded voucher redeemable for tuition fees for private schools. School vouchers, however, contradict libertarian philosophy because they still require government funding.
Jacob G. Hornberger, president of the Future of Freedom Foundation, wrote an excellent article explaining why school vouchers are the antithesis of freedom.
In his article, Hornberger writes, "After all, it is impossible to reconcile public schooling itself with the core principle of the libertarian philosophy — the non-aggression principle. It holds that the initiation of force against another person is illegitimate."
While libertarians believe in education and spreading knowledge, they typically oppose government-run school systems and seek alternative, free-market solutions to educate our children.
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