Do Americans Support Prayer in School?

After decades of public schools moving toward secularization, prayer is making its way back into classrooms around the country. How do Americans feel about that?

The question is spurred on by states like Texas, which has passed a pair of controversial education laws that require public schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms and designate time for students to engage in prayer or religious reading.

For many Texans, these measures are a welcome return to traditional values. For others, they represent a troubling overstep that puts minority faiths and nonreligious students at risk. 

But beyond the confines of the Lone Star state, fascinating new analysis shows how deeply Americans are divided on the issue of religion in public schools – and how much that divide depends on where you live.

Geographic Divide Over Prayer in Schools

Public opinion on school prayer is sharply divided, and those divides are increasingly shaped by geography.

According to findings from Pew Research Center, just over half of Americans (52%) support allowing Christian prayers led by teachers in public classrooms, while 46% oppose it. But support varies widely by state.

In Texas, support climbs to 61%. In Mississippi, it’s an overwhelming 81%. Alabama isn’t far behind at 75%. 

But head west or north and the picture flips: in Oregon, 65% oppose the idea. Vermont and California also show majority opposition, with 64% and 56% respectively.

The data also shows that support for school prayer correlates strongly with religious affiliation, frequency of worship, and whether someone identifies as evangelical, mainline Protestant, Catholic, or unaffiliated.

Texans Fight Back

Although most Texans support the new laws, not everyone does – and opponents aren’t going down without a fight.

On June 25, a group of Dallas-area families and interfaith religious leaders filed a federal lawsuit challenging Senate Bill 10. The plaintiffs include Christians, Muslims, members of the Nation of Islam, and clergy representing various traditions. They argue the law violates the First Amendment by promoting a specific religious tradition in public schools.

“The government should govern; the Church should minister,” says the lawsuit. “Anything else is a threat to the soul of both our democracy and our faith.”

Rocío Fierro-Pérez, political director of Texas Freedom Network, also opposes the new law. In a fiery statement, he said:

“No child should be pressured to perform piety to feel safe or accepted in a public school classroom. No teacher should have to referee prayer. And no family should have to fear that their beliefs will be marginalized by the institutions meant to educate their children.”

But opponents are working against strong headwinds. For his part, Texas governor Greg Abbott has vowed to fend off legal challenges, writing that “if anyone sues, we’ll win that battle.”

The outcome of this case could have national implications. If the courts strike down the Texas law, it may slow or reverse similar efforts in other prayer-supporting states. If the law is upheld, it could embolden lawmakers elsewhere to follow suit.

What This All Means

In the South, public displays of faith are common. Prayers before school board meetings, Bible verses on billboards, and religious imagery in civic spaces have long been part of the cultural landscape. 

By contrast, in many parts of the Northeast and West, where secularism and religious diversity are more prominent, religion tends to be seen as a private matter.

At its core, this debate is about more than the Ten Commandments and school prayer. It’s about who gets to shape the public moral landscape – and how public institutions reflect the values of a religiously diverse country.

This tension isn’t new, but it’s become more visible – and more politicized – in recent years. And as more states test the limits of religious expression in public schools, the courts will likely be asked again and again to weigh in.

How do you think public schools should approach faith in the classroom?