Americans have soured on public schools. That's the takeaway from Gallup polling results released earlier this month showing that Americans' confidence in public schools is at a low point, with only 26 percent of respondents indicating a "Great deal/Fair amount" of confidence in that institution.

Indeed, public schools join three other institutions that are also at or tied with their record lows, including the police, large technology companies, and big business. Along with the presidency, public schools are now among the most politically polarizing institutions in the US.

On a positive note, confidence in small business remained high, topping the list of institutions tracked annually by Gallup. It's not surprising, then, that more parents are turning away from public schooling and choosing smaller, low-cost private schools and related out-of-system learning models, like homeschooling.