Trump has attempted to defund federal programs and organizations such as the US Agency for International Development without congressional approval, but closing the Department of Education would be his first shutdown of a cabinet-level agency.
The department regulates over 100,000 public and 34,000 private schools, with state and local governments providing more than 85% of public school financing.
It also oversees the $1.6 trillion in student loans owed by millions of Americans who cannot afford to pay for college.