Only 24 percent of black adults give their local public schools an A or B grade, compared to 44 percent of whites and 39 percent of Hispanics, according to a new national survey. The poll by Education Next magazine and Harvard’s Program on Education Policy and Governance also found that the public overall, but especially blacks and Hispanics, had more confidence in their local police force than in their public schools.

The findings are just two of many in the annual survey, which polled 3,200 people nationwide, including 700 teachers. The margin of error is roughly 1 percentage point.

Among the other findings:

• Support for the federal No Child Left Behind Act continues to wane. Only 50 percent of the public supports renewing it as is or with minimal change, down from 57 percent last year.

• The public thinks Democrats are better for schools. Sixty-one percent said the Democrats have a better record on education, and 62 percent said Democrats are more likely to improve schools.

• More like the idea of single-sex schools. Thirty-seven percent support the idea of school districts offering parents that option, 25 percent do not and the rest are undecided. Meanwhile, 47 percent of teachers like the idea.