President Trump’s budget proposal would shrink the Education Department, which he has called on Congress to eliminate, by slashing its funding by 15 percent, or $12 billion.

The most significant chunk of that reduction, about $4.5 billion, would come from K-12 schools. The administration said this reduction would come from a plan to provide “streamlined, flexible funding to the states” and relieve the federal government of the responsibility of administering the money and enforcing compliance. These cuts would not impact Title I funding for low-income schools, an Education Department spokeswoman said.

Mr. Trump would save $1.6 billion by cutting programs aimed at supporting low-income students and preparing them for college. The administration said these programs, known at TRIO and GEAR UP, were “a relic of the past” because access to college was not “the obstacle it was for students of limited means.”