And tests results and surveys show that students’ — and most Americans’ — knowledge of their history and the structure of their government is abysmal. Scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress state that in 2014, only 18 percent of 8th grade students scored “at” or “above proficient” in American History and 23 percent scored “at” or “above proficient” in civics.

A survey last year by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania found that 37 percent of those surveyed couldn’t name any of the rights guaranteed under the First Amendment and about 75 percent don’t know all three branches of government.

For years, a number of organizations have promoted teaching civics, such as the Center for Civic Education which provides curriculums and holds annual competitions for upper elementary and middle-school students, iCivics, a nonprofit civics education group started by the former Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O’Connor, and the Civics Education Initiative, which lobbies states to require students to pass a civics test before graduating.

But more needs to be done, especially in light of the divided state of the country, many say, and individuals and institutions are taking on the challenge. One example is Polaris Charter Academy in Chicago, whose students last year led a campaign to address gun violence in their community; as part of that they studied the Constitution and the Second Amendment and worked with legislators, police, activists and gang members.

“This is not just about a high school civics class. — It’s not to prepare students for tests, but to prepare them to be active, contributing citizens,” said Ron Berger, chief academic officer of EL Education, a nonprofit network of about 160 public district and charter schools nationwide. “We’ve forgotten about that as a nation.” Polaris is one of EL Education’s schools.