This study examines whether and how news reporting of schools, influences parents’ trust, attitudes, and perceptions of the education system. In a contemporary media landscape characterized by digitalization, selective exposure, and the interplay between traditional and social media, parents encounter school-related information through multiple channels, including journalism, school communication, social media, and interpersonal networks. The study aims to explore how parents interpret news media portrayals of schools in relation to their own experiences, whether news reporting shapes their views, and what consequences this may have regarding trust and the parent–teacher-relationship. The research adopts a qualitative approach based on ten semi-structured interviews with parents of children in primary and secondary education in metropolitan regions in Sweden. Participants represent a variation in school types (municipal and independent) while excluding individuals professionally involved in education. The study uses a theoretical framework combining agenda-setting theory, framing, priming, and the two-step flow hypothesis. The findings indicate that news media play a significant role in setting the public agenda by consistently highlighting themes such as school systems and governance, resources and teacher authority, and standards. These themes dominantly frame reporting in a negative or crisis-oriented narrative. However, parents’ interpretations of reporting rely on their individual experiences, which are often more nuanced and sometimes contradict the media image. While participants express trust in established news media, particularly public service and major newspapers, this trust is conditional. News reporting has a primarily task to monitor the school system at a societal level, whereas judgments about their own children’s schools rely more heavily on direct contact with teachers, school communication, and conversations with other parents. Interpersonal communication emerges as a key factor in shaping opinions, supporting the idea that media influence is often indirect and socially mediated. The study also highlights the limited role of local journalism in metropolitan areas, leading to a reliance on national media and alternative information channels. Social media functions as a secondary agenda-setting arena rather than replacing traditional journalism. Overall, the results suggest that although news media significantly influence which school-related issues are perceived as important, parents’ trust and attitudes are shaped through a complex interaction between mediated representations and lived experiences. The study emphasizes the importance of relational communication from schools to balance dominant media narratives.