Microschools Go Macro And Provide More Learning Choices For Families

Forbes

4 days ago

Students at home-based microschool working on a school project.
'Microschools aren't so micro anymore,' writes Linda Jacobson in The 74. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the growth of these K-12 learning models. They became a refuge for families facing school closures and challenges with remote learning. Their expansion is another important development in America's K-12 education choice landscape.
Microschools are often described as today's version of the one-room schoolhouse. They typically consist of small, mixed-age student groups. They operate in traditional school buildings, homes, churches, and commercial spaces. They emphasize customized curricula, experiential learning, and a focus on mastery of content over standardized testing.
They take different organizational forms, including learning centers that follow a state's homeschooling rules, private schools that charge tuition, a single charter school or a member of a charter network, or a traditional public school. Their learning calendars vary from being open year-round to part-time to following a typical academic year.
The National Microschooling Center's 2025 report, American Microschools: A Sector Analysis, surveyed 800 currently operating or soon-to-open microschools, representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia. They serve 2% of the U.S. student population, which equates to approximately 750,000 students nationwide (though some estimates calculate that as many as 2 million students are enrolled in these schools). They can be found in cities, suburbs, and rural areas.
The median number of students per nonpublic microschool is 22, while the median number for traditional public or charter microschools is higher at 36 students, with some institutions accommodating up to 100 students. Most of these schools are led by current or former educators, as 86% of microschool founders have an educational background, up from 71% in 2024. More than half (53%) of microschools report serving as learning centers for homeschooling children, private schools (30%), and public charter schools (5%).
The primary sources of funding for microschools are tuition (61%) and state-provided school choice funds (38%). Nearly half of them (46%) charge annual tuition between $5,000 and $10,000, while 26% charge less than $5,000. Over two-thirds (65%) offer discounts or a sliding scale based on family need. The median cost to educate one child is $6,500 in currently operating schools.
When currently operating schools are asked to describe their educational approach by selecting all that apply, the top four choices are project-based learning (72%), self-directed learning (65%), social-emotional learning (58%), and faith-based instruction (29%). When asked to describe their curriculum and select all that apply, a majority reported one purchased from a company (60%), one created by a person at the school (52%), one from on line learning tools (51%), and one used by other teachers (50%).
These schools typically serve younger children, with 84% serving children ages 5 to 11. More than four out of 10 (43%) report that their students have previously attended traditional district schools, followed by homeschooling (30%), private schools (9%), and charter schools (9%).
One of the defining characteristics of microschools is their ability to serve a diverse student population. Survey respondents were asked to select all the categories that apply from eight different student populations. The four highest categories were serving children who are neurodiverse (74%), children performing below grade level (63%), children who experienced emotional trauma (50%), and children with other special needs (46%).
Despite their growth and success, microschools face challenges related to accountability and accreditation. Many operate without formal accreditation, and oversight varies significantly across states. Nearly eight out of 10 (78%) are not accredited in their state, a decrease from 84% in 2024. Eight in 10 (80%) are interested in seeking accreditation.
The microschool sector's diversity of educational programs produces different approaches to measuring the impact of their work on students. When asked to select all that apply from a list of 10 different approaches, the four most common ways of measuring effectiveness were observation-based reports (65%), portfolios (55%), track learning mastery (51%), and formal assessments (43%). When asked to identify the most essential desired student outcome, microschool founders named growth in nonacademic learning as the most important outcome.
As microschools continue to evolve, they present both opportunities and challenges for the American K-12 education system. Their growth reflects a demand for personalized, flexible, and community-based learning environments. To sustain this momentum, there is a pressing need for frameworks and practical guidance on how to do this.
One example of this is the Public Microschool Playbook, written by three former K-12 superintendents and advocates--Deborah Gist, Tom Vander Ark, and Devin Vedicka. It provides detailed information on how to start and operate public microschools that are funded with existing K-12 per-pupil dollars. These can include new stand-alone microschools or different learning options within existing K-12 public schools.
'Microschools are not just a trend, they're a turning point. This is not about boutique innovation,' write those three former school superintendents in an article appearing in The 74. While COVID-19 propelled the expansion of these K-12 learning models, they are now an essential part of America's K-12 education choice landscape.