By Margaret Anne Rowe, NAIS Senior Research Analyst
Executive Summary
The education landscape has seen profound changes in just a few short years, with new schools and school models popping up around the country even as student populations have decreased. One growing model is the microschool, although its definition is somewhat blurry. Hailed as “the return of the one-room schoolhouse” as early as 2014, the term has come to refer to parent-led learning pods, homeschooling co-ops, small private schools, and everything in between. Some small independent schools have used the term for years, although the concept came to prominence during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, microschools have exploded in prominence, with hundreds of thousands of students estimated to be attending over a thousand institutions.
This new NAIS Research Advisory summarizes key findings from current research in the field to help schools understand microschools and their position in the education landscape from a Jobs-to-Be-Done perspective.
Sections include:
- How Are Microschools Funded?
- Who Runs Microschools?
- How Fast Are Microschools Growing?
- Why Do Parents Choose Their Children's School?
- Leveraging Parents' School Selection Reasons to Inform Admission Strategies
Downloadable Content
- Read the full NAIS Research Advisory: Understanding Microschools in the Independent School Context (PDF; member login required)