More Than 50% of Parents Considering to Transfer Children to New School, Here's Why [SURVEY]

Parents are rethinking the K-12 education.

America's K-12 education is reportedly experiencing a "once-in-a-generation transformation," National School Choice Week declared.

Tens of millions of parents are rethinking their children's education and are serious about being proactive in making important decisions about how and where their children learn.

And, though most parents (67.9 percent) still trust their children's current school, more than half are eager to find a better education environment for their kids, exploring other options and expressing interest in non-traditional learning approaches.

Communities lack school options

What does rethinking mean? It simply implies parents choosing new schools for their children, parents more frequently checking out alternatives, and parents seeking a better education for their kids by "thinking outside the box."

According to a newly released survey by the National School Choice Awareness Foundation conducted from January 3-6, 2023, participated by 3,820 U.S. parents with school-aged kids, 53.7 percent have already considered transferring their children to new schools.

The current trends are shepherded Black, Hispanic, and young millennial parents. These parents are significantly more likely to explore the available learning options for their kids as compared to white and older parents.

Around 65 percent of Black and Hispanic parents are considering new schools for their children compared to 46.2 percent of white parents. On the other hand, 63.3 percent of young millennial parents ages between 18 to 29 have already taken the risk to explore or are currently exploring alternatives as compared to 55.7 percent, 49.7 percent, and 42.5 percent of parents aged 30 to 44, 45-60, and 60 and above, respectively.

Fifty percent of parents expressed the need for more options for their kids' education as their community lacks education options for families. Only about four percent of parents said their community offers many learning opportunities. Further, around 65 percent of parents want more school choice option information.

Private school over public school

The learning options considered by parents are public charter schools (31.5%), private or religious schools (29.1%), homeschooling (22.9%), full-time virtual instruction (20.8%), or microschooling or learning pods (4%).

K12 Dive stated that a noticeable portion of parents is now considering nonpublic school options for their children. Quite a coincidence when the National Center for Education Statistics projected a nationwide four percent drop in public school enrollees between the fall of 2020 to 2030.

One confirmation of this is Arizona's universal school voucher program, which was labeled as one of the country's most expansive school choice laws. It opened the state's education savings account eligibility to all school-age children, allowing families to receive over $6,500 per child annually to use for their chosen education options such as private school, homeschooling, micro-schools, tutoring, or any other forms as long as it does not fall under traditional public schooling.

On another note, there is also a separate projection on increased available learning choices within the communities in the coming years, with the school choice movement currently gaining momentum.

At the beginning of 2022, state policymakers focused on expanding school choice legislation by adopting broader student eligibility requirements for voucher and tax credit scholarships. They have also eyed increasing funds for some private school choice programs.