The Ultimate Guide to Microschooling and Mix-and-Match Learning

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Microschooling. Course choice. Parentpreneurs. Youth-directed education. Enrichment center. Freedom to play. Educational innovation. Unbundling education. Education a la carte. 

Education is evolving, and if you’ve stumbled into an education conversation or joined a parent discussion group recently, chances are you’ve heard of learning arrangements or styles you didn’t even know existed. Today, many families are finding the flexibility, customization, and community they desire in learning arrangements at least partially outside their traditional public school or parochial school. Today, microschools currently serve an average of 16 students. Of these, 85% serve students ages 5-11, 66% serve students ages 12-14, and 16% serve those ages 15-18. While families who microschool may legally be homeschoolers or private schoolers, they share an entrepreneurial mindset that sets them apart. 

Beyond microschooling, many families are simply mixing and matching different education types; for example, they may be enrolled part-time in public school classes, online classes, or apprenticeship programs while homeschooling. To help you understand microschooling and other unconventional learning choices in your state, we’ve created this guide. 

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Common Questions about Microschooling

The basic concept of microschooling is pretty easy to understand: students gathering together in a small group – with adult supervision – to learn, explore, and socialize. Usually, microschools address a local need and are formed when families in the same vicinity bring children similar in age together. Microschools are always “micro,” that is, somewhat small. They’ve been called “modern one-room schoolhouses.”

You may hear two different families use “microschool” to refer to two learning environments that look very different. Perhaps one is an at-home learning group of five students while the other is a private school serving nearly 100 children. Education researcher Kerry McDonald describes that the term “microschool” encompasses education models from “homeschooling collaboratives that may meet a few days a week in a local community space, to learning pods in a private home, to full-time, small, low-cost private schools that prioritize individualized learning and don’t plan to grow beyond a few dozen students.” Microschools can take place in homes, churches, libraries, public outdoor spaces, or commercial spaces. 

For all their diversity, microschools share a commitment to flexibly and creatively meeting the needs of individual children. The National Microschooling Center describes microschools as “small, multifamily learning environments” that are rooted in relationships and place an emphasis on children as individual learners. Based on the needs of the community it serves, a microschool may gather for just 10-20 hours a week or only certain days. Families may work independently the remainder of the time. Many, though not all, microschools have a particular theme or specialty that informs their learning, like classical education, nature-based learning, self-directed learning, Montessori education, or special needs education.

While many think of microschooling as a pandemic phenomenon, there were small, creative learning environments like microschools long before that. QuantumCamp and Acton Academy were founded in 2009, and are two examples of early microschool learning programs. Outschool was founded in 2015 to offer small group, live online classes for K-12 students. That same year, Education Next wrote about how “from San Francisco to Austin, Texas, to New York, new forms of schooling termed micro-schools are popping up.”And it was back in 2018 that an Arizona dad started using the microschool learning model he’d call Prenda. Under the Prenda model, small groups of just 5-10 kids collaborate on project-based learning with the help of an adult mentor or guide. From one microschool in 2018, the Prenda model has spread to more than 300 microschools as of 2023.

Pre-pandemic microschool families were drawn to the microschool model because of their desire for freer, more creative learning environments than were otherwise available. Families who microschool today share that motivation. As Mara Linaberger, education consultant at MicroschooolBuilders.com, described, microschools are often focused on creating viable, sustainable education communities that leave a lasting legacy. Often microschools are inspired by a desire for students to be more self-directed and educators to have more freedom in teaching methods. “I began to learn about all of the alternative forms of education,” Linaberger said. “And as I learned my excitement grew! As I learned about small schools using models such as Montessori, Waldorf, or Reggio Emelia, I started to dream about the possibility of new kinds of schools… one-room schools that were modern, innovative, and joy-filled spaces.”

Here are the three most common formats you’ll see microschools take across the country today:  

  1. Learning centers for homeschoolers. A report by the National Microschooling Center indicates that about 44% of microschools take this format, catering to homeschool students. In states with strict private school regulations, this may be the most accessible format for families wanting to create a custom group-learning experience. For example, Freestyle Learning Microschool in Chicago Heights, Illinois is a drop-off center where homeschool children can participate in academic workshops or receive support with their schoolwork. 
  1. In-person private schools. Many microschools operate as mini private schools. These microschools have done the work of meeting their state’s requirements for private education. Families enroll their students as private school students. Microschools in this format are particularly prevalent in states, such as Arizona and Florida, that offer flexible scholarships called education savings accounts that families can use for private school. Families and microschool leaders in these states know that these programs can offer their microschool valuable resources while making it an accessible option for all families. For example, Acton Academies are a network of “one-room-schoolhouses” across the country, typically launched by parent entrepreneurs looking for small classrooms and an inspiring learning environment for their child. Many, though not all, Acton Academies are formatted as small private schools. 
  1. Hybrid schools. Another popular microschooling format is a hybrid one. Hybrid formatting consists of lending a few days of learning each week in a brick-and-mortar school with a few days of at-home learning. This format is becoming a popular choice amongst families with average enrollment growing from about 150 students in 2018 to over 260 students in 2023. Hybrid schools can have many names, including hybrid homeschools, collaborative schools, and collegiate model schools. For example, Providence Hybrid Academy students in Pennsylvania spend six hours on campus on Thursdays and Fridays, and work from home Mondays through Wednesdays. While participating families at this school are legally homeschooling, they choose to commit to the curriculum and guidance of teachers at the school. Hybrid schools also have a wide range of curriculum models, from classical to STEM.

You can find examples of different programs that identify as microschools in your state in the State-by-State section of this post. While the above three types may be the most common forms you’ll see microschools take, there are others, like private membership associations. Some microschools simultaneously offer both private school and homeschool options, so families can choose whichever they prefer. 

Plus, many traditional public school districts created small learning cohorts during the pandemic that allowed students to learn and socialize in-person. Some of these still exist today! In fact, a number of online public schools have created learning pod-like groups as an option for families. 

In short, microschooling can fall under practically any school type —- traditional public, public charter, public magnet, online, homeschool, or private — and is more a mentality than a specific legal distinction in most cases!

While many microschools are small, independent start-ups, there are also microschool networks with learning groups across multiple states. These can offer frameworks and resources for families wishing to start a microschool in their community. Innovative multi-state networks include Prenda, Acton Academy, Wildflower Montessori Schools, KaiPod Learning, Great Hearts, and The Forest School – Online.

To get a sense of day-to-day life in a microschool, we recommend you check out the podcast LiberatED, hosted by Kerry McDonald. You’ll find stories of microschool founders and families from across the country.

What about costs? As you can already see, microschools don’t fit into a mold. Some can be completely free to create and design, while others might cost hundreds of dollars each month. Many homeschool hybrids, microschools, and other unconventional learning programs do charge a tuition fee from participants. While this varies widely, it may be in the range of $175-$650 a month. 

Both local communities and national organizations, like VELA Education Fund, are working to support families who wish to found or participate in microschools. In fact, some surveys indicate that educational entrepreneurship is happening across income levels, but especially among low and middle-income teachers and parents. Many of these teachers and parents are sacrificing their own money to start school initiatives customized to their children.

As you’ll read about in the next section, there are some state-run scholarship programs that can help to offset the learning fees for homeschoolers who participate in a microschool, or the tuition fees at microschools that are arranged as private schools. 

As you’ve already seen, microschools and unconventional learning environments can take a variety of legal forms! Some are legally small private schools, others are support groups for online school students, and some are simply homeschool co-ops. Whether you’re microschooling with a group or just mixing and matching education options for your child, it’s important to understand what you’re signing up for and whether it meets your child’s necessary school requirements.

If you are un-enrolling your child from their existing traditional public school, charter school, magnet school, or private school to switch to homeschool or a microschool, you are solely responsible for determining their own curriculum, lesson plans, and methods of instruction, in accordance with state laws and regulations. In many self-directed microschool arrangements, parents serve as teachers. In others, parents pool resources to hire teachers, tutors, or instructors. Each state has its own rules for homeschooling. Keep in mind that homeschooling is not just a style of instruction, it’s also a legal term that means that parents have taken full responsibility for educating their children in the home.

In some states, there is a limit on the number of students who can learn together before that group or microschool might be classified as a standalone private school. If a microschool offers a more formal education arrangement and families officially enroll in the learning group and exchange money for services, this may indicate that it is functioning as a private school. Acton Academy microschools, for instance, are usually established as private schools that charge tuition and use state-certified teachers.

There are also situations where parents keep their children enrolled in their local public, charter, or private school, but also participate in a local learning support group. The purpose of these learning support groups is to help students better acclimate to learning provided by existing schools so that students can learn together and parents can accommodate their individual work needs. Under the supervision of a parent, several parents, or a guardian, students may work together on lessons, classes, and activities provided by the children’s existing schools. Learning support groups may meet during the day, in the case of online learning, or after school. 

Keep in mind that, in some cases where microschools are regulated as distance learning programs, arrangements that families make to regularly meet in person for their children to complete assignments together may be classified as in-home childcare. This has been the case, for example, with some Prenda microschools in Arizona.

Mixing and matching education through course choice, part-time enrollment, and more

As you can already see, microschooling often takes the raw ingredients of homeschooling or private schooling and rearranges those into something with a new, distinct character. 

But educational entrepreneurship isn’t limited to microschools! Keep in mind that there are also many innovative private schools that, while they don’t identify as microschools, share some of the same tenets, such as an emphasis on self-directed learning. Just one striking example is the Sudbury Valley School, which has generated several similarly-styled schools across the U.S. At Sudbury, children freely pursue their own interests on a 10-acre campus with no traditional classrooms. 

Parentpreneurs and course unbundling 

There are also many families today who don’t consider themselves microschoolers yet who are undoubtedly innovators in education; they mix and match education formats — taking some classes through a local public school or an online school while also having the flexibility for family adventures and at-home learning.

A growing number of states — like Arkansas, Florida, and Utah — have created state-run scholarship programs that homeschoolers are either already eligible for or will be eligible for once the programs phase in. Other states — like Oklahoma, Indiana, and Ohio — offer tax credit or tax deduction programs. These can make it easier for homeschoolers to pay for the curriculum, educational tutoring, or extracurricular activities they’re most interested in. 

Many states are also recognizing the benefits of allowing part-time enrollment at public schools, which allows homeschoolers to take advantage of specific district offerings and provides an additional revenue stream for public schools. Both of these trends are “unbundling education,” expanding families’ abilities to mix and match.

Innovative education providers

Education providers are innovating with models like KaiPod Learning, which has built the nation’s largest network of microschools by combining small, in-person learning pods with flexible online curricula. This approach empowers educators to create personalized learning environments tailored to each child’s needs.

Some education providers also see state scholarships as valuable for offering families cost-free options. Open Sky Education, for example, is a non-profit developing faith-based and character-formation education in areas that offer scholarship programs. The network has created private schools that utilize a voucher program in Wisconsin and charter schools in Arizona where students can tap into an education savings account. Microschools are among the network’s newest initiatives. 

There are also some innovative programs developing to give families pre-built frameworks they can then customize. For example, Utah-based My Tech High is an education program administered by various public schools. While participating students are technically “public school students,” they can choose to take all classes at home or online if they wish. They can use the program’s flexibility to travel, take early college courses, or participate in local community activities.

Other educational innovations today emphasize how learning doesn’t have to take place on a campus. For those interested in apprenticeships, for example, start-ups like unCommon Construction offer highschoolers the opportunity to earn pay and high school credits while learning how to build houses. Online organizations like Preppy partner with schools to offer online career training for high schoolers. And, initiatives like Liberated Learners Centers focus on self-directed education at learning centers. 

Some entrepreneurial learning environments are entirely online. The Socratic Experience is a private online school that shares many characteristics with today’s microschools. For example, it commits to learning cohorts of 15 students or less and focuses on making learning a purpose-driven experience for students. 

Others utilize global travel. Project World School immerses teens in cultures through worldschooling. The program describes: “Designed for homeschoolers, unschoolers and democratic learners alike, we offer immersive multi-day retreats formed as Temporary Learning Communities. Each retreat utilizes the enigmatic landscape of our host country as the canvas for exploration and discovery.” Additionally, Clonlara Global Learning Community is an educational initiative serving families in more than 60 countries. Students can live anywhere in the world and travel while enrolled in the program.

Microschooling in the United States

Below you’ll find a sampling of entrepreneurial education initiatives in your state! 

Policy-wise, every state has different requirements on records, reporting, and registration of different types of schools. If you are part of a microschool that qualifies as a private school in your state, you can check out the state registration, accreditation, and licensing cheat sheet. If you are interested in starting a microschool as a private school, you can check out EdChoice’s private school starter checklist for information and requirements in each state. You can also see a cheat sheet that touches on teacher certification and curriculum. If you are homeschooling and adding on supplementary learning experiences, you can see a cheat sheet for how each state regulates homeschooling and what public services you’ll be able to access.

Microschooling in Your State

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The information in this guide is designed to help families who are considering microschools in their decision-making process. Our mission is to provide families with the information they need about all the school options available – traditional public, public charter, public magnet, private, online, and at home – so they can choose the right fit for their child.