Nearly three-quarters (74%) of U.S. parents of school-aged children––or nearly 47 million moms and dads––considered sending at least one of their children to a new elementary, middle, or high school over the past year.
This data, from a survey of 3,214 parents of school-aged children conducted in June 2025 by the nonprofit National School Choice Awareness Foundation, indicates that parent demand for K–12 school choice has reached a new high-water mark.
“Most of our previous surveys took place at the beginning of the calendar year. Some parents – especially those who considered but did not actively search for new schools for their children – may have forgotten that they had even considered making a change. By surveying at the end of the school year, we’re likely to capture more accurate recollections. Either way, the data underscores a clear trend: School search behavior is durable and increasingly common.“
– Andrew Campanella, President and CEO
How many parents choose new schools?
Only 37% of the parents who considered their options – or 28% of all U.S. parents – enrolled a child in a new school last year. Meanwhile, 40% of parents who considered their options – or 30% of all U.S. parents – actively searched but ultimately did not make a change, while 21% of parents who considered new schools – or 16% of all parents across the country – though about switching schools but took no further action.
The 74% of parents who considered sending at least one of their children to a new school included 28% of U.S. parents who actively searched for and enrolled their children in new schools, 30% of U.S. parents who actively searched for new schools but did not make a change, and 16% of U.S. parents who considered making a change but never actively searched for a new school.
|
74.3% of parents of school-aged children considered a new school for a least one of their children last year. This includes: |
All U.S. Parents |
Total U.S. Parents |
|---|---|---|
|
Parents who enrolled one of their children in a new school. |
28.2% |
17.8 million |
|
Parents who actively searched for a new school but did not make a change |
30.4% |
19.2 million |
|
Parents who considered making a change but did not actively search for a new school. |
15.8% |
9.95 million |
Who are the parents that are searching for new schools?
Parents who actively searched for schools – whether they enrolled their child in a new learning environment or not – were more likely to:
- be under the age of 44 (60% vs. 46% for non-searchers)
- say they were currently married (69% vs. 60%)
- have household incomes at or above the U.S. median (68% vs. 59%)
- be employed full-time (65% vs. 52%)
- hold a college degree (66% vs. 57%)
- have a member of the military in their home (17% vs. 6%)
“Active choosers tend to be parents who are settled in other areas of their lives, such as relationships, housing, education, and employment. As they build the life they want for their families, education is one of the many areas they want to optimize and invest in for their children.”
– Shelby Doyle, Senior VP, National School Choice Awareness Foundation
According to the survey, Asian and Black parents (81% and 76%, respectively) were slightly more likely to consider new schools for their children than their Hispanic and White counterparts (73% for each group). Parents in larger metropolitan areas searched in higher numbers (79%) than did those in small towns (73%), the suburbs (73%), and rural areas (70%). In addition, more than 80% of parents aged 18-24 and 25-34 said they considered new schools for their children.
“Across our surveys, Asian and Black parents have consistently reported higher levels of school search activity than White parents. Hispanic or Latino interest has fluctuated and appears to have declined slightly in the past year or two. This may reflect national conversations about immigration and, as we’ve seen in multiple surveys, the fact that Hispanic families are more likely than others to report barriers to exercising school choice.”
~ Krissia Spivey, Senior Director, National School Choice Awareness Foundation
Why are parents choosing new schools?
Fifty-four percent of the parents who considered finding new schools did so out of necessity – they moved to a different community or state (13%), their children were entering school for the first time (18%), or their kids were transitioning from one school level to another, such as from elementary to middle school (23%). Meanwhile, more than one-third of parents (37%) considered making a change because they were not satisfied with their child’s current school.
“School choice is often framed as a response to parental dissatisfaction, and that is certainly still a factor. But in reality, most school switching happens for routine, everyday reasons. Advocates must do more to reach these families who are looking not for a political movement but for practical advice. Much of the time, there’s no one “right answer” for all children or even all the siblings in a single family.”
~ Shelby Doyle, Senior VP, National School Choice Awareness Foundation
The parents of pre-kindergarten or kindergarten children were the most likely to consider new schools. Parents of elementary schoolers were twice as likely as parents of high schoolers to explore changes.
“It will be difficult to slow the momentum of school choice now that many parents view it as a normal part of raising children. In fact, some of today’s parents may have benefited from their own parents making school choices. School choice is the new normal for parents.”
~ Shelby Doyle, Senior VP, National School Choice Awareness Foundation
What schools are parents choosing?
According to the survey, families are increasingly choosing schools other than the traditional public schools for which their children are zoned. Among parents who enrolled their children in a different learning environment, 33% said that at least one of their children was enrolled in a traditional public school in their neighborhood when they started the search process; after choosing a new school, only 26% said that they had children enrolled in neighborhood public schools. All other school types reflected post-decision gains.
|
Child enrolled in |
Before searching |
After enrolling |
Shift |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Traditional public school in your neighborhood |
32.5% |
25.9% |
-6.6% |
|
Traditional public school outside of your neighborhood |
18.3% |
19.3% |
+1.0% |
|
Public charter school |
17.5% |
18.1% |
+0.7% |
|
Public magnet school |
10.1% |
14.7% |
+4.6% |
|
Private school (religious or faith-based) |
15.9% |
20.0% |
+4.1% |
|
Private school (not religious or faith-based) |
14.9% |
17.5% |
+2.6% |
|
Microschool or pod learning |
5.6% |
8.4% |
+2.8% |
|
Homeschool |
11.5% |
17.5% |
+2.6% |
|
Full-time online school |
8.9% |
12.4% |
+3.5% |
|
Something else |
6.1% |
3.4% |
-2.7% |
|
Not applicable – Child not yet enrolled in school |
4.3% |
0.0% |
-4.3% |
“These shifts likely reflect a maturing school marketplace more than widespread dissatisfaction. When a new grocery store opens, people try it – not because they’re angry at the old one but because the market exists. The schools that will succeed are those that view school choice not as cutthroat competition but as an ongoing feedback loop in which they are learning and adapting to meet parents’ expectations and needs.”
~ Shelby Doyle, Senior VP, National School Choice Awareness Foundation
Why do parents decide not to switch schools?
Among parents who searched for new schools but ultimately did not enroll their children elsewhere, the most common reasons were concerns about disrupting their child’s academic or social life (29%), transportation difficulties (27%), a lack of local options (26%), and a fear of making the wrong choice (26%).
“School choice advocates have rightly focused on making more types of schools affordable and accessible. Recently, they’ve expanded the range of options to include non-traditional models such as microschools. But transportation remains an under-addressed issue. So too does the need for practical resources to help parents navigate the changes they’re making. As we continue to find, school choice is not only commonplace – it’s here to stay.”
~ Krissia Spivey, Senior Director, National School Choice Awareness Foundation
Looking to the future
Looking ahead, 56% of parents say they are likely to search for a new school for at least one of their children next year. Asian and Black parents were again more likely to indicate a desire to search for a school in the next 12 months – at 65% and 63%, respectively – compared to their Hispanic and White peers (57% and 54%, respectively). Male parents were also more likely than female parents to say they plan to search next year (59% vs. 53%), and parents in urban areas were significantly more likely to say they planned to pursue the search process (67%) compared to their suburban (53%), small-town (52%), and rural (50%) peers. Income levels appeared to have no impact on parents’ future plans, with 57% of parents in the below-median, around-median, and above-median income categories saying they were likely to search for new schools.
