2026-2027 School Choice Trends

What is School Choice?

School choice means giving parents the power to select the best educational environments for their children. Navigate School Choice celebrates all of the K-12 education options that parents can choose – or want to be able to choose – for their kids. These options include: traditional public schools, public charter schools, public magnet schools, private schools, online learning, homeschooling, and microschooling and mix-and-match learning.

Navigate School Choice does not prefer one type of choice above another. Instead, we believe that parents themselves are best qualified to make decisions for their children. This page provides an up-to-date overview of the school choice trends happening across the nation.

What’s New in 2026?

The school choice movement has been growing for over 30 years, and so far in 2026, 11 states created new or expanded existing school choice programs.

As school choices expand, families are talking. Reports show strong take-up rates of these new options as parents actively engage in comparing and choosing between learning choices. In a January 2026 Parent Survey, 75% of U.S. parents of school-aged children engaged with school choice for the 2025-2026 school year.

Open enrollment and traditional public schools are established by school districts and are available for children in all 50 states. These schools do not charge tuition. Open enrollment policies make it possible for parents to choose traditional public schools that are outside of their zone or district.

There are two types of open enrollment: intradistrict (choosing a school within your zoned district) and interdistrict (choosing a school in another district altogether).

There are currently more than 98,000 traditional public schools nationwide serving over 49.4 million children. That’s about 74% of students attending public schools nationwide.

In 12 states parents may be able to select any traditional public school for their child, in any school district.

In 22 states, there are at least some situations where schools are required to participate in open enrollment. For example, some states guarantee open enrollment to families who wish to transfer out of a low-performing school, or families who live too far from their assigned school. In these states, parents meeting certain requirements are guaranteed choice. Open enrollment may be optional in other cases.

An additional 16 states have allowed districts and schools to decide whether to participate in open enrollment. In these cases, families must request and receive school district approval to use open enrollment. Access to public school transfers in these states vary widely – in some, transfers are readily available while in others, transfers are rarely permitted.

In 1 state, North Carolina, open enrollment is generally not permitted, but there are still select cases where families have access to “choice zones” or transfers.

Charter schools are public schools that are free to attend and open to all students, including those with special needs. They are created by school districts, colleges, nonprofit organizations, or other entities. These schools are allowed to determine many of their own policies and practices; the goal is to innovate within the public school system.

There are currently about 7,800 charter schools in the U.S. serving about 3.8 million children. That’s about 7.2% students attending a public charter school nationwide.

47 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws allowing for the creation of public charter schools, although North Dakota, Montana, and Kentucky do not currently have any operating charter schools. The number of students in charter schools has more than doubled in the last 10 years.

Key States with Changes in 2026

Idaho – Idaho passed HB 726, allowing charter schools to give enrollment preference to students from military families in lottery and waitlist processes. This applies to both active-duty military families and Reserve/National Guard families. This law went into effect on July 1, 2026.

Indiana – Indiana passed legislation in March of 2026 creating a new governing body: the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation (IPEC). IPEC will oversee both public school district and public charter schools together and will create a unified transportation system across both district and charter schools.

Kentucky – The Kentucky Supreme Court struck down a 2022 law allowing for the creation of publicly-funded charter schools in the state. Charter schools can still exist in Kentucky, however they cannot use any state education funding to cover the cost of operations.

New Jersey – In January of 2026, former Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation updating the laws governing charter schools in the state. The new legislation aims to increase transparency for charter schools.

Rhode Island – A bill signed into law in June of 2026 placed a three-year moratorium on the opening of new charter schools in Rhode Island, a move that includes any previously approved but not yet open schools. While no new charter schools may open during this time, all currently operating charter schools will continue as normal.

South Carolina – South Carolina’s latest bill on charter schools, signed into law on May 15, 2026, focuses on accountability and governance. The bill increases financial transparency, expands oversight of charter autorizers, and strengthens state monitoring requirements for charter schools.

Magnet schools are public schools operated by school districts (or groups of school districts) that allow kids to focus on a specific learning track, such as STEM, medical science, or performing arts. At a magnet school, all subjects are taught through the lenses of the school’s specific track.

Magnet schools are free to attend and there are more than 4,300 magnet schools across the country serving about 3.5 million children. That’s about 5.0% students attending magnet schools nationwide. In addition, there are thousands of magnet programs within traditional public schools. Magnet schools, theme-based schools, or magnet programs are permitted in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming do not have any freestanding magnet schools.

Private schools are available in all 50 states. They charge tuition and may be faith-based or independent. Many private schools and nonprofit organizations offer scholarships for students. 

There are about 34,576 private schools nationwide serving about 4.7 million children. Nationwide, about 3,479,000 families pay out of pocket to attend private schools. 

In addition, 35 states offer official state-run programs that provide either a scholarship to private school (such as a tax-credit scholarship or an education savings account program) or private school tuition assistance (such as a tax deduction) for families. Of these states, 25 states offer official scholarship programs, 9 states offer both scholarship and deduction programs, and 1 state offers only a deduction program. 

Currently, over 972,000 nationwide are participating in a private school choice program.

Find jargon-free explanations of education savings accounts and tax-credit scholarships in our Education Glossary. For full details of your state’s private school scholarship and deduction availability, you may wish to directly contact a local or state-based school choice organization.

Key States with Changes in 2026

Alabama- Governor Kay Ivey signed the state budget in May of 2026, increasing the CHOOSE Act budget to $250 million. This will cover roughly 50,000 students who have applied to participate in the education savings account program, nearly tripling the program’s previous reach of approximately 18, 500 students. Eligible students can receive up to $7,000 per year.

Arkansas- The Arkansas LEARNS Act saw another funding increase in the beginning of 2026 when the Arkansas Legislative Council approved an additional $32 million for the program. Nearly 52,000 students began applications for the 2025-2026 school year, with over 46,000 students awarded accounts.

Georgia – Georgia’s amended budget, signed by the Governor in March of 2026, included a one-time decrease of funding for the Georgia Promise Scholarship. The program, originally funded at $141 million, was amended downward based on actual usage data. The actual usage was closer to $55 million based on eligible students.

Kansas – Lawmakers in Kansas overrode the Governor’s veto of legislation expanding the state’s tax credit scholarship program. The new law doubles the scholarship tax-credit cap from $10 million to $20 million.

Oklahoma – In a similar move as Kansas, Oklahoma’s Parental Choice Tax Credit cap also saw an increase. HB 3705, signed by Governor Stitt, increased the cap from $250 million to $275 million. The program provides refundable tax credits of $5,000 to $7,500 per student for private school tuition, with nearly 40,000 students participating this year. On the first day of applications for the 2026-2027 school year nearly 27,.000 applications were received!

Tennessee – Governor Lee signed the state budget for TN in May of 2026, which included $304 million in funding for the Tennessee Education Freedom Scholarship program. This will expand the enrollment cap from about 25,000 to 35,000 available seats for the 2026-2027 school year.

West Virginia – West Virginia HB 5686 was signed into law in April of 2026, changing the funding mechanism of the Hope Scholarship payments to be quarterly. The goal of this legislation is to offer more consistent and predictable funding for families.

Virtual academies instruct students through online or digital curricula. In the U.S., approximately 564,000 K-12 students attended a full-time online school for the 2022-23 school year.

In 42 states and D.C., online public schools have been established by state authorities, by school districts, or charter schools, meaning students can attend these schools full-time, tuition-free for all grades K-12. In Vermont, free, full-time online public school is available for grades K-8. In Kentucky, free, full-time online public school is available for grades K-11. 

In addition, more than 30 states offer part-time online public schooling through course access, which allows students to use online coursework to supplement their education with specific classes. In many states, this is accessible, and sometimes even free, for private school or homeschooled students.

Key States with Changes in 2026

Florida– Starting July 1, 2026, more students in Florida will have access to online classes through Florida Virtual School. SB 124, passed in late March of 2026, removed priority groups for enrollment. This makes it so anyone can enroll and increases flexibility – students can enroll full-time or take a few classes alongside their regular school.

Homeschooling is the process of parents educating children in the home, and many families choose to collaborate via tutorials, co-operatives, and extracurricular leagues to enhance the home education experience. 

Enrollment in homeschool programs nearly doubled from 1999 (0.9 million) to 2016 (1.7 million). In 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic, more than 2 million children (more than 3% of the American student population) were educated in their home. As of 2023, over 1.7 million students across the country were homeschooled. Depending on the criteria used, an estimated 3%-5% of students are homeschooled.

All 50 states allow homeschooling, but laws regulating it vary widely from state to state.

Key States with Changes in 2026

Connecticut – House Bill 5468, which advanced in a split committee vote, passed and will be come law starting July 1, 2027. This bill creates requirements around homeschooling in Connecticut. Families who want to homeschool will now face more formal state interaction and paperwork, including needing to go through a structured approval/reporting process when withdrawing from their local public school.

New Hampshire – HB 1817 passed in March of 2026, addressing Education Freedom Account students and their access to certain district programs. Home-educated, public charter, and nonpublic students will have access to programs at their zoned school district such as band, athletics, and advanced course work at no cost.

Wyoming – A bill passed in the spring of 2026 makes it so all K-12 students – including homeschool students – can participate in public school activities such as sports, clubs, and other local school programs at their local public school. Homeschoolers in Wyoming can also take state assessments free of charge.

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. 

The number of families participating in microschooling or mix-and-match learning is hard to judge – many are legally registered as homeschoolers or private schoolers. Regardless of the legal definition, one thing they all share is an entrepreneurial mindset that sets them apart.

Read more at the complete guide to microschooling and mix-and-match learning.