New Survey: Parent Demand for K-12 School Choice Remains Robust in Post-COVID America

60% of parents of school-aged children searched for new schools for their children last year, survey finds, but only 28% of those parents enrolled their kids somewhere new.

MIAMI, Jan. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Sixty percent of U.S. parents considered finding a different school for at least one of their children last year. According to a national survey released today by the nonprofit National School Choice Awareness Foundation (NSCAF), parents of elementary- and middle-school-aged children were most likely to indicate they searched for new schools, at 66% and 69%, respectively, compared to parents of high schoolers (57%).

Black parents were most likely to say they considered different learning options, at 68%, compared with their Hispanic (63%), Asian (59%), and white (58%) peers.

NSCAF's survey comes as 27,541 public and private schools across the country prepare to participate in the fifteenth annual National School Choice Week, which begins on January 26. The week spotlights the importance of opportunity in K–12 education and provides parents with information about the education options available for their children.

"These results demonstrate strong and continuing demand for K–12 school choice, even as disruptions to K–12 education from COVID-19 have receded," said Shelby Doyle, vice president at NSCAF. "While interest in school switching has slightly cooled, awareness of school choice options has only grown over the past three years––during which half of U.S. states expanded public or private school choice options for families."

The census-balanced survey –– conducted from December 30, 2024, to January 2, 2025, among 2,873 parents of school-aged children –– also found that parents were more likely than last year to say they have the information they need to find schools for their kids. This year, 51% of parents indicated they wished they had more information about school choice, compared with 64% last year.

"We want as many parents as possible to know that they have options for their children's education –– from public, charter, and magnet schools to private education, online learning, homeschooling, and microschooling," said Andrew Campanella, NSCAF's CEO. "The biggest surprise of this year's survey is just how quickly awareness is increasing."

However, as Doyle notes, the survey also offers a clear warning sign indicating that parents may be growing frustrated with the lack of availability of seats in different schools, the time it takes to search for schools, or the steps in the school search process.

"Of the 60% of parents who searched for schools last year, only 28% enrolled their children in a new learning environment," she said. "This is the clearest sign yet that advocates, states, and program administrators need to get even more serious about expanding the availability of new school types while streamlining the enrollment process."

The full results of the survey can be found at schoolchoiceweek.com/january-2025-survey.

The National School Choice Awareness Foundation (NSCAF) raises broad and positive awareness of school choice through two charitable programs: organizing National School Choice Week each January and the research, development, and promotion of comprehensive and unbiased school navigation resources for parents via SCW Navigate and Conoce tus Opciones Escolares. NSCAF does not advocate for or oppose legislation at any level of government and is steadfastly nonpartisan and nonpolitical.

SOURCE National School Choice Week