Microschooling is the reinvention of the one-room schoolhouse, where class size is typically smaller than that in most schools.
Microschooling has been described as a modern incarnation of the one-room schoolhouse. [1] In the United States, approximately 150,000 single-teacher schools operated in the early 1930s, but fewer than 400 operated as of 2005; school sizes became larger throughout the 20th century, driven by increased urbanization, the popularization of the school bus, and education professionalization and standardization. [1]
In the 21st-century United States, microschools are very small forms of private schools; they are often registered with the state as homeschooling operations. [2] U.S. microschools typically enroll fewer students than in a single traditional-school classroom. [2] Enrollment varies from a handful to several dozen. [1] Many emerge from collectives of homeschooling families that pool resources to hire a teacher. [1] Other microschools, often those led by a single educator, various emphasize different topics or approaches, such as project-based learning, the arts, or the Socratic method. [1] About two-thirds of U.S. microschools are operated by licensed or formerly licensed schoolteachers. [2] Some microschools are Christian, while others are secular. [2] Some microschools meet in homes, churches, or storefronts. [2]
The National Microschooling Center is an advocacy group for the movement; it estimated that as of the 2023–24 school year there were 95,000 microschools and homeschooling "pods" in the U.S. nationwide, with more than one million students participating. [2] A survey by the group found that 40% percent of microschool students were previously enrolled in public school, while another third were previously homeschooled. [2] The popularity of microschools increased sharply in the 2020s for several reasons, including disruptions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, more government funding through school choices initiatives, and the increase popularity of education savings accounts. [2] As of 2023, about one-third of microschools received public funding as part of school voucher-type programs. [2]
Many microschools are unregulated; in some states, curricula is not overseen, facilities are not inspected; and background checks are sometimes not done for staff. [2] However, some microschool operate four or five days each week, have full-time teachers and formal curricula, and use standardized tests. [2] Because microschools are often considered homeschools, most microschools do not require accreditation. [3] However, some microschools have sought and received accreditation as private schools. [2] In a National Microschooling Center survey of 400 microschools, shared with the newspaper The Hill in 2024, 16% of microschools reported that they were accredited. [3] A few microschools have grown large enough to no longer be considered "micro." [2]
A 2014 NPR article cited Brightworks of San Francisco, the Brooklyn Apple Academy and Austin, Texas's Acton Academy as examples of microschools. [1] The startup AltSchool aimed to operate microschools, [1] while CottageClass, a Brooklyn-based startup company established in 2018, supports the creation of microschools through an Airbnb-type platform connecting parents and teachers. [4] The Beekman School in Manhattan, which has classes of six or seven students, has been called a microschool. [1]
Some microschools have emerged from more traditional schools. For example, in 2024, the Purdue Polytechnic High School Lab School established a microschool in Indianapolis for 20 of its high school students who were identified as students who could benefit from a personalized curriculum and greater social-emotional resources. [5]
In 2007, a UK Conservative Party task force headed by Iain Duncan Smith recommended that the party propose "Pioneer schools" (jointly led by parents and charities) as a policy. [6]
Homeschooling or home schooling, also known as home education or elective home education (EHE), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted by a parent, tutor, or online teacher, many homeschool families use less formal, more personalized and individualized methods of learning that are not always found in schools. The actual practice of homeschooling varies considerably. The spectrum ranges from highly structured forms based on traditional school lessons to more open, free forms such as unschooling, which is a lesson- and curriculum-free implementation of homeschooling. Some families who initially attended a school go through a deschool phase to break away from school habits and prepare for homeschooling. While "homeschooling" is the term commonly used in North America, "home education" is primarily used in Europe and many Commonwealth countries. Homeschooling should not be confused with distance education, which generally refers to the arrangement where the student is educated by and conforms to the requirements of an online school, rather than being educated independently and unrestrictedly by their parents or by themselves.
In the United States, education is provided in public and private schools and by individuals through homeschooling. State governments set overall educational standards, often mandate standardized tests for K–12 public school systems and supervise, usually through a board of regents, state colleges, and universities. The bulk of the $1.3 trillion in funding comes from state and local governments, with federal funding accounting for about $260 billion in 2021 compared to around $200 billion in past years.
Secondary education is the last six or seven years of statutory formal education in the United States. It culminates with twelfth grade. Whether it begins with sixth grade or seventh grade varies by state and sometimes by school district.
Alternative education encompasses educational philosophy differing from mainstream pedagogy and evidence-based education. Such alternative learning environments may be found within state, charter, and independent schools as well as home-based learning environments. Many educational alternatives emphasize small class sizes, close relationships between students and teachers and a sense of community.
One-room schools, or schoolhouses, were commonplace throughout rural portions of various countries, including Prussia, Norway, Sweden, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Spain. In most rural and small town schools, all of the students met in a single room. There, a single teacher taught academic basics to several grade levels of elementary-age children. While in many areas one-room schools are no longer used, some remain in developing nations and rural or remote areas where scarce students and/or teachers complicate organizing the educational process differently.
Homeschooling constitutes the education of about 3.4% of U.S. students as of 2012. The number of homeschoolers in the United States has increased significantly over the past few decades since the end of the 20th century. In the United States, the Supreme Court has ruled that parents have a fundamental right to direct the education of their children. The right to homeschool is not frequently questioned in court, but the amount of state regulation and help that can or should be expected continues to be subject to legal debate.
Year-round school is the practice of having students attend school without the traditional summer vacation, which is believed to have been made necessary by agricultural practices in the past, the agrarian school calendar consisted of a short winter and a short summer could help with planting in the spring and harvest in the fall. In cities, schools were open most of the year. summers were very hot before air conditioning was invented, so upper class and eventually middle-class families would flee the cities and take their children to the countryside. Schools in cities eventually start taking summers off. In the late 19th century a push was made for the standardization of urban and rural school calendars, and so the modern system was created. Ten percent of US public schools are currently using a year-round calendar. A research spotlight on year-round education discusses the year-round calendar. The basic year-round calendar generates through a 45-15 ratio. This refers to students staying in school for 45 days but then getting 15 days of break. Students do not receive the traditional summer vacation, but instead they have more frequent breaks through the entire year.
The International School Yangon is a private, co-educational day school, which offers an educational program from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 for students of all nationalities who desire a U.S. education. The school was founded in 1955 and is widely considered to be the most prestigious secondary school in Myanmar due to its selectivity, academic rigor, breadth of on-campus facilities, and distinguished alumni. The school year typically begins the second week of August and ends the first week of June.
The Florida education system consists of public and private schools in Florida, including the State University System of Florida (SUSF), the Florida College System (FCS), the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida (ICUF) and other private institutions, and also secondary and primary schools as well as virtual schools.
The Montessori method was practiced in the United States early after its invention. While the name is not trademarked and there is no central authority for the method, the American Montessori Society (AMS) was established in 1960.
Conestoga Christian School is a private Christian school located in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1952 as an extension of the educational ministry of the Conestoga Mennonite Church, CCS is a non-profit organization providing education for K-12th grade students. The school is accredited by both Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and Middle States Association (MSA), and belongs to Mid-Atlantic Christian Schools Association (MACSA) and Lancaster Area Council of Mennonite Schools (LACMS). Conestoga Christian is staffed by 35 faculty members and enrollment is currently 325 students.
Stride, Inc. is a for-profit education company that provides online and blended education programs. Stride, Inc. is an education management organization (EMO) that provides online education designed as an alternative to traditional "brick and mortar" education for public school students from kindergarten to 12th grade, as well as career learning programs. As of 2012, publicly traded Stride, Inc. was the largest EMO in terms of enrollment.
Hiram High School is a public high school in Hiram, Georgia, United States.
Heritage Academy is a private, co-educational Christian school in Columbia, Missouri, USA, which employs the University-Model approach to education and is certified by the National Association of University-Model Schools (NAUMS). This approach seeks to combine the strengths of the home with professional instruction. It also provides a larger community for homeschooled students that would be unavailable to them a purely homeschooling environment. Students at Heritage Academy attend classes on campus from one to three days each week. On the other days, they complete assignments under the supervision of a parent or parents.
In the United States, elementary schools are the main point of delivery of primary education, for children between the ages of 4–11 and coming between pre-kindergarten and secondary education.
The Brooklyn Free School is a private, ungraded, democratic free school in Brooklyn, founded in 2004. Students range in age from 4 to 18 years old. The school follows the noncoercive philosophy of the 1960s/70s free school movement schools, which encourages self-directed learning and protects child freedom of activity. There are no grades, no tests, no homework, and classes are non-compulsory. In 2015, the school enrolls 80 students and has about 24 graduates.
The Free School is the oldest independent, inner-city alternative school in the United States. Founded by Mary Leue in 1969 based on the English Summerhill School philosophy, the free school lets students learn at their own pace. It has no grades, tests, or firm schedule: students design their own daily plans for learning. The school is self-governed through a weekly, democratic all-school meeting run by students in Robert's Rules. Students and staff alike receive one equal vote apiece. Unlike Summerhill-style schools, the Free School is a day school that serves predominantly working-class children. Nearly 80 percent of the school is eligible for reduced-price meals in the public schools. About 60 students between the ages of three and fourteen attend, and are staffed by six full-time teachers and a number of volunteers.
In Canada, homeschooling has increased in popularity since the advent of the 21st century. It is legal in every province, with each province having its own regulations around the practice. In some provinces, funding is available. In 2016, the number of homeschooled children in Canada was approximately 60,000 ; this corresponds to approximately one in every 127 school-aged children. In 2020, the average growth rate of the practice amounted to more than 5 per cent per year. Canada has a large proportion of non-religiously motivated homeschoolers compared to some other countries. It is also one of three countries worldwide, along with the United States and South Africa, that hosts an organization with lawyers on staff which serves the legal needs of home educators.
Education in British Columbia comprises public and private primary and secondary schools throughout the province. Like most other provinces in Canada, education is compulsory from ages 6–16, although the vast majority of students remain in school until they graduate from high school at the age of 18. In 2020, 86% of students in British Columbia graduated from high school within six years of entering grade 8. It is also common for children to attend kindergarten at the age of 5, it is increasingly common for even younger children to attend pre-school or early learning programs before their formal school age years.
K-12 education in the United States includes primary education starting in kindergarten, and secondary education ending in grade 12. Government-funded free schools are generally provided for these grades, but private schools and homeschooling are also possible. Most children begin elementary education with kindergarten and finish secondary education with twelfth grade. In some cases, pupils may be promoted beyond the next regular grade. Parents may also choose to educate their own children at home; 1.7% of children are educated in this manner.