Microschools are designed to be small, but their impact doesn’t have to be. When designed and supported thoughtfully, a microschool can be both a powerful learning environment and a driver of broader system transformation. But scale doesn’t always mean replicating a single design. In some cases, the microschool itself may remain intentionally small, serving a specific student population or local context while influencing the system through practices it pioneers or the evidence it provides. In other cases, a successful design may be adapted and replicated in new settings.

Importantly, some microschool models may deliver the most value by remaining unique to their context. Their practices may not be transferable to other schools in the system, but their success can still offer powerful evidence that different approaches are possible.

Systems may also choose to scale microschooling as an innovation strategy—expanding the number of small, agile learning environments, but not necessarily the models themselves. The right path will depend on student needs, community priorities, and system goals. Sustainability means planning for that future from the start: building the capacity, funding, and policy conditions needed for microschools to endure and thrive. It also means documenting and sharing what you learn so others can adapt, build on, or be inspired by your work. 

Guiding Questions

• What does success look like after year one? After year five?
• What is your vision for scale: replication, adaptation, or system influence?
• What resources, structures, or supports will be necessary to sustain the microschool in the long term?
• How will you build internal capacity to lead, staff, and support future microschool growth?
• What role can documentation and storytelling play in enabling scale?
• What system-level or policy conditions need to shift to support long-term growth?

Action Steps

Define what you mean by “scale.” Clarify whether you’re growing enrollment, launching new sites, influencing practice, or something else.

Build a sustainability plan. Identify your long-term funding sources, staffing models, and governance structures to ensure ongoing viability.

Develop internal capacity. Train staff, codify systems, and create tools that make your microschool model replicable.

Document your model. Capture design principles, implementation practices, and lessons learned in a playbook or toolkit others can use.

Measure and share impact. Communicate outcomes clearly to stakeholders, funders, and system leaders to build support.

Create a scale strategy. Identify timelines, decision points, and key milestones for potential expansion, and revisit them regularly.

Tips and Examples

• Some public school systems create a dedicated innovation or portfolio team to support the launch and growth of microschools over time.
• Microschools that influence systemwide professional learning, scheduling, or assessment policies are examples of scaling by diffusion, not just replication.
• Codify your model while staying flexible. Anchor your work in values and design principles rather than fixed formats.
• Engage students and staff in sustainability planning; their insights often surface challenges and ideas that leaders may miss.
• Consider external partnerships, such as foundations and research organizations, to support growth and capture evidence of impact.

Opportunity and Access

As microschools grow or replicate, it is essential to approach expansion with clarity and care. Scaling too quickly can strain resources or dilute the culture that made the original model successful. Be honest about tradeoffs. Growth should be anchored in opportunity to ensure that new microschools serve a broad range of learners and that access isn’t limited to those who happened to enroll early. Just as importantly, systems must protect space for continued learning and iteration. Each new microschool should deepen the collective understanding of what is possible, rather than simply replicating what has already been done. Sustained innovation requires room to adapt. Growth should never come at the expense of learning and iteration.