Why and Why Now? The Case for Public Microschools

Microschools build on what has always worked in small, community-rooted learning environments and apply it to the needs of a changing world. When designed intentionally, they help public school systems evolve with purpose, offering all students access to future-ready learning.

Sixth-graders work together on a science project about weather disasters.

The microschool movement has deep roots and renewed momentum. Historically, all schools were microschools—small, community-driven environments where students learned together across ages under the guidance of educators. One-room schoolhouses once numbered in the hundreds of thousands across the U.S., forming the foundation of early American education. 

Over time, industrialization led to the development of large-scale, standardized schooling designed for efficiency. While that model supported a mass-production economy, it is increasingly misaligned with the needs of today’s learners and tomorrow’s workforce. Throughout the decades, interest in smaller learning environments has ebbed and flowed, but today’s microschool movement is not about going back in time. Instead, it builds on what we know works in small, community-rooted schools while leveraging new innovations to design future-ready learning environments. 

Why Now?

Education must continuously evolve to meet societal needs. We champion public microschools because they address fundamental shifts needed in education, not for novelty, but for strategic improvement across our educational systems. In a world shaped by automation, artificial intelligence (AI), and globalization, the necessary skills and mindsets learners need have changed dramatically. Today’s students must be adaptable, self-directed, and capable of working together to solve complex, real-world problems. Most schools, still built for an economy of routine tasks and linear career paths, fall short in preparing them for this future.

Families and students are seeking learning experiences that are engaging, relevant, and empowering in environments where students feel known and valued, where learning connects to their interests and aspirations, and where they can demonstrate mastery at their own pace. Microschools enable these kinds of experiences: learners build strong relationships in close-knit communities, engage in meaningful projects, pursue personalized pathways, and receive the support they need to thrive. 

Meanwhile, educators and leaders face immense pressure to modernize education while managing ‘innovation fatigue’—a cycle of new initiatives that often fail to drive meaningful, systemic change. Microschools offer a fundamentally different approach. Small, flexible, and adaptive by design, they are not retrofits of the traditional system, but new environments purpose-built for deeper learning and student agency.

A Growing Microschool Movement

Microschools are emerging as a fast-growing and increasingly diverse segment of the education landscape. They represent a rapidly expanding movement responding to a wide range of family needs, educational gaps, and community opportunities.

According to the National Microschooling Center’s 2024 Sector Analysis:

  • Approximately 2 million students are currently enrolled in microschools across the U.S.
  • 40% of these students previously attended public schools.
  • Most microschools operate in nontraditional spaces like homes, libraries, and community centers, and many are built by parents or teachers outside of traditional systems.

Importantly, microschool growth is not limited to private spaces. There is a rise in public-sector microschools, especially in districts and charter schools that seek to pilot innovative models or serve niche populations. Microschools are a particularly promising strategy for building options that meet the needs of more learners. A 2024 national survey found that many families choose microschools for more individualized attention, flexible pacing, and safe learning environments.

While enthusiasm is high, there are calls to ensure accountability and transparency, particularly for publicly funded microschools. Experts urge policymakers and educators to establish guardrails that strike a balance between flexibility and ensuring fair access, promoting learner outcomes, and maintaining public trust. With thoughtful design, microschools can enhance public systems, increase access to high-quality learning, and create responsive environments for learners who need something different.

Microschools as An Innovation Catalyst

Because over 90% of students in the U.S. attend public schools, public microschools can be a valuable way to ensure that all students, not just those in private or out-of-system settings, can access these next-generation experiences. As more families explore alternative models outside the system, public microschools offer a timely and strategic response. They help public education systems remain responsive, competitive, and attractive by offering high-quality options that reflect the evolving needs of students and families. In doing so, they can positively impact enrollment by retaining current students, reengaging others, and attracting new families seeking small, personalized environments. 

They can also serve as a strategic innovation tool. Public microschools uniquely position school systems to be responsive and agile, enabling them to adapt more quickly to emerging educational needs and community demands. By offering flexible, creative teaching environments, school systems can also attract and retain educators through greater autonomy and meaningful opportunities for professional growth. While microschools serve a limited number of students by design, their purpose extends beyond scale. These small-scale models allow systems to design and explore new approaches that can inform broader improvements across schools and programs. When intentionally designed, microschools can actually expand access to high-quality, personalized learning for more students by creating pathways that respond to specific learner needs and community priorities.

The Transition from H1 to H3: Unbundling Education for the Future

For many system leaders, the Horizon 1 (H1) to Horizon 3 (H3) Framework represents a new way of thinking about educational transformation efforts, including microschools.  

  • H1: Traditional Efficiency to organize and sort learners (e.g., grouping students by age and content by grade levels; Carnegie Unit; standardized testing) 
  • H2: Transitional phase of Efficiency Innovation for equitable proficiency in schools (e.g., disaggregated data with focus on achievement gaps; edtech and the internet; parent agency through magnets and charters; social-emotional learning)
  • H3: Future Learning Ecosystem for all young people to have opportunities for success in life (e.g, access to student-centered opportunities, advances in Science of Adolescent Learning; AI, blockchain, and web 3.0; learning outside traditional classroom; competency- and mastery-based learning) 

Today’s education system remains primarily rooted in Horizon 1 (H1) structures, where time-based progression, rigid curricula, and high-stakes testing define the learner experience. While many school systems are attempting to innovate, they often do so within these legacy constraints—operating in Horizon 2 (H2), a transitional space where new ideas are introduced but often constrained by outdated systems. As a result, even well-intentioned innovations can struggle to gain traction or have a meaningful impact on learner outcomes.

To drive lasting change, school systems must create dedicated H3 spaces, such as microschools, where new models can be developed and refined before scaling system-wide. Horizon 3 (H3) envisions a future of education centered on experiences that are relevant, purposeful, and learner-driven. In this future, students gain agency, develop self-direction, and engage in learning that feels connected to their lives and communities. They advance by demonstrating mastery, not seat time. They engage in interdisciplinary, project-based, and career-connected work. They build relationships in small, supportive environments, allowing them time to reflect, explore, and grow. Technology supports their journey, but doesn’t drive or replace it.

Microschools can provide a critical bridge from H1 to H3 by creating space for these new learner experiences to take root. But this transformation doesn’t happen automatically, because being small is not enough. A microschool only serves as an H3 incubator if it is intentionally designed to disrupt the status quo and center student agency, access, and engagement. Without that intentionality, even the smallest schools can replicate traditional practices and limit learner growth.

When microschools are purpose-built for innovation, they offer school systems a structured, lower-risk way to pilot next-generation learning without the disruption of full-scale overhauls. They enable systems to explore new models of assessment, support educators as co-designers of learning, and partner with communities to make education more responsive and relevant to real-world contexts. In doing so, public microschools offer not just a design solution, but a pathway to reimagining what’s possible for students.

For a deeper dive, explore these resources on Horizon Three Learning.

Now more than ever, school systems must align learning experiences with the evolving needs of the workforce and the aspirations of their local communities. Microschools offer one way to deepen this alignment by enhancing relevance, strengthening community connections, and bridging classroom learning with real-world opportunities. Unlike isolated pilot programs or incremental reforms, some microschools serve as high-impact incubators where districts and other public school systems can explore and scale next-generation learning models. By leveraging their small size and flexibility, systems can innovate with greater agility and ensure that successful approaches translate into broader systemic improvements.

Despite growing interest in microschools, relatively few public school systems have launched them. After speaking with dozens of system leaders, a clear pattern has emerged: it’s not a lack of interest but a combination of barriers that make microschools feel out of reach. Many leaders lack clear examples of success in a district or charter network context, making it difficult for them to know where to start. Others see microschools as a niche reform rather than a strategic lever to achieve system-wide goals, such as increasing personalization, supporting students who are disengaged, or deepening community partnerships. Access concerns also loom large. Leaders worry that small-scale models may unintentionally exacerbate disparities if not carefully designed for all learners. And in an era of strained budgets and chronic staffing shortages, the perceived inefficiencies of smaller learning environments can make microschools feel like a less practical investment.

Additionally, questions around outcomes and evidence contribute to system hesitation. It’s not that evidence doesn’t exist. Individual microschools and networks have shown promising results, but the approach is relatively nascent as a public sector strategy. The field lacks large-scale, longitudinal data that demonstrates how microschools impact student achievement, engagement, and postsecondary success across diverse contexts. As the microschool sector grows, clear evidence of impact will be critical for building confidence, informing design, and growing public investment.

Misconceptions about microschools also fuel hesitancy. Some assume microschools are only for some students, when in fact, public microschools prioritize accessibility for all within the public education system. Others worry that microschools are too expensive to scale, but their streamlined structure can enable systems to pilot cost-effective innovations before implementing them on a large scale. It’s important to clarify that scaling doesn’t always mean growing larger. It can also mean spreading effective practices, tools, or models system-wide. Another common misconception is that microschools divert resources from traditional public schools, when in reality, embedded in public systems, they can function as dual-operating systems. Rather than competing with traditional schools, microschools offer a complementary strategy to meet the diverse and evolving needs of students. Importantly, microschools are not about going backward. They build on what has always worked in small, community-rooted learning environments and apply it to the needs of a changing world. When designed intentionally, they help public school systems evolve with purpose, offering all students access to future-ready learning.

Microschools Take Many Forms

While this playbook focuses specifically on public schools, the microschool movement spans both public and private sectors, reflecting a growing interest in small, personalized, and agile learning environments across the broader education landscape. Identifying microschools can be challenging, as many schools (such as rural, alternative, virtual, or outdoor programs), don’t use the term “microschool” even if they share some characteristics. What matters isn’t what the school is called, but how it’s designed and who it’s built to serve. 

While small size is a common feature, we also define microschools as those that provide meaningful personalization, operational flexibility, and serve students for the majority of their learning experience. 

Some operate within a public system, like R&D microschools piloting new models for broader adoption across a district or network, while others operate independently outside of the public system.  Some microschools are housed in repurposed community spaces, while others operate virtually. Most are intentionally designed to serve specific student populations. Importantly, microschools do not exist in rigid categories and share overlapping properties. A single microschool may be project-based, career-connected, and located in a nontraditional space all at once. Another may blend Montessori education with competency-based learning at a university-based lab school. 

Rather than getting caught up in labels, system leaders can focus on the key conditions and design choices that enable learner-centered environments. This diversity of approaches is a strength, not a weakness.

Benefits of Microschools to Public School Systems

Improve Student Experience and Outcomes

Microschools provide personalized and flexible learning environments tailored to learners’ diverse academic, emotional, and physical needs. By centering learning on personal growth and equal opportunity, they empower young people to maximize their potential. 

In public microschools across the country, this approach is already yielding meaningful academic outcomes. At EDGE, a district-run microschool within Liberty Public Schools in Missouri, students significantly outperformed state and global averages on measures of college readiness, including AP and ACT exams. Similarly, students at the Arcadia Rancho Lab School demonstrated substantial gains on the state testing in both math and ELA, with growth exceeding comparison cohorts and a 10-point percentile increase, even when starting midyear. These gains are not incidental. They reflect the impact of intentionally small settings that foster strong learning cultures, individualized support, and deep student engagement.

Microschools also enable districts to create environments that are agile enough to meet systemic goals while remaining deeply responsive to students’ needs. At KM Global, a public microschool in Wisconsin’s Kettle Moraine School District, students benefit from interdisciplinary projects, flexible pacing, and real-world learning experiences—all of which are showcased through strong academic results and compelling student reflections shared on their website. These models do more than improve student outcomes; they create feedback loops for system learning. By operating as incubators within public systems, microschools generate scalable insights that inform broader instructional practices, staffing models, and assessment strategies. As districts seek to redesign learning for the future, microschools offer a powerful way to elevate both student success and system adaptability.

This matters because traditional, standardized school models often struggle to meet the diverse learning needs of all learners, particularly in foundational areas such as literacy. By reimagining education through small, learner-centered environments, school systems can provide more engaging and effective learning experiences that support the growth and potential of every learner.

 The Potential to Boost Literacy Outcomes

Microschools have been shown to improve foundational outcomes, such as literacy. Emerging models, such as literacy-focused microschools designed as “literacy launchpads,” demonstrate how small, high-touch settings can accelerate early reading skills through targeted instruction, strong relationships, and adaptive pacing.

Fuel Innovation

The design journeys for microschools can be more nimble, providing opportunities for rapid innovation that adapts to the evolving needs of communities or subsets of people within communities. By serving as innovation incubators, microschools can create a “dual-operating system” that enables school systems to implement and explore new approaches, such as competency-based learning, project-based models, and alternative assessments, in real-time and then scale those innovations across the system. Kotter refers to the “dual-operating system” as a model in which traditional hierarchies are complemented by small groups and informal networks—such as the microschools within a system—that can give rise to emergent, unplanned breakthroughs. As noted by Arcadia Superintendent David Vanasdall in Learner-Centered Leadership, “the dual-operating-system model simultaneously celebrates the need for strong traditional hierarchy, while building a network of small, agile groups that can quickly find solutions in real time.” The combination of structure and defined flexibility can lead to faster insights and collective learning.

This matters because larger traditional schools often face bureaucratic and logistical barriers that slow change. Microschools offer an agile way to iterate, allowing school systems to innovate more effectively without full-scale systemic overhauls.

Offer Choice

Microschools offer learners and families expanded educational options, helping to engage those who may not feel a sense of belonging or purpose in traditional school settings. With their ability to offer niche programs tailored to student passions and needs, microschools can create meaningful opportunities for personalized learning.

This matters because families are increasingly seeking alternatives to conventional schooling. A 2024 survey showed that 72% of parents considered a different school for at least one child, a 35% increase from two years ago.

Address Teacher Needs

Many microschools are teacher-designed and teacher-led, fostering greater educator autonomy, leadership opportunities, and job satisfaction. By providing teachers the flexibility to implement innovative instructional strategies, microschools can enhance educator engagement and student learning.

This matters because teacher autonomy and leadership have been key drivers of microschool growth in the private sector. According to the National Microschooling Center, more than two-thirds of microschool founders are current or formerly licensed teachers—a testament to the demand for educator-driven models. By integrating microschools into public school systems, leaders can retain high-quality educators and create more fulfilling professional environments.

Align Learning with Community & Workforce Needs

Microschools can integrate career-embedded experiences, creating workforce development pathways that align with community and industry needs. Through partnerships with local businesses, nonprofits, and higher education institutions, microschools can provide students with real-world learning opportunities while helping to address regional workforce gaps.

This matters because strong community ties enhance both learner engagement and economic stability. By co-designing educational experiences with local industries, microschools help public school systems ensure students graduate with career-relevant skills, making them more prepared for the evolving workforce.

Strengthen Access and Quality for All

Microschools can create more welcoming learning environments by providing targeted support to historically underserved students from low-income backgrounds, learners with disabilities, and multilingual learners. Their small size and flexibility enable educators to strengthen belonging and address individual learning needs more effectively, potentially reducing disparities in academic outcomes. In addition, an added benefit of public microschools compared to private ones is the accessibility to additional opportunities within the system for students who attend the microschool.

This matters because traditional schools often struggle to personalize learning for all students, particularly those who face systemic barriers. By intentionally designing microschools to promote success for all learners, public school systems can expand high-quality education options and ensure innovation benefits all learners.

Best of Both Worlds

At Synergy @Mineola High School, students have access to the best of both worlds, benefiting from experiences connected to the community at Synergy while still attending AP courses, specialty electives, and larger events at the comprehensive high school where the microschool is located.

Enhance Agility & Sustainability

Microschools can offer public school systems a sustainable model for long-term innovation by reducing costs, utilizing community assets, and fostering adaptive learning environments. Their small, flexible nature allows school systems to respond more effectively to changing enrollment patterns, workforce demands, and educational trends.

This matters because traditional school models often rely on large, fixed infrastructures that make adaptation challenging. Microschools provide a scalable, cost-effective approach that allows public school systems to modernize education without requiring extensive capital investment or disruptive restructuring.

Deepen Community Connection & Relevance

Microschools can serve as hubs of community-connected learning, using local spaces and partnerships to create authentic, place-based educational experiences. Whether housed in museums, libraries, nature centers, or local businesses, these schools bring learning closer to students’ real lives and offer relevance, context, and opportunities for civic engagement. They also enable learners to solve real-world problems that matter to their communities.

This matters because community partnerships often feel peripheral or optional in traditional schools. Microschools allow these relationships to become foundational. By integrating community assets directly into the learning experience, public school systems can foster stronger public trust, enhance learner engagement, and ensure that education is responsive to and reflective of the community it serves.

Next Page

How to Launch A Public Microschool in Your School System

Launching a public microschool requires strategic vision, collaborative leadership, and a deep understanding of the local context