What is a microschool?

Imagine a school where there are no rows of desks, no principal鈥檚 office, and no bells marking class periods. Inside, a handful of students of various ages gather around a table to work on personalized projects. A teacher moves from student to student offering one-on-one attention. The 鈥渃lassroom鈥� may not be in a traditional school building, but in an office space, a church, a commercial building, or a student鈥檚 home. This is a typical scene at a microschool: a private, independent learning environment defined by its small size and flexible structure.

Microschools rose to national attention in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, when families came together to form 鈥榣earning pods鈥� for managing remote schooling. Today, the unconventional model is attracting a growing number of families seeking alternatives to traditional public and private schools. Research conducted by suggests that as of 2025, between one and two million students attend a microschool full time, with many more participating part time as part of a homeschooling curriculum.

What鈥檚 in a microschool?

There鈥檚 a huge variety in what microschools look like, making the model hard to define and even harder to categorize. But they have some basic characteristics in common:

• Small size: Microschools may serve anywhere from a few students to more than a hundred, depending on their structure.
• Personalized learning: Microschools vary widely in terms of their mission and focus, but instruction tailored to individual student needs is a big part of the model鈥檚 appeal.
• Mixed-age setting: Students often collaborate with and learn alongside different-aged peers, with each learning at their own pace.
• Community focus: Generally arising out of community demand, microschools typically rely on the involvement of family and a tight-knit community.

Homegrown hybrids

Microschools don鈥檛 have a common instructional philosophy, and that flexibility and diversity are part of their appeal. Some organize learning around mastery, asking students to show they鈥檝e grasped key skills before moving on, while others use project-based learning to connect academic concepts to real-world problems. Some microschools emphasize giving students autonomy and responsibility as part of the learning process. Instruction may be a mix of technology-based tools and small-group or one-on-one teaching. And while one microschool might draw inspiration from Montessori or Waldorf traditions, another might be more nature-based, classical, faith-based, or a hybrid of multiple philosophies. The common thread is the intention to adapt the learning approach to the student and the community.

No single blueprint

When it comes to structure, microschools take many different forms, often shaped by state and local regulations. Some may operate as licensed private schools, while others function as homeschooling hubs, co-ops, or . Because they operate outside of the traditional public school system, microschools typically avoid the administrative layers of more traditional schools and may be run by a licensed teacher, a group of volunteer parents or parent-educators, or even an entrepreneur who rents space and hires staff.

Most microschools are at least partly tuition-based, with a number of state school choice programs allowing families to use public funds to cover the costs. Some microschools may receive support from families鈥� employers or receive funding from public or charter school programs.

Supporters and critics

Advocates of microschools say the model鈥檚 greatest strength is its intimate design. Small class sizes and low student-to-teacher ratios allow for far more individualized attention than in a typical classroom, something that may be especially appealing for families of children who aren鈥檛 thriving in a public school setting. In a survey, nearly three-quarters of microschools reported serving neurodiverse students, and more than half enrolled students who had been performing well below grade-level benchmarks.

Because microschools are often exempt from many of the reporting and accountability requirements of public education, they have greater freedom to experiment with schedules, curriculum, and assessments. However, their legal obligations vary widely by state, ranging from tightly regulated to more loosely defined.

As a growing number of microschools receive public funds, critics are raising concerns about standards and accountability, arguing that the rapid growth of a sector with a murky definition somewhere between private and homeschooling has . And while anecdotes of student success abound, critics say microschools鈥� impact on academic performance has .

While policymakers and researchers weigh questions of accountability and long-term outcomes, families are increasingly turning to microschools for a more personalized, community-driven approach to education.