National Microschooling Center's Thursday Bulletin
Hello Microschooling Community!
Wishing every microschool founder, educator and family the best finish to your school year imaginable. Some of us are winding down our last full week, others getting into the final month, and so many brand new microschools we are talking to getting ready to open their doors for the first time. May you all thrive together.
Thank you for giving us the time for this update, we’ll keep it moving. The Center is excited to announce the opening of our newest class over at the NMC Training Institute, Marketing Your Microschool, about 3.5 hours of strategies, insights, tools and resources about one of our most-requested topics.
In this edition: Sneak Preview of the Center’s 2026 Microschooling Sector Analysis, an update from two favorite research experts with practical findings about why families choose microschools, also get ready for our team’s summer free training workshop tour, coming to your state soon (especially if you’re in the Southeast)!
2026 American Microschools Sector Analysis Coming Soon!
In a few short weeks, the National Microschooling Center will publish its much anticipated latest research on today’s highly diversified microschooling sector and movement. This biggest-ever study examines 1,000 microschools in all 50 states considering important, under-the-hood considerations while informing pertinent policy discussions. Here’s an inside look at a few of the findings…
Microschools, able to provide new, popular schooling options in communities leveraging flexibilities in education requirements, often face barriers from noneducation frameworks administered by local government authorities, and dedicate nearly 100 hours each year on average completing compliance-related tasks.
A trend among microschools, especially prelaunch microschools, is their prioritization of nonacademic growth among desired student outcomes of their highly diversified models.
Once again, half of microschool founders are either currently or formerly licensed public educators.
The research finds half of microschools indicated their families receive funding from state-provided school choice programs, while 3 in 5 rely primarily on tuition-based funding from families, often including sliding scale tuition discounts.
Keep an eye on this space in coming weeks for major coverage of this new research and the positive news coverage it informs on compelling stories about today’s microschooling movement.
“In parents’ telling,” they write, “district schools lose them when they fail at the basics: safety, transparency, and parent voice. They win families back when parents believe they offer something broader: whole-child development, social integration, and a richer set of life opportunities.”
McShane and Arnett, two staunch champions for the microschooloing movement, note that district schools are both the most left and the most returned to, and the reasons are not the same.
Center Summer Tour
Save these dates…more information coming soon!
Sunday, June 7th: Florida Founder meetup in Orlando with Tonya Kipe and Katie Elliott, email tonya@microschoolingcenter.org for the info!
Monday June 8th-Tuesday June 9th: Navigating New Horizons Conference in Orlando! Catch Ashley Soifer, Katie Elliott and Tonya Kipe at our booth! Plus…don’t miss Tonya and Ashlery’s presentation on Tuesday, June 9th at 11:15am, The Microschool Movement: 2026 Trends Shaping the Next Era of Education
Wednesday, June 10th: Full-day microschooling workshop in Charleston, South Carolina! Save the date, more info coming soon!
Friday, June 12th: Microschool Meetup in Madison, AL! Save the date, more info coming soon!
Saturday, June 13th: Full-day microschooling workshop in Little Rock, Arkansas! Save the date, more info coming soon!
Friday, June 26th: Full-day microschooling workshop in Jackson, Mississippi! Save the date, more info coming soon!
Keep an eye out in this space for full-day trainings in Alabama and Georgia announcing soon!
The Can't Miss of the Season!
Take a look for virtual trainings, conferences, local meetups and more!
Virtual: Currently Operating Office Hours, Thursday, May 14th | 3pm PT/6pm ET
Join Alex for monthly conversations about struggles, joys, and other general support for running your microschool. We can all work together to suggest resources, celebrate wins, and create a nationwide community of school leaders.
