Microschooling Spreads In Choice-Friendly States
Ar'Jillian Gilmer with her microschool students
When Ar'Jillian Gilmer launched her Arkansas microschool last fall, she wanted to create a new education option for students who were not thriving in a conventional classroom. A longtime public school teacher in Little Rock who had been offering personalized tutoring services since 2020, Gilmer knew that one-size-fits-all schooling wasn't always best for students. She became increasingly interested in the concept of microschooling, or an educational approach that prioritizes highly individualized, affordable, flexible learning.
'I'm a proponent for whatever educational setting works best for the child,' said Gilmer. 'If your child is doing well in public school, great. Leave them there. But if your child needs a smaller class size, if they need more one-on-one or small group attention, then a microschool setting might be good.' Since 2020, microschools have spread rapidly all across the U.S., as I document in my new book; but they are particularly popular in states with expansive school-choice programs. These choice-friendly states have passed legislation that enables families to use a portion of state-allocated education funding toward their preferred learning environment. Arkansas is one of the 35 states with a private school choice program, and one of 16 with universal eligibility, applying to all K-12 students. It is also one of the leading states to include microschools in its school-choice programs.
Gilmer opened her faith-based K-8 microschool with eight students, all of whom are legally considered homeschoolers but attend her program four full days a week. Her enrollment has nearly doubled in just one year. Part of that growth, says Gilmer, is attributable to the strong academic progress of her students, including those with special learning needs such as ADHD, dyslexia and autism. These positive outcomes are attracting more families. The other part of her growth is that Arkansas microschools and similar learning options are now more accessible than ever due to the state's education savings account (ESA) school-choice program, which was enacted in 2023. 'The ESA makes those options available for families who, honestly, can't afford to pay for microschool tuition out of pocket,' said Gilmer, explaining that all but one of the 15 families enrolled in her microschool for fall are attending tuition-free. She intentionally priced her microschool tuition at $5,900 a year, below the $6,800 annual ESA amount for which each student is eligible. 'The whole purpose of not charging the full amount of the ESA is so that families are able to purchase resources, materials, field trips and other learning experiences that will be approved outside of the microschool,' said Gilmer.
Spotting mounting demand for innovative education options, Gilmer is in the process of applying to become an approved educational provider in nearby Alabama, which enacted its universal ESA program last year. 'I'm just waiting for that final approval from Alabama,' said Gilmer. 'They did not give any sense of timing. I'm hoping it will be before August so that students can take advantage of it for the 2025/2026 school year.'
The common aim of ESA programs is to enable funding to follow families, but implementation and administration of these programs can vary by state. Clarity around rules and regulations can sometimes be lacking. For example, when the Alabama legislature passed its ESA program, the CHOOSE Act, some foster children were not eligible to participate. Organizations such as the Alabama Policy Institute (API), which has been a strong supporter of school-choice policies, pushed to clarify ESA eligibility during the administrative rulemaking process. 'We were able to make sure that foster kids outside of the scope of our Department of Human Resources were included through the regulatory process,' said Stephanie Smith, API's President and CEO, adding that she worked closely with Big Oak Ranch, an Alabama-based nonprofit that provides a home to kids in need. 'Now, each of their kids has $7,000 for private school.' A new paper published by State Policy Network, of which API is a member, urges transparency through rulemaking to help ensure that the rollout of an ESA program preserves its intended flexibility.
Jennifer Wolverton welcomes this transparency. A former engineer and founder of MARS, a STEM-based microschool for homeschoolers in Huntsville, Alabama, Wolverton is thrilled that her families are able to use their ESA funds to access the state-of-the-art technological tools and curriculum she offers. But she also spots limitations in the ESA rollout. 'The CHOOSE Act was meant to expand access, but the current ESA rules can block innovation and burden the very providers working to serve students,' said Wolverton. 'Cutting-edge microschools like MARS don't fit neatly into the old categories of tutor or private school. Yet, we're often forced to navigate rules clearly not written with us in mind.'
As education choice policies expand nationwide, education entrepreneurship in choice-friendly states will continue to accelerate. Making it easier for founders to start and scale their new schools and learning models by removing regulatory burdens will boost the variety and abundance of choices available to families. 'Choice is important,' said Gilmer of Arkansas. 'Sometimes we need a hand to help us reach the goals that we have for our children, and ESAs give families those options.'
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