When Nathaniel was in kindergarten, he told his mother, Diana Lopez, that he never wanted to go back to school. His teachers would yell at him, and when Lopez came to pick him up from school, Nathaniel would often burst into tears.
Nathaniel has autism, and teachers seemed to have few strategies for interacting with him in a busy classroom of 25 students, Lopez recalled.
Nathaniel, 7, was happier this year because he started at a new school where he shared one teacher with just six other students – not just one classroom, but the whole school.
Nathaniel attended a microschool, an increasingly popular type of very small, largely unregulated private school that serves fewer students than would be enrolled in a single classroom in a traditional school.
These programs are benefiting from two trends: Since the coronavirus pandemic upended schooling, many parents have rethought their children's education and become more open to nontraditional options. And Republican state lawmakers and donors who have long supported private-school choice are increasingly pouring money into microschools across the country, which offer parents an affordable opportunity to opt out of their school districts, typically costing $5,000 to $10,000 a year.
Students at microschools are typically registered with their states as homeschoolers, but a new generation of microschools like Nathaniel's school, Kingdom Seed Christian Academy, operate more like modern-day one-room schoolhouses, holding classes in homes, church basements or storefronts.
These schools are typically open four or five days a week, have full-time teachers, set curricula, and sometimes standardized testing.
There is little data on the schools, but the National Microschool Center, an advocacy group that surveys program founders, estimates there are 95,000 microschool and homeschool groups nationwide, serving more than 1 million students. In the 2023-2024 school year, a third of schools received public funding through voucher-like programs, up from just 18% a year ago.
That number is expected to grow, as eight states joined Arizona and West Virginia last year in offering near-universal access to education savings accounts, a type of voucher that can be used for homeschooling expenses. Georgia passed a law in April creating such accounts.
An estimated 1 million American children are currently using public funds for some form of private education, more than double the number before the pandemic, according to a new study from EdChoice, a nonprofit that supports school choice and tracks the sector.
According to a study by the National Microschool Center, 40% of microschool students previously attended public school, and another third were previously homeschooled.
Conservative philanthropists, including Janine and Jeff Yass, key figures in Republican politics, and the Koch family, have donated tens of millions of dollars to these programs.
But its appeal extends beyond Republican voters to many working- and middle-class black and Latino parents, especially those with children with disabilities who feel public schools are not meeting their needs.
Lopez is grateful for what microschool has given Nathaniel: He's more confident and less afraid of being in the classroom, she said.
“I feel like my kids are emotionally intelligent,” she said.
Anyone can start a microschool, but more than two-thirds of founders are currently or formerly licensed teachers. And these schools can teach anything they like, including science or history based on the Bible. Facilities may not be inspected, and background checks on staff may not be required.
And while many microschool founders say they accommodate students with disabilities, the programs aren't required to follow federal Americans with Disabilities Act and offer little of the therapy and counseling that's often available in public schools. Even Lopez said he might not send Nathaniel back to Kingdom Seed in the fall, because of the cost and the need for additional autism support.
As momentum for these schools grows, Georgia Democrats say the state should instead invest in vouchers to pump more money into public schools, reduce class sizes and hire more counselors and social workers to serve students with disabilities and low incomes. The state is estimated to have spent an average of $14,000 per student last year, below the national average of $16,000.
“There are groups that want to impose their values ​​and beliefs on all public schools,” said Lisa Morgan, president of the Georgia Association of Educators, an affiliate of the teachers union. She added that microschools are “just another way for them to pull kids away from public schools where they can experience diversity.”
“A lot of it is service work.”
Nathaniel teacher Desiree McGee Green founded Kingdom Seed Christian Academy last August in the suburban home she shares with her parents, husband and son, a student at the school. The family's living room is now a bright classroom, with letters, numbers and artwork hanging on the walls.
On a sunny April morning, Nathaniel was on the rug with three classmates, ages 5 to 7. The day began with biblical history, with the children walking through events from Genesis to “Creation,” then “The Corruption,” then “The Cataclysm.”
Christianity is at the core of the curriculum, developed by former public and private school teacher Mrs. Maggie Green. About a quarter of microschools are faith-based, according to the National Microschools Center.
“Anything that is not in the Bible and that goes against the word of God is false,” Mrs. Maggie Green said in an interview explaining her educational philosophy. “The next principle is that God created everything. Not millions of years ago. That's another big truth.”
After Bible study and French counting lessons, Michael Green, a retired teacher and husband of Maggie Green, taught math and science classes, while students in the schoolyard drew pictures of insects and flowers and wrote in their journals.
Kingdom Seed, which charges $500 a month for full-time tuition, is primarily a family-run business. The school also received a $10,000 grant from the VELA Education Foundation, a nonprofit backed by the Koch and Walton families, and describes itself as an “entrepreneurial community” in education.
Additionally, Maggie Green works as a coach for teachers who want to start microschools, hosts a podcast where she shares tips, and sells custom curriculum.
Because microschool tuition fees often do not provide an adequate wage, many founders have multiple sources of income.
The average teacher salary in Georgia last year was about $68,000, including benefits. A typical microschool charges $7,000 per student per school year and starts with seven students — a big pay cut for its founders, who also have to pay rent, supplies and other expenses.
But many program founders said they traded income for autonomy and passion.
Marisa Chambers, who runs Tri-Cities Christian School, a small school south of Atlanta, said she left her public school administration job in 2019 in part because she was frustrated with the current state of education for students with disabilities. She thought many students were years behind academically and unlikely to catch up without more personalized attention.
“A lot of it is service,” she said of the program, which serves six children ages 8 to 15, describing it as Christian and social justice-oriented.
On a recent spring afternoon, students gathered in the church basement to write and read stories according to grade level. A lesson on the life cycle of a butterfly was aimed at the younger students, but Chambers said older students had recently studied the Civil War and kids who love writing met with a book editor.
Alan, 12, first met Chambers when he was in kindergarten at the public school where she used to work. He was so withdrawn that he was diagnosed with selective mutism. When his parents and sister came to visit, they would often see him separated from his classmates.
This spring, he was smiling and telling the story to strangers with ease. “When I was a kid, I never raised my hand,” he recalled. Now, with plenty of attention from Mr. Chambers and just five classmates, “I really love this school. I can learn more here.”
His sister, Monica Raton Perez, 24, who helps care for Alan, said he has made “phenomenal” progress, but even with the big discount, tuition is too expensive for the family, and Alan will enroll in a charter school in the fall.
Expanded with taxpayer money
Chambers said he wants to serve more low-income students in the 2025-2026 school year thanks to legislation signed by Gov. Brian Kemp in April that provides $6,500 education savings accounts to parents who withdraw their children from public schools in the bottom 25 percent of performance levels. Priority will be given to families of four making less than $125,000 a year.
Not all small schools want to participate in the program: Detailed rules have yet to be released, but schools that receive the money will have to administer standardized tests in math and English annually and report the results to the state. They may also be required to hire at least one certified teacher.
Some microschools are even gaining official status. Keyana and Jamal Morrow are pursuing private-school accreditation for Choice Preparatory Academy in Lilburn, Georgia. Their program started as a microschool, but after six years, it's not so micro anymore.
The school, which is housed in a former law office, currently caters to 40 students aged between eight and 17. Morrow, who studied education at university, founded the school after her own children struggled to read and write.
The program is secular and, like the Morrows, mostly black, and rigor is valued: On one school day in April, older students studied the etymology of Greek and Roman words while younger students built simple electromagnetic motors using wires and batteries laid out on a large table.
Harmony, 11, explained why this environment suited her better than public school: Here, she said, an adult sits next to her and explains each lesson or concept step-by-step.
Morrow said most parents would choose public school if it was convenient for their children: public school is free, students can join clubs and sports teams, and they have access to a wider range of peers.
But in reality, she said, those schools too often push black students forward a grade level if they haven't mastered core concepts.
When students participate in her programs, “I have to get them going again,” she says. “They think they can't do it, they're stupid, they can't be taught.”
“Parents are waking up,” she added, “especially in the black community.”
Susan C. Beachy contributed to the research.