Philanthropy’s Response to Our Education Crisis

Public school K-12 enrollment hit a historic high in 2019, but since that pre-COVID peak, enrollment has taken a steep 7.6% nationwide nosedive post-COVID. This dramatic downturn looks to be far from over, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Millions of parents watched their children struggle academically and socially during the COVID pandemic because of the isolation of shutdowns across the country. The uncertainty they faced in how long these conditions would last led to a reckoning with traditional schooling, and many parents sought new options for educating their children.

Fortunately, K-12 philanthropy has been building a rich ecosystem of school choice options across the country to bridge the accessibility gap to quality education. States are also working with the school choice movement to help students find a school that fits their needs regardless of location, background or income.

In May, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 2, the Texas Education Freedom Act, designed to create educational freedom to empower Texas families. The bill aims to establish an Educational Savings Account (ESA) Program, allowing students to direct funds toward pre-approved educational providers and services and help lower the cost of tuition.

Earlier this year, Idaho passed the Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit. The refundable tax credit program provides nearly $50 million in state funds for nonpublic school expenses for Idaho K-12 students.

In Georgia, the new Georgia Promise Scholarship provides state-funded scholarships that give eligible families $6,500 per student for each school year.

Ed Choice discovered that in total, 12 states offer educational choice programs for all or nearly all students. There are 75 school choice programs spread across 33 states, including Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, with growing momentum.

For decades, K-12 philanthropy has invested in innovative charitable organizations and schools that created environments designed for student success.

Private giving goes beyond in-class instruction and allows students to have options and select institutions that are the ideal fit for their needs. By investing in diverse educational opportunities, organizations can create civic-focused and ambitious young adults.

The Daniels Fund, celebrating 25 years of impact in 2025, is a leading supporter of ACE Scholarships, an organization that offers a pathway for families of school-aged children to pursue educational opportunities through its unique scholarship program.

ACE’s partial tuition scholarships supplement a family’s contributions, making it a truly shared investment in their students’ education. This recent mini-documentary by Philanthropy Roundtable shows how this partnership is shaping families and communities by sharing the life-changing impact of the scholarship program on the Sifre family in Colorado.

In Philadelphia, the fully philanthropy-funded private Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School provides a quality education for underserved K-12 students around the city. The school cultivates young leaders by investing in their future through cutting-edge work-study programming where students can receive job training alongside their education.

To meet the microschool demand in Florida, the Education Freedom Foundation empowers educational entrepreneurs to create opportunities for families through a range of programs and services designed to support new school development. These small schools typically have about 15 students and are tuition-based, providing a more flexible and personalized learning experience.

For The Foundations School, run by the Center for Creative Education (CCE), creativity allows disadvantaged students to excel in grade-level social studies, science, and math. Generous donors alongside Florida’s school choice programs, including the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, and the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities, help students attend the school. The Foundation’s school arts-centered model provides a thriving creative environment that can serve as a model for private or public schools.

Philanthropy has long been a mainstay in supporting a variety of academic avenues for families. While the pandemic proved profoundly challenging for our nation, it acted as a catalyst to provide parents with a greater view into their children’s education.

We continue to watch this pivotal shift in the United States as parents seek control over their family’s academic pathways and success. The systemic transformation in K-12 education choice is only amplified by state legislative support. In this era of academic freedom, we should not only promote families’ rights to choose but also champion the generosity that makes those choices possible.