Why Do Families Switch Schools?

School choice policies are increasingly shaping the American education system.

This is true in the public school system, with magnet schools and inter-district transfer programs. It is true in the charter school system, where millions of students attend autonomous public schools that sit outside of district control. And, states like Texas and even the federal government are creating private school choice programs, allowing students to use state funds to attend private school.

More and more families gaining the opportunity to choose their child's school presents a question: Why do families choose the schools that they do?

We at EdChoice have just released the 14th edition of our annual Schooling in America survey, a nationwide poll of Americans and American parents. We asked multiple choice-related questions that can help us understand parental motivation and decision making.

First, to get the scope of the issue, we found that 28% of parents reported having moved their child from one school to another (outside of normal transitions like elementary to middle school and middle to high school). Given that there are around 50 million public school students in America, over a quarter moving in their school career is a very large number.

Second, we asked parents a general question about school preferences. The question was, if they had a free choice, where would they send their child to school? The plurality, 49%, would choose a public school, either within or outside of their assigned district. Another 27% would choose a private school, 12% would choose to homeschool, and 11% would choose a charter school.

Given that around 80% of students today attend public school, there is clearly scope for change.

But why? We then asked several questions to try and answer this question.

First, we asked parents about characteristics of the school that families chose to leave. This can help us understand what might have pushed them out of that environment. The most popular response was excessive stress or anxiety, followed by academic needs not being met, bullying, difficulty with teachers, and not enough individual attention.

We then asked parents who chose different school types why they did so. This can help us understand what might have pulled them into a new learning environment.

For public school parents, the top three reasons were location, socialization, and assigned school district.

For private school parents, the top three reasons were better education quality, safety and less bullying, and instruction aligning with morals or values.

For both charter school parents and homeschool parents, safety and less bullying was in the top three reasons as well.

These responses tell us three things.

First, bullying plays a central role in school choice. It is hard to think that in the year 2026 bullying is still such an issue, but it was the number one characteristic parents named from the schools that they left. Not surprisingly, for many different types of school choosers, safety and a lack of bullying was a primary reason for choosing that school. It was both a push and pull factor.

This makes a great deal of sense. If your child is being bullied, nothing else about the school really matters. Oh, it has a great math department? Doesn't really matter if your child is living in fear every time they walk through the front door.

Second, it is clear that different parents want different things from different schools. Parents who choose public schools prioritize location, something that public schools have a clear advantage in providing. Parents who choose homeschooling prioritize individual attention in education, something central to homeschooling. Private and charter parents like morals and values in their child's education, and many charter and private schools are able to offer that.

A world of increasing school choice is not one of convergence on one "right" way to educate children. Rather, it is about creating an ecosystem of educational options that can match children and families to environments in which they will thrive. That means trying to encourage differentiation and innovation and not worrying as much about whether or not every school is for every child.

Third, public schools should not fear school choice. Almost half of all parents would still choose a traditional public school in a world of unfettered choice. It is possible that if public schools upped their game, there might be some private, charter, or homeschool families that would change their minds as well. Public schools have a big advantage when it comes to location, and that is something that they can leverage to attract families. With some additional work understanding the issues that push families away, they could thrive in a world of increased school choice.

Parents are telling us why they are leaving and why they are choosing. Policymakers and educators that listen to them will be in prime position to make both school choice programs and schools themselves serve families better in the growing American education marketplace.