Education in America: Putting parents in the driver’s seat

With students heading back to class, FOX Business is providing a playbook for parents to navigate the challenges facing America’s education system. 

Throughout this week, FOX Business is taking a closer look at issues ranging from school choice to teacher shortages, as well as the costs associated with getting an education, all while offering tools and solutions to help set up successful futures. 

Coverage begins with the push to give parents a bigger say in where they send their children to school. For advocates, that means expanding taxpayer-funded voucher programs and education savings accounts so that parents have more options, including homeschooling. 

But while the pushback routinely comes from teachers unions, it’s not a slam dunk in conservative districts because of costs. 

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Still, private schooling and homeschooling have become more popular in the U.S. in recent years, particularly after many public schools closed and switched to remote learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The school choice movement is growing in the U.S., causing concern from teachers’ unions and other groups concerned about public education funding. (Photo by Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images / Getty Images)

A national survey conducted by the Cato Institute earlier this year found private school enrollment continued to rise from the 2022-23 school year to 2023-24, albeit at a slower pace than the peak surge that occurred between the 2020–21 and 2021–22 school years. 

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Nearly half (46%) of private schools reported an increase in enrollment last school year from the previous year, with an overall increase of five new students on average per school, according to the study. Meanwhile, 30% of private K-12 reported no change in enrollment, and one-quarter (25%) reported a decline in enrollment.

Homeschooling has become more popular in the U.S. in recent years, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic. (iStock / iStock)

According to the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI), the population of children in grades K-12 who are homeschooled in the U.S. has grown roughly 2% to 8% per year for the past several years, but jumped significantly from 2019-2020 to 2020-21. As of the 2021-2022 school year, there were approximately 3.1 million homeschooled students in America, the NHERI says.

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A full special on education in America will air Friday at 8 p.m. ET on FOX Business Network.