Welcome to the Era of Parents in the Driver’s Seat: Parents Want an Education System with More Options and Flexibility, New National Survey Finds

January 7, 2025 – Boston, MA – Understanding the future challenges this generation of children will face, parents want policymakers to prioritize building an education system that emphasizes more options and flexibility.

The new nationwide poll released today by the National Parents Union shows overwhelming support for the following ways policymakers can improve K-12 schools.

When it comes to diverse curriculum offerings, the majority of parents support policymakers:

• Offering all high school students the option to take classes in career, technical and trade skills (94%)
• Offering all high school students the option to take dual credit classes that allow them to earn college credit while in high school (93%)
• Requiring schools to provide access to transparent data on student achievement, discipline, and enrollment for families and policymakers (86%)
• Have high schools automatically enroll academically prepared students in Advanced Placement courses to encourage students to take them, while still offering the option for students to opt-out (84%)

“To the surprise of absolutely no one, it is parents who are showing policymakers exactly what needs to be done to provide modern families the flexibility and options they need so children can be better engaged in the classroom,” said Keri Rodrigues, President of the National Parents Union. “Just two weeks before NAEP is set to release, parents want public education to kick into high gear with a clear focus on improving student outcomes and better preparing kids to be competitive in a global economy and it seems the political conditions might be ripe to give them what they want.”

 “The economic mobility of future generations is going to be entirely dependent on whether students have access to an education that is highly-personalized and one that adapts to their circumstances, not the other way around,” added Rodrigues. “Whether it’s deciding which school is best for them or what career skills can be acquired in high school, families need options and policymakers need to partner with parents in breaking down any barriers that are in the way of that.”

When it comes to school enrollment flexibility, the majority of parents support policymakers: 

• Creating a universal enrollment platform for K-12 public schools that allows families to apply to multiple schools with a single form (83%)
• Allowing open enrollment in all public schools, meaning parents could send their child to a public school of their choice instead of one assigned based on their home address (83%)
• Offering more virtual public school options, particularly for rural and small communities that have limited schools to choose from in their area (83%)
• Implementing transportation policies that enable families to send their children to their preferred public school (82%)
• Increasing the number of non-traditional public schools (e.g., public charter schools and magnet schools) to offer more options for students (80%)
• Eliminating laws that penalize families for crossing school or district boundary lines to have their child attend a public school of their choice (76%)

In addition, the majority of parents (71%) support allowing parents to use state public education funding allocated for their child’s education to send their child to any school they choose whether that is a public school, private school, religious school, or homeschool.

When it comes to allowing parents to use taxpayer funding to help pay tuition for a child to attend a private school instead of a public school, the majority of parents support the following circumstances:

• If a private school provides scholarships to cover any tuition cost not covered by the school choice program, ensuring students can attend even if their family cannot afford to pay (67%)
• If a private school is open to all students and staff, regardless of their gender, race or ethnicity, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation (64%)
• If the school choice program is only available to families who cannot afford private school tuition on their own (60%)
• If a private school is NOT religious (53%)

Moreover, if a K-12 school of any type (private, public, charter, etc.) receives any government funding to educate students, a majority do not support schools being allowed to:

• Refuse to admit a child based on their disability (77%)
• Consider race or ethnicity as a factor in admissions (71%)
• Discriminate against LGBTQ students or staff (70%)
• Consider gender as a factor in admissions (68%)

In addition, parents are open to other considerations with respect to enrollment policies:

• Reserve some spots for students from low-income families (74%)
• Consider academic performance as a factor in admissions (66%)
• Consider school disciplinary records as a factor in admissions (64%)
• Reserve some spots for students from underrepresented demographic groups to achieve a more diverse student population (54%)
• Require students to achieve certain test scores to be considered for admission (54%)

National Parents Union Survey

N=1,529 parents of public school students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade Online survey – Sample from Cint/Lucid sample exchange
Field Dates: December 2-6, 2024
Margin of sampling error: ± 2.7 percentage points

Click here for Toplines.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARENTS UNION

With more than 1,800 affiliated parent organizations in all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, the National Parents Union is the independent and unified voice of modern American families. We channel the power of parents into powerful policies that improve the lives of children, families and communities across the United States. https://nationalparentsunion.org/