School satisfaction higher among private and homeschool parents
Parents generally have a positive view of their child’s schooling experiences, but satisfaction varies based on the type of school, according to EdChoice’s national 2024 Schooling in America survey conducted in April.
The annual poll by EdChoice and Braun Research has been collecting school parents’ responses on a variety of K-12 education topics for years.
Similar to years past, private school and homeschool parents are more likely than district school parents to say they are “very satisfied” with their child’s schooling experience, and overall satisfaction is higher as well. Nearly 80 percent of private school and homeschool parents (78 percent and 79 percent, respectively) expressed satisfaction. Charter school satisfaction came in at 76 percent, and satisfaction among public district parents came in at 69 percent, with 28 percent reporting they were “very satisfied” with their children’s schooling experiences in this learning environment.
Parent Satisfaction by School Type, 2024
“Satisfaction levels reflect past experiences, but they don’t necessarily represent what people want,” writes EdChoice. The survey also asked parents what type of school “they would like to choose for their child, if it were up to them.”
Three out of five parents would choose a school other than public school. While 40 percent stated they would prefer a public district school, this is “roughly half the share of children who, in fact, attend public district schools,” points out EdChoice.
Notably, over a third of parents (36 percent) responded they would prefer to enroll their children in a private school setting, which is “four times the rate of students enrolled in private schools (9 percent),” continues EdChoice.
“Similarly, 14 percent of parents indicated they would like to homeschool their children, while nearly 5 percent of children are currently homeschooled.”
School Type Preference vs. Enrollment, 2024
States across the country are creating and expanding school choice programs that give families the opportunity to access their preferred learning environment by removing the financial barriers that would otherwise prevent them from doing so. Minnesota is not one of those states.
In Minnesota, public school enrollment has dropped for the past four consecutive years, while nonpublic school enrollment for the 2023-24 school year ticked up.