Charter and private school parents most likely to name academic quality as a Top 3 reason for choosing a school

When given a list of factors to rank in choosing a school, more charter and private school parents selected “academic quality or reputation” in their Top 3 compared to public district school parents, according to EdChoice’s 2022 Schooling in America survey. 

Nearly 41 percent of private school parents and 51.5 percent of charter school parents ranked “academic quality or reputation” a 1, 2, or 3. Only 30 percent of public district school parents selected the factor as a Top 3, with “location/close to home or work” edging out at 38.1 percent. Choosing a school because it was the assigned district/neighborhood school was picked as a Top 3 factor by 27.4 percent of public district school parents.

For homeschool parents, a safe environment received the highest percentage at 40.4 percent, followed by individual/one-on-one attention and then academic quality.

In Minnesota, an overwhelming plurality of Minnesotans want local school leadership to prioritize academic excellence, according to American Experiment’s summer 2022 Thinking Minnesota Poll.

Yesterday I shared that over 60 percent of Americans believe K-12 education is on the wrong track and that public district school parents are less satisfied with their children’s schooling experiences compared to charter and private school parents.

Parents’ Reasons for Choosing a School

Parents’ Reasons for Choosing a School:
Academic Quality or Reputation Trends