The US Microschool Movement Is Gaining Momentum

Since 2021, state governments have passed laws exempting these small schools from local government regulations, and advocates have pushed for public funding.

In learning pods, or microschools, small groups of families take turns teaching children, or pool resources to hire a teacher. Andrii Medvednikov/Shutterstock

One-room schoolhouses are making a comeback.

Microschools—classroom settings for small groups of students across multiple grade levels—exist in standalone buildings or in borrowed or rented spaces. Organized by teachers and parents, they operate as private or public charter schools, depending on state regulations.