Beyond the Celebration: Helping Families Find the Right School for Their Kids
Campanella: As 9 million parents, teachers & families mark National School Choice Week at 27,000 events, we know some of the hardest work lies ahead.

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For 15 years, I have had the privilege of working alongside the team that organizes National School Choice Week each January. Just as our celebrations have grown — from 150 events and activities in 2011 to more than 27,000 in 2025 — so, too, has the broader movement for opportunity in K-12 education.
It is no exaggeration to say parents today have more educational options for their children than at any time in history. Just last year, 16 states expanded access to traditional public, public charter, public magnet, private, online, home and nontraditional schools. These expansions followed a record-breaking 2023, when 20 states increased school choice options.
But are parents nationwide taking advantage of these opportunities? The reality is more complex than a simple yes or no.
New research from the National School Choice Awareness Foundation, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit I lead, shows 60% of U.S. parents say they considered a new or different school for at least one of their children last year. While school searching has leveled off somewhat from its post-COVID high of 72% in 2024, it is still robust. Encouragingly, a higher percentage of parents this year (60%) said they had recently discussed schooling options with friends and family, a 10-percentage-point increase over last year.
However, hidden within this data is a warning sign: Of those parents who explored new options, only 28% ultimately enrolled their children in a different school.
Previous surveys suggest that particular barriers often prevent parents from following through, even when options are available. These include a lack of transportation, financial constraints, confusion over enrollment processes and simply a lack of time to apply.
As a movement, we cannot ignore the difficulties families face. It is time to match the growing quantity of school choice options with resources and tools to help parents navigate them.
That is why, over the past three years, the National School Choice Awareness Foundation has expanded its efforts beyond organizing National School Choice Week. Each January, we now host the nation’s largest online portfolio of school navigation resources, available in English and Spanish. These programs — Navigate School Choice and Conoce tus Opciones Escolares — equip millions of families each year with the information they need to explore their options.
But no single organization can, or should, do this work alone. Groups such as Families Empowered, GuidED Florida, Love Your School, NavigatED Arizona and PA Families for Education Choice, along with the other members of the newly formed Navigate School Choice Network, are making a tremendous impact by directly answering parents’ inquiries on a one-on-one basis. For the school choice movement to thrive, these organizations must continue to grow.
Communicating effectively with families and guiding them through the often overwhelming process of finding and enrolling in the best educational fit for their children is just as critical as policy advocacy. Yet, many organizations doing this vital work are struggling — not because of a lack of vision or impact, but because they don’t fit into traditional nonprofit funding models.
This National School Choice Week, there is much to celebrate. We are thrilled that 9 million students, parents, educators and supporters will participate in tens of thousands of events nationwide. However, we are also aware that some of the hardest work lies ahead. Together, we can bridge the gap between opportunity and access, helping families navigate their choices and ensuring that every child crosses the finish line of a great education and a successful future.
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