Parents want school choice—so why aren’t we delivering it?

Nearly two-thirds of parents have considered switching the school their child attends. Nearly one-third actually follow through. That’s a staggering number of families looking for better educational opportunities—yet too many remain trapped in failing schools.

A recent national survey confirms this overwhelming demand for choice:

“Nearly two-thirds of parents considered switching their children to a different school last year, but less than half of them actually followed through.”

The data paints an even clearer picture:

“60% of U.S. parents searched for new schools for their kids last year.”

Notably, minority families—often stuck in underperforming urban school districts—are leading the push for alternatives:

“Black and Hispanic parents were more likely to indicate that they searched for new schools for their children, at 68% and 63% respectively, compared with Asian parents (59%) and white parents (58%).”

The demand for better schools is undeniable, yet only half of those seeking alternatives find a suitable option. The reason? The education system remains stubbornly resistant to real change.

School choice isn’t about shifting students from one building to another within the same failing system. It’s about giving parents true alternatives—different curricula, different teaching methods, and different management structures that aren’t beholden to the same union-backed bureaucracy.

Taxpayers fund public education, but parents—not bureaucrats—should decide what’s best for their children. The families most desperate for better schools are the ones most underserved by the status quo. Yet the loudest opposition comes from those who benefit from keeping things exactly as they are: unions and entrenched administrators who don’t want to lose control over how children are educated.

But why should we listen to them?

Parents want school choice. It’s time to deliver it.