(NewsUSA) - As families across the country prepare for the new school year, many are doing more than buying backpacks and pencils. They’re searching for, evaluating, and choosing from an expanded set of educational options. This year, for millions of families, the first day of classes isn’t just a return, it’s the beginning of something new. Whether a child is making an expected transition to - like starting kindergarten or transitioning to middle or high school, or switching types of schools altogether, parents are making active, thoughtful choices about where their children will learn.

That shift isn’t subtle anymore; it’s everywhere.

In a national survey conducted in June 2025, 74% of American parents with school-aged children said they considered sending at least one of their kids to a different school in the last 12 months. That's around 48 million parents thinking about their options. But far fewer actually made a change: only twenty-eight percent of parents-around 18 million of them-actually enrolled their child in a new school. And more than half say they expect to go through the process again this year.

Over the past three decades, the concept of school choice has evolved from policy discussion to lived experience. Today, families are navigating a landscape that includes public, private, charter, magnet, online, homeschooling, or microschooling. More are participating every year, and many parents are searching but not yet finding what they're looking for.

States continue to create new opportunities for education innovation. In 2025 alone, 16 states created or strengthened school choice programs, reflecting growing legislative interest in meeting families’ expectations. These changes range from education savings accounts to open enrollment policies in district schools. But the real momentum comes from parents, not policymakers.

According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, enrollment in charter schools increased by more than 80,000 students during the 23-24 school year. At the same time, more than 1 million students are now enrolled in publicly funded private school choice programs. And let's not forget that homeschooling has emerged as one of the fastest-growing education formats, especially since the pandemic, with rising interest across multiple demographics.

Families have their own proprietary blends of school choice criteria: proximity, transportation, flexibility, school culture, academics, special programs, safety, or scheduling. Some are choosing a school across district lines. Some are enrolling in a charter or magnet program. Others are looking at a public school out of their district, private, online, homeschool, or microschooling options.

What’s changed is not just the number of options available, but the mindset. More families are asking, "What’s possible?" instead of "What’s the norm?"

But as choice expands, so does complexity. Many parents don’t have a complete picture of what is possible. In our conversations with families, we hear the same questions again and again: "What are my options?" "How do I find out what’s available near me?" "Can I afford it?" "How will switching schools affect my child socially?"

For families navigating those questions, free resources can help. At myschoolchoice.com, parents can access guides like “Tips for Choosing the Right School for Your Child”, review a new guide to transportation opportunities in public or private schools of choice, and use the “Schools Near Me” search tool, covering more than 132,000 schools nationwide.

School choice has become the new normal. It's time to stop viewing educational options as a political battleground and start recognizing them as what they truly are: the new normal.

Shelby Doyle is the senior vice president of policy and national partnerships at the National School Choice Awareness Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that maintains the nation’s largest online portfolio of English- and Spanish-language school navigation resources, available through Navigate School Choice and Conoce tus Opciones Escolares.