Micro-schools serve K-12 students, are very small schools that typically serve 10 to 15 students, but sometimes as many as 150. They can have very different purposes but tend to share common characteristics such as mixed ages or same ages, more personalized, theme/unit or project-based learning. They also tend to have closer adult-child relationships in which teachers serve as facilitators of student-led learning, not just deliverers of content.

The cost of attending a privately run micro-school varies widely. Some micro-schools are set up as a private school and charge tuition (along with following other government requirements), others are similar to homeschooling co-ops and work out payments in different ways. Charter schooling has been discussed as a possibility for micro-schools. In some states, however, certain rigidities have generally stood in the way of charter micro-schools as a viable model. Some micro-school models are funded through the school voucher programs. Look to see if your state has a private choice program. Micro-schools have a much lower overhead than public schools.

Micro-schools can work together within the school district, in some states along with a charter or umbrella school. During the pandemic many school systems did adopt “learning pods” which are the same concept of the micro-school. Micro-schools can be created completely outside of the school system.

This will depend on the type of micro-school. Sometimes and sometimes not.

Micro-schools serve a variety of ages. Some have mixed ages up to high-school in one room, while others choose to group particular ages or grades together such as K-1st, 2nd-4th, 5th –8th, and 9th-12th. It will depend on the number of educators and students.