Nearly two million students in the U.S. stopped attending public schools, and opted for other learning options, according to a poll by Education Next, an education policy publication.
The number of students in public schools dropped 4% between 2020 and 2022, the report says.
Education Next attributed the decline to parents removing their children from public schools, in lieu of private schools, or charter academies, as the number of students in private schools, charter schools, and home-schooling programs went up 10% in 2022 from 8% in spring 2020.
However, Education Next also considered other factors such as schools’ response to the pandemic, violence within schools, Critical Race Theory education, and the political views of the child’s parents.
Partnership Schools Superintendent Kathleen Porter-Magee joins Newsy to explain this further.
