Breaking Down Our “2016 Schooling in America” Survey
Born between 1981 and 1997, Millennials are approximately 75 million strong, and the percentage of Millennials that make up America’s school parent population is set to grow exponentially over the next 10 years.
As part of our 2016 Schooling in America Survey, we oversampled Millennials in an effort to better understand where this generation of current and future school parents compares with others (and the national average) on K–12 education policies. This is also the first year we asked parents specific questions about the lengths to which they’ve gone for their children’s education.
Flip through the slide show below to learn and share these top findings:
What You’ll Learn:
TOP ISSUE PRIORITIES
Millennials:
- Economy/Jobs
- Education
- Immigration, Healthcare (approx. two-way tie)
National Average:
- Economy/Jobs
- Healthcare
- Education, Immigration, Values Issues (such as gay marriage, abortion, death penalty)
DIRECTION OF K–12 EDUCATION
Wrong Track
Millennials: 58%
National Average: 62%
Right Direction
Millennials: 25%
National Average: 24%
MILLENNIALS ON K–12 EDUCATION SPENDING
Without Knowing How Much We Spend Now
8% Too High
24% About Right
55% Too Low
After Being Told We Spend $10,763 Per Student on Average
14% Too High
29% About Right
37% Too Low
(Note: $10,763 per student in 2012–13, $11,009 in 2013–14)
PREFERRED SCHOOL TYPE VS. ACTUAL ENROLLMENTS
Millennial Preferences: 30% public, 38% private, 11% charter, 12% home school
National Average Preferences: 28% public, 42% private, 11% charter, 10% homeschool
Estimated Enrollments Today: 83% public, 10% private, 5% charter, 3% home school
(Note: Preferences reported in this table reflect the compsite averages of split-sample responses to two slightly different versions of this question.)
SCHOOL SWITCHERS
“Have you ever changed your child’s school over the summer or during the school year?”
All Current School Parents/ Current Millennial School Parents: 38%
MILLENNIALS’ MOST IMPORTANT SPECIFIED REASONS FOR CHANGING SCHOOLS
30% moved
21% needed better education/more opportunities
12% needed more one-on-one/personalized education
8% didn’t like teachers/staff/curriculum
3% preferred other schooling type/moved out of public schools
WHAT PARENTS HAVE DONE TO SECURE THEIR CHILDREN’S K–12 EDUCATION
Changed Jobs
Millennials: 18%
National Average: 14%
Moved
Millennials: 26%
National Average: 17%
Taken Another Job for Additional Income
Millennials: 32%
National Average: 21%
Taken Out a New Loan
Millennials: 11%
National Average: 11%
HOW PARENTS GET THEIR KIDS TO/FROM SCHOOL
They Transported
Millennials: 68%
National Average: 74%
Had Family or Friends to Transport
Millennials: 55%
National Average: 47%
Paid for Transportation
Millennials: 30%
National Average: 15%
HOW PARENTS ACCOMMODATE THEIR SCHOOLING CHOICES
Significantly Changed Their Daily Routine
Millennials: 41%
National Average: 38%
Asked Family or Friends to Look After Their Children
Millennials: 58%
National Average: 49%
Paid for Before or After Care Services
Millennials: 39%
National Average: 35%
Paid for Tutoring
Millennials: 20%
National Average: 22%
SCHOOL VOUCHERS
Favor
Millennials: 61%
National Average: 56%
Don’t Know/Refused
Millennials: 16%
National Average: 15%
Oppose
Millennials: 23%
National Average: 28%
(Note: Results reported in this table reflect the composite averages of partial-sample responses to three slightly different versions of the school voucher question.)
CHARTER SCHOOLS
Favor
Millennials: 63%
National Average: 59%
Don’t Know/Refused
Millennials: 18%
National Average: 18%
Oppose
Millennials: 19%
National Average: 23%
EDUCATION SAVINGS ACCOUNTS (ESAS)
Favor
Millennials: 57%
National Average: 49%
Don’t Know/Refused
Millennials: 22%
National Average: 24%
Oppose
Millennials: 21%
National Average: 27%
(Note: Results reported in this table reflect the composite averages of partial-sample responses to two slightly different versions of the ESA question.)
TOP REASONS MILLENNIALS FAVOR OR OPPOSE ESAS
Favoring
More Freedom and Flexibility for Parents
More Individual Attention
Opposing
Potential for Fraudulent Behavior
Divert Funding Away from Public Schools
To sum it all up:
Most people think education is on the wrong track, and the gap between people’s schooling preferences and actual enrollments is wide. The data also show parents are going to great lengths not just to afford the best schooling option for their children, but also to secure transportation and other necessary services.
It’s time to make getting a great education easier for families.
Notably, Millennials and Gen Xers—those most likely to be parents of school-aged children now—show strongest support for the type of educational choice known as ESAs when compared to older generations.
The time is now for educational choice.
For more the full reports and other additional survey-related documents, visit: EdChoice’s 2016 Schooling in America Survey and EdChoice’s Millennial Perspectives report.
To contact the authors, Vice President of Research and Innovation Paul DiPerna and Director of State Research and Policy Analysis Andrew D. Catt, email paul@edchoice.org and/or dcatt@edchoice.org.
