What is the difference between a microschool and a homeschool co-op?

A microschool is a standalone small school with its own staff that parents enroll their child in. A homeschool co-op is a group of homeschooling families who share teaching and resources while parents stay in charge of their child's overall education. In a co-op, families do the educating together; in a microschool, the school does.

What is a learning pod?

A learning pod is a small group of families who pool resources to educate their children together, often by hiring a shared teacher or guide. Pods range from informal homeschool groups to structured micro-classes and can be the seed of a microschool.

What is an Education Savings Account (ESA)?

An ESA is a government-funded account that places a portion of a child's public education dollars under parental control to spend on approved expenses such as microschool tuition, curriculum, tutoring, and therapies. ESAs are a major reason microschooling is growing.

What is a hybrid school?

A hybrid school splits the week between in-person classroom days and at-home, parent-supported learning days, blending the flexibility of homeschooling with the structure and community of a school.

Microschool & Homeschool Glossary — Every Term, Explained Plainly

Q: What is a microschool?

A microschool is a small, independent school — typically 5 to 40 students across mixed ages — that offers a personalized alternative to traditional public or large private schools. Microschools run low student-to-teacher ratios, flexible schedules, and learning tailored to each child.

The core models

The handful of words that describe how a learning community is structured. These are the labels you'll meet first.

Microschool #

A microschool is a small, independent school — usually 5 to 40 students across mixed ages — that offers a personalized alternative to traditional public or large private schools.

Microschools typically run very low student-to-teacher ratios, flexible schedules, and learning tailored to each child, often blending modern curricula with hands-on, real-world projects. Think of it as a one-room schoolhouse rebuilt for today: small enough that every child is known, independent enough to design its own approach. Tuition is usually far below private school, and in many states ESA funds can offset it.

5–40 studentsMixed agesLow ratioIndependent

Homeschooling #

A homeschool is an education model in which a child is taught primarily at home by a parent or guardian rather than enrolled full-time in a public or private school.

Families choose their own curriculum and pace and follow their state's homeschool law, which ranges from almost no requirements to annual notice, testing, or portfolio review. Homeschooling is the foundation many of the other terms here build on — co-ops, pods, and hybrid schools are all ways homeschooling families add structure and community.

Homeschool Co-op also: cooperative #

A homeschool co-op is a group of homeschooling families who share teaching, resources, and community — children learn some subjects together while parents stay in charge of their child's overall education.

One parent might lead science while another teaches art; some co-ops hire outside instructors for specialized subjects. They meet anywhere from once a week to several days a week, in homes, churches, libraries, or community centers. Co-ops give homeschooled kids group learning, friendships, and accountability without handing over control of the education. This directory lists co-ops alongside microschools so you can compare both.

Parent-ledShared teachingCommunity-basedOften low-cost

Learning Pod also: pod, micro-pod #

A learning pod is a small group of families who pool resources to educate their children together, often by hiring a shared teacher or guide.

Pods went mainstream during 2020 when families banded together to keep kids learning, and many never went back. They range from a few neighbors swapping teaching duties to a paid educator running a structured micro-class in someone's home. A pod that grows, formalizes, and opens its doors is often how a brand-new microschool is born.

Hybrid School also: hybrid homeschool, 2-day / 3-day school #

A hybrid school splits the week between in-person classroom days and at-home, parent-supported learning days.

A typical hybrid runs two or three days on campus with the rest of the week at home following the school's plan. It blends the structure, teachers, and community of a school with the flexibility and family time of homeschooling — a popular middle path for families who want both.

University-Model School #

A university-model school is a hybrid (often Christian or classical) school where students attend campus two or three days a week and learn at home the other days, mirroring a college schedule.

Parents act as co-teachers on home days, following the school's lesson plans. It's a specific, structured flavor of the broader hybrid model, common in the classical and faith-based world.

Philosophies & methods

The same model — say, a microschool — can be run many different ways. These are the educational philosophies a program might follow.

Montessori #

Montessori is an education method developed by Dr. Maria Montessori that emphasizes child-led learning, mixed-age classrooms, hands-on materials, and long, uninterrupted work periods.

Children choose their own activities from carefully prepared materials, and teachers observe and guide rather than lecture. The goal is independence, concentration, and a genuine love of learning. Many microschools — including the entire Wildflower network — are Montessori.

Waldorf also: Steiner education #

Waldorf (or Steiner) education integrates academics with arts, movement, and nature, and delays formal academics in early childhood in favor of imaginative, play-based learning.

Founded by Rudolf Steiner, Waldorf follows the child's developmental stages closely, with rhythm, storytelling, handwork, and a strong artistic thread woven through every subject.

Related: Forest School, Reggio Emilia

Classical Education #

Classical education is built on the classical trivium — grammar, logic, and rhetoric — and emphasizes great books, Socratic discussion, history, Latin, and the cultivation of virtue and clear reasoning.

Lessons follow a child's development: memorization and facts in the early "grammar" years, argument and analysis in the "logic" years, and persuasive expression in the "rhetoric" years. It's a fast-growing approach in both microschools and hybrid schools.

Charlotte Mason #

Charlotte Mason is a homeschooling philosophy that uses "living books," narration, nature study, short focused lessons, and habit training to form attentive, well-rounded learners.

Instead of dry textbooks, families read rich, well-written books and children "narrate" — retell in their own words — to show understanding. Nature walks, fine art, and music are core, not extras.

Reggio Emilia #

Reggio Emilia is an early-childhood approach, from the Italian city of the same name, that treats children as capable, curious learners and uses project work, the classroom environment, and documentation to guide discovery.

The environment is often called "the third teacher," and learning grows out of children's own interests, captured and reflected back through photos, notes, and displays.

Forest School also: nature school, outdoor school #

A forest school is a nature-based program where most or all learning happens outdoors, building independence, resilience, and ecological understanding through child-led play and exploration.

Rain or shine, children spend their days in woods, fields, or gardens. Forest schools prize risk-taking, curiosity, and a deep connection to the natural world, and they're a common microschool flavor for families who want kids outside and moving.

OutdoorsPlay-basedNature-led

Unschooling #

Unschooling is a form of homeschooling that rejects fixed curricula in favor of child-led, interest-driven learning.

Unschooling families trust that children learn deeply by pursuing their own questions, projects, and real-world experiences — cooking becomes math, a passion for dinosaurs becomes reading and science. The parent's job is to provide resources and opportunities, not lesson plans.

Self-Directed Education also: SDE #

Self-directed education is an umbrella term for learning driven by the learner's own choices, questions, and goals rather than a top-down curriculum.

It includes unschooling, democratic schools, and many learner-driven microschools. The shared belief: given freedom, time, and a rich environment, children direct their own meaningful education.

Democratic / Sudbury School #

A democratic school (exemplified by the Sudbury model) lets students of all ages choose how to spend their time, and the community is governed democratically — students and staff hold equal votes.

There are no required classes or grades; learning happens through free play, conversation, and self-chosen pursuits, while a school meeting handles rules and budgets one-person-one-vote.

Project-Based Learning also: PBL #

Project-based learning is an approach where students gain knowledge and skills by working over an extended period to investigate and respond to an authentic, complex question or challenge.

Rather than memorizing for a test, students build, research, and present real work — designing a garden, running a small business, producing a documentary — pulling in math, writing, and science along the way.

Worldschooling #

Worldschooling is a family-driven approach that uses travel and real-world experiences as the primary curriculum.

History is learned in the places it happened, language by speaking it, biology in a rainforest. Worldschooling is usually paired with homeschooling or online learning and ranges from local exploration to full-time travel.

How they run

The day-to-day vocabulary — the words you'll hear on a tour or read in a school's description.

Mixed-Age Classroom also: multi-age #

A mixed-age classroom intentionally groups children of different ages together so younger students learn from older ones and older students deepen their own learning by mentoring.

It's a hallmark of microschools, Montessori, and one-room-schoolhouse models. Instead of a rigid grade for every age, children progress by readiness — which makes mastery-based pacing natural.

Mastery-Based Learning also: competency-based #

Mastery-based learning means students advance once they demonstrate mastery of a skill or concept, rather than after a fixed amount of time.

A child who gets fractions quickly moves on; a child who needs another week gets it, without being labeled "behind." This lets each student move at their own pace and is common in learner-driven microschools.

Learner-Driven also: learner-led, student-led #

Learner-driven describes a program where students set goals, make choices, and take ownership of their learning while adults act as guides rather than lecturers.

Children plan their week, track their own progress, and learn to manage time and resolve conflicts. It's the philosophy at the heart of Acton Academy and many independent microschools.

Guide #

A guide is the term many microschools and learner-driven programs use instead of "teacher."

The name signals the role: an adult who facilitates, mentors, and asks good questions rather than standing at the front delivering lectures. You'll also see "facilitator," "mentor," or "studio leader" used the same way.

Socratic Method #

The Socratic method is a discussion-based teaching approach that uses probing questions, rather than direct instruction, to help students reason and arrive at understanding themselves.

Instead of "here's the answer," a guide asks "what do you think, and why?" — building critical thinking and the confidence to defend ideas. It's foundational to classical education and Acton-style studios.

Deschooling #

Deschooling is a transitional period when a child newly leaving conventional school decompresses and adjusts before settling into a homeschool or microschool rhythm.

A common rule of thumb is about one month of deschooling per year the child spent in traditional school. It gives kids (and parents) time to let go of old habits and rediscover natural curiosity before diving into something new.

Related: Unschooling, Homeschooling

Eclectic Homeschooling #

Eclectic homeschooling is a flexible style that mixes methods and resources from several philosophies, tailoring the approach to each child rather than following a single curriculum.

An eclectic family might use Montessori materials for math, Charlotte Mason living books for history, and unschooling for the afternoons. It's the most common homeschooling style precisely because it bends to the child.

Funding & policy

The money-and-law words — increasingly important, because new state programs are what make microschooling affordable for many families.

School Choice #

School choice refers to public policies that let families direct education funding to the schooling option they choose — including microschools, private schools, and homeschooling — rather than only an assigned public school.

"Universal school choice" means every family qualifies, regardless of income. A wave of these programs is the single biggest reason microschools are multiplying.

Education Savings Account also: ESA #

An Education Savings Account (ESA) is a government-funded account that places a portion of a child's public education dollars under parental control to spend on approved expenses.

Approved uses commonly include microschool tuition, curriculum, tutoring, therapies, and more. In states with ESAs, a microschool that costs $8,000 a year might be largely or fully covered. Always check your own state's rules and approved-expense list.

Parent-controlledCovers tuitionState-by-state

Related: School Choice, School Voucher

School Voucher #

A school voucher is a government-funded certificate that parents can apply toward tuition at a participating private school or, in some programs, a microschool.

Vouchers are more narrowly tuition-focused than ESAs, which can also fund curriculum, tutoring, and therapies. Eligibility and amounts vary widely by state.

Tax-Credit Scholarship #

A tax-credit scholarship is a program in which donors receive a state tax credit for funding scholarships that families use for private-school or microschool tuition.

The money flows through a scholarship-granting organization rather than directly from the state, but for families the effect is similar: help paying tuition at the school they choose.

Legal & logistics

The practical, paperwork side of educating outside the public system. Requirements vary by state — always confirm your own.

Umbrella / Cover School #

An umbrella school (or cover school) provides legal cover, recordkeeping, and oversight for homeschooling families in states that require it.

It handles attendance, transcripts, and sometimes course approval so families comply with state law while still educating at home. Some microschools and co-ops operate under, or serve as, an umbrella school.

Letter / Notice of Intent #

A letter of intent (or notice of intent) is the filing some states require to begin homeschooling legally, stating a parent's intent to home-educate a child for the year.

Where it's required, it's usually a short form sent to the district or state at the start of the year. Some states require nothing at all; others ask for testing or a portfolio too. Check your state's specific homeschool law.

Related: Umbrella School, Homeschooling

Networks you'll see

A few named models come up constantly because they operate dozens or hundreds of independently owned microschools. Knowing them helps you read a listing.

Acton Academy #

Acton Academy is a global network of independently owned, learner-driven microschools built on Socratic discussion, mixed-age studios, self-paced mastery, and real-world "quests."

Each Acton is locally owned but shares the same learner-driven DNA: no lectures, students set goals and govern their studio, and learning is framed as a hero's journey. Quality varies by owner, so visit the specific campus near you.

Wildflower Schools #

Wildflower is a network of small, teacher-led Montessori microschools — often storefront-sized and rooted in their neighborhoods.

Wildflower schools pair authentic Montessori practice with an intentionally tiny, community-embedded footprint, frequently within walking distance of the families they serve.

Microschool Network #

A microschool network is an organization that supports many independently operated microschools with a shared model, brand, curriculum, training, or software.

Besides Acton and Wildflower, you'll see names like Prenda, Guidepost Montessori / Higher Ground, KaiPod Learning, and Primer. A network gives a new founder a head start; the individual school is still its own place, so judge each location on its own merits.