BREAKING DOWN

EDCHOICE’S 2016 NATIONAL SURVEYwith a special focus comparing Millennials to other generations

edchoice.org/NationalSurvey2016

Born between 1981 and 1997, Millennials are approximately

75 million strong.

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And the percentage of Millennials that make up America’s school parent population is set to grow exponentially

over the next 10 years.

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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 on K–12 education policies.

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Top Issue Priorities

1. Economy/Jobs2. Education3. Immigration, Healthcare (approx. two-way tie)

1. Economy/Jobs2. Healthcare3. Education, Immigration, Value Issues (such as gay marriage, abortion, death penalty)

MILLENNIALS NATIONAL AVERAGE

EDCHOICE.ORG

WRONG TRACK

58%

62%

Direction of K–12 Education

RIGHT DIRECTION

25%

24%

MILLENNIAL

NATIONAL AVERAGE

EDCHOICE.ORG

Millennials on K–12 Education Spending

TOO HIGH

ABOUT RIGHT

TOO LOW

8%

24%

55%

14%

29%

37%

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AFTER BEING TOLD WE SPEND $10,763 PER

STUDENT ON AVERAGE

WITHOUT KNOWING HOW MUCH WE SPEND NOW

Note: $10,763 per student in 2012–13, $11,009 in 2013–14

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Preferred School Typevs. Actual Enrollments

MILLENNIAL PREFERENCES

NATIONAL AVERAGE PREFERENCES

ESTIMATED ENROLLMENTS

PUBLICSCHOOL

30%

28%

83%

PRIVATESCHOOL

38%

42%

10%

CHARTERSCHOOL

11%

11%

5%

HOMESCHOOL

12%

10%

3%

Note: Preferences reported in this table reflect the composite 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?

EDCHOICE.ORG

ALL CURRENT SCHOOL PARENTS/CURRENT MILLENNIAL SCHOOL PARENTS

YES

38%

Most Important Specified Reasons for Changing Schools

MILLENNIALS

30%

21%

12%

8%

3%

MOVED

NEEDED BETTER EDUCATION/ MORE OPPORTUNITIES

NEEDED MORE ONE-ON-ONE/ PERSONALIZED EDUCATION

DIDN'T LIKE TEACHERS/ STAFF/CURRICULUM

PREFERRED OTHER SCHOOLING TYPE/ MOVED OUT OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS

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What Parents Have Done to Secure Their Children’s K–12 Education

CHANGED JOBS

MOVED CLOSER TO SCHOOL

TAKEN ANOTHER JOB FOR ADDITIONAL INCOME

TAKEN OUT A NEW LOAN

MILLENNIALS NATIONAL AVERAGE

18%

26%

32%

11%

14%

17%

21%

11%

EDCHOICE.ORG

EDCHOICE.ORG

SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGED THEIR DAILY ROUTINE

HAD FAMILY OR FRIENDS TO LOOK AFTER THEIR CHILDREN

PAID FOR BEFORE OR AFTERCARE SERVICES

PAID FOR TUTORING

MILLENNIALS NATIONAL AVERAGE

41%

58%

39%

20%

38%

49%

35%

22%

How Parents Accommodate Their Schooling Choices

How Parents Get Their Kids To/From School

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THEY TRANSPORTED

HAD FAMILY OR FRIENDS TO TRANSPORT

PAID FOR TRANSPORTATION

MILLENNIALS NATIONAL AVERAGE

68%

55%

30%

74%

47%

15%

School Vouchers

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FAVOR

DON'T KNOW/ REFUSED

OPPOSE

MILLENNIALS NATIONAL AVERAGE

61%

16%

23%

56%

15%

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.

EDCHOICE.ORG

Charter Schools

FAVOR

DON'T KNOW/ REFUSED

OPPOSE

MILLENNIALS NATIONAL AVERAGE

63%

18%

19%

59%

18%

23%

EDCHOICE.ORG

Education Savings Accounts (ESAs)

FAVOR

DON'T KNOW/ REFUSED

OPPOSE

MILLENNIALS NATIONAL AVERAGE

57%

22%

21%

49%

24%

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

More Freedom and Flexibility for Parents; More Individual Attention

Potential for Fraudulent Behavior; Divert Funding Away from Public Schools

FAVORING OPPOSING

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To sum it up:

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Most people think education is on the wrong track, and the gap between people’s schooling preferences and

actual enrollments is wide.

EDCHOICE.ORG

The data also show parents are going to great lengths to secure and

accommodate the best schooling options for their children.

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It’s time to make getting a great education easier for families.

EDCHOICE.ORG

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.

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The time is now for educational choice.

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EDCHOICE.ORG/NationalSurvey2016

EDCHOICE.ORG/MillennialSurvey

For more from these two reports, visit

and

To contact the authors,Vice President of Research and Innovation

Paul DiPerna and Director of State Research and Policy Analysis Drew Catt,

email paul@edchoice.org and/or dcatt@edchoice.org