A co-op is families sharing the teaching. A microschool is a small school with its own teacher and tuition. A hybrid school splits the week between a campus and home. Families teaching at home may use any of them, and the right one is the one that fits your kids and your week.
The names overlap, and plenty of groups sit between two of them. This post lays the four side by side, covers the pros and cons of a microschool, and answers whether microschools are accredited. If your Tuesday co-op is starting to feel like something more, this is for you too.
What is the difference between a microschool and a homeschool?¶
Homeschooling is parent-directed learning that happens mostly at home. Education Next describes it as "fully parent-directed and primarily home-based education." A parent chooses the curriculum, the pace, and the schedule.
A microschool is a very small school. Education Next says the word "just means a very small school," and notes that to many microschool leaders a school of 150 students would be gigantic. Size is the defining feature, not the legal setup. A microschool usually has a teacher or guide who is not the child's parent, a set meeting schedule, and some kind of tuition or fee.
So the question is who decides and who teaches. At home, the parent does both. In a microschool, the school does, and families enroll in it.
Many groups start as the first thing and grow into the second. Education Next notes that some microschools and hybrid schools begin as a group of homeschoolers who share resources, sometimes including instruction.
The four side by side¶
| Homeschool co-op | Microschool | Hybrid school | Learning pod | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who teaches | Parents, taking turns | A hired teacher or guide | The school's teachers | Often a parent or a hired tutor |
| Who picks the curriculum | Each family, plus shared class choices | The school | The school | The pod's families |
| How often it meets | One or two days a week, often | Most weekdays, often | Fewer than five days a week on campus | Varies |
| What happens the other days | Families teach at home | Usually nothing, it is the school week | Students learn at home | Varies |
| How it is paid for | Class fees, supply fees, parent time | Tuition | Tuition | Shared costs among families |
Read the table as a starting point. These are tendencies, not legal categories, and one group can be two columns at once.
Homeschool co-op¶
Families pool what they know. One parent teaches math, another history, another writing, and the kids learn at home the rest of the week. The co-op adds to home learning and does not replace it. We cover how one works in what a homeschool co-op is, and how to decide on one in should we join a homeschool co-op.
Microschool¶
A small school with its own teacher or teachers, a regular schedule, and tuition. Families are customers of the school in the way they would be for any private school, only the school is small. If you are thinking of starting one, see how to start a microschool.
Hybrid school¶
The 2023 National Hybrid Schools Survey, quoted by Education Next, defines a hybrid school in two parts: "most or all of the curriculum is decided by the school," and "students attend live classes fewer than 5 days per week in a physical building." The other days, students learn at home. University-model schools often run this way, with the school's classes on campus days and assignments at home on home days. See university-model home days for how that week looks.
A hybrid school can be tiny or large. A school can be both a microschool and a hybrid school.
Learning pod¶
A learning pod is a small group of kids learning together, often organized by families during the school closures of 2020. Education Next notes that some states have passed "learning pod" laws and that it is not always clear which environments qualify. If your group calls itself a pod, check how your state treats it.
What are the pros and cons of a microschool?¶
These are the tradeoffs families and founders raise most. They are things to weigh, not findings from a study.
Pros
- Small groups. A teacher can know every child, and a child can be known.
- A fixed week. Parents who work during the day get a schedule they can plan around.
- Someone else teaches. You hand off the subjects you dread, and you do not have to plan lessons.
- The group can fit its kids. Without a district's rules, a small school can pick its own curriculum and calendar.
Cons
- Cost. Tuition is the biggest difference from a co-op. Some states have education savings accounts or scholarship programs that can help, and the rules vary, so check yours.
- Less control for you. The school picks the curriculum. If you want to choose every book, a co-op or full home teaching fits better.
- Small means fragile. A school of twelve families can lose a third of its budget when two families leave. Founders carry real weight.
- Rules depend on your state. More on that next.
Are microschools accredited?¶
Accreditation and legal status are two different things. Accreditation is a review by an outside accrediting body. Legal status is how your state classifies the school: as a private school, as a group of home education families, or something else.
Education Next points out that definitions in this area are loose, and how a state treats a small school varies. We could not find a source that gives a reliable national count of accredited microschools, so this post does not give one. Some microschools are accredited and many are not, and whether it matters depends on your state and on what your older students plan to do next. College admission and some state programs are where it tends to come up.
Rules change. Check your state department of education's page on private schools and on home education, and ask the school directly. Our post does your microschool need accreditation goes deeper for founders.
How to choose¶
Start with the questions that sort these out fastest.
- Who do you want teaching? You, other parents, or a hired teacher.
- How many days do you want to be away from home? One, two, three, or five.
- Who picks the curriculum? If you want the final say, lean toward a co-op or home teaching. If you want to hand it off, lean toward a microschool or hybrid school.
- What can you pay in money and in time? A co-op often asks for time. A microschool asks for tuition.
- What does your state require of this kind of group? Look it up before you sign anything.
You can also mix them. A family can teach most subjects at home, join a co-op for one class, and enroll in a hybrid school for another. Nothing says you must pick one.
When a co-op starts becoming a microschool¶
If you are in a group of six families that meets on Tuesdays, you are already running something. Some signs it is changing: you pay a teacher, you meet more than two days, you collect tuition instead of splitting costs, or one person has become the director. None of those is a problem. They mean the group has outgrown a text thread, and it may be time to decide how you handle money, records, and your state's rules.
Where NavEd fits¶
NavEd is not built for one kind of school. Co-ops, microschools, hybrid schools, university-model schools, classical Christian schools, small private academies, and families teaching at home all run differently, so each has its own page on how NavEd works for them.
NavEd is free for the first five students, on every plan, and that does not expire. Grades, attendance, enrollment, and transcripts are there when your group needs them.
Frequently asked questions¶
Can a homeschooled child attend a microschool?
Yes. Many families use a microschool for part of the week or for certain subjects, and a hybrid school is built around that. Ask the school how it handles part-time students.
Is a microschool a private school?
Sometimes. How your state classifies it decides which rules apply. Check with your state department of education.
Is a learning pod the same as a co-op?
They overlap. A pod is usually a smaller group, sometimes with a hired tutor. A co-op is usually families trading teaching. Neither is a fixed legal term in every state.
Do I need to choose just one?
No. Families mix a home curriculum, a co-op class, and a hybrid or microschool day, and change the mix year to year.
Source¶
- Education Next, "A School Sector in Search of a Name", for the definitions of microschool, hybrid school, learning pod, and homeschooling quoted above.