Pictured: Nathan Brinkman, Ginny Gentles & Steven Mosley With Governor Youngkin’s 2024 School Choice Week Proclamation
Jillian Schneider | January 25, 2025
Question: What do bright yellow scarves and education freedom have in common?
Answer: National School Choice Week. And it’s taking America by storm.
The nonprofit National School Choice Week (NSCW) aims to empower parents and raise awareness of the growing number of school models and funding programs available.
NSCW 2025 is Jan. 26 through Feb. 1.
Schools and education groups in 43 states and the District of Columbia are planning events to celebrate families’ freedom to customize their children’s education. Events include rallies at state capitols, school fairs, student talent shows, family fun days, events for microschool educators and even a mini-Olympics.
In 2024, over 27,000 community events were organized, and a survey found 52% of parents saw news about NSCW. Google searches for “school choice” also spiked during that week.
State leaders are joining the school choice celebration too. Currently, 12 governors have declared proclamations recognizing Jan. 26 – Feb. 1, 2025 as their state’s official school choice week. The states are:
- Alaska
- Colorado
- Georgia
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
- And Wyoming
Additionally, NSCW is planning nine capitol celebrations, in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah and Wisconsin.
NSCW offers a Digital Backpack of resources to partner organizations, parents and schools, including social media and digital tools and logos, printable handouts, activities, videos and much more.
“All-Star” participants who want to organize an event also receive a kit with NSCW’s iconic yellow scarves and other swag. Anyone can search for existing school choice celebration events near them on the NSCW website.
Because “school choice” encompasses so many different education models and programs, every state has something to celebrate – and new heights to aspire to.
From public charter schools to open enrollment to education savings accounts to homeschooling, there are countless ways for families to tailor their children’s education.
And just as many ways for districts and policymakers to support them.
Florida is commonly crowned the education champion. The Heritage Foundation ranked it first among states for excellence in education choice, transparency, teacher freedom and return on investment.
Other top contenders include Arizona, New Hampshire, West Virginia and Indiana – all states with robust choice programs.
And Oklahoma has been singled out for its comprehensive open enrollment policies, which enable families to move freely within the public school system, rather than being stuck in their zoned district.
But some states, particularly blue states and rural western states, still lack statewide choice programs.
Despite the best efforts of education advocates, Kentucky doesn’t even offer public charter schools, one of the most common types of education freedom.
That’s why National School Choice Week matters.
It celebrates the work of policymakers, advocates and families who have made modern school choice possible, and looks forward to a future where all families have all the options and resources they need to help their children thrive.
This article was made available to EdNews Virginia via The Lion, a publication of the Herzog Foundation.