I am the founder of a microschool, and in working with families, I’ve observed a startling trend. While many parents know what they pay in taxes, very few know what their child’s education actually costs at the state or local level. When I tell local parents that the cost to taxpayers for their child to attend a local public school is equal to the tuition at an in-state university, they balk! Tuition at private schools is often offset through grants, endowments, and private contributions which can obscure the true cost to parents.
This lack of transparency is a problem. Not only does this prohibit informed decision making; it undermines trust and fairness. Families cannot be expected to make the best choices for their children if they are not able to evaluate the costs versus the benefits of the educational programs they are considering. Taxpayers are unable to evaluate whether tax dollars are being used wisely, and policymakers cannot enact reforms when budgets are buried in bureaucracy.
Why Transparency Matters
We like to demand transparency in all other goods and services. We want to know where our food comes from, what is in our household products, and how our tax dollars are spent. Education should be no different. Yet, there is often no access to how our education tax dollars are being spent. We are simply supposed to trust the system or rely on a vague dollar-per-student-enrolled formula.
Promoting transparency in educational spending can empower families in three important ways.
First, it strengthens choice. Parents should be able to compare features and pricing in education the way we can while shopping for other major products and services. We wouldn’t buy a car without a detailed breakdown of cost. Mystery pricing in education is unacceptable. The costs are just too high.
Second, it builds trust. Families are more likely to support an education option if they understand what their dollars are funding. Transparency in costs builds trust and confidence that funds are being used responsibly.
Third, it drives accountability. When budgets are transparent, the relationship to outcomes is easier to map. Comparing results among programs becomes the default, and accountability follows.
Microschools as Leaders in Transparency
Microschools and other small community-centered education options can lead the way in cost transparency. They have a uniquely short feedback loop, uncorrupted by regulation and historical practices. In my own network of microschools in rural Arizona, families have a voice in prioritizing funding allocation, and they see firsthand their education spending and how it is supporting the curriculum, the guide, technology choices, and the education space. This intimate relationship is impossible to replicate in larger historic systems.
Transparency should not stop with microschools. Parents and taxpayers should demand this across all education offerings. The state should publish actual expenditures for every public school program, not share statewide averages. Voucher and ESA programs should report clearly how costs compare to traditional school spending per pupil and the effect on the state education budget.
One of the greatest strengths of moving to an open education market is variety. Transparency in cost provides families with the ability to compare apples to apples. Parents should be able to compare the costs and outcomes from a variety of sources, microschool, traditional public school, charter, and private options. This enables parents to make the decision that best fits their learners’ needs while aligning with their spending priorities.
Removing Barriers to Trust
Education choice should not be about expecting every parent to become a tax and budget expert. It should be about access and accountability. Oftentimes a parent looking for answers is met with legalese or jargon, or just outright ignored. Budgets are difficult to decipher, often buried on hard-to-navigate government websites, where ESAs’ costs are presented without context. States should prioritize simplifying data to make it meaningful and usable. Would families make different choices if they knew that the local district spends $14,000 per student compared to an ESA award of $7,000 per student? With that information, parents might advocate certain reforms, choose a more cost-effective option, or demand more for their money.
We need a cultural shift. One where education consumers play an active role in deciding what is best for their learner and at what cost. Transparency is a vital part of the shift. Parents are demanding that education be something they participate in. It is a partnership that should consist of clarity, honesty, integrity, and respect.
Microschools can be the spark that ignites this shift. We can set the standard by practicing transparency and by advocating policies where transparency is the norm, helping to ensure that families across the country have access to the information they need to make informed decisions.
True choice in education requires more than permission. It requires information. Families cannot fully exercise their right to direct their children’s learning without knowing the real costs. Taxpayers cannot judge value without clear reporting. Policymakers cannot reform effectively without honest data.
Microschools are already proving that transparency builds trust and strengthens community. If we want education to serve families first, transparency must become the rule, not the exception. Families deserve to see the full picture so that they can make the decisions that best serve their children and their communities.
