All Roads Lead to Rome: Classical Educators and School Choice Supporters Should Walk There Together
Erin Davis Valdez
Classical education is exploding. What started as an extremely niche model that appealed to homeschooling families in the late 1980’s and ‘90s has turned into a “Brand.” Arcadia Education’s February 2025 market analysis of the growth of classical education estimates that 677,521 students in the US were enrolled in some form of classical education in 2023-24. According to the report, 18% of classical education enrollment is in public charter schools, with the remainder in private schools, homeschools, or microschools. The analysis projects that classical education will account for 2.4% of all school enrollment by 2035. The Heritage Foundation’s Classical Schools Database counts around 900 classical schools in the US. Both sources document a revival, which has accelerated in the wake of school closures and parental awareness of the low quality of instruction delivered via “Zoom schooling,” particularly during the Pandemic.
Another symptom of the public’s souring opinion on public education has been the expansion of private school choice, a policy which also endured decades of relative obscurity. Since 2022, the number of students participating in education savings account programs (known to many as ESAs) has increased from 40,205 to 488,736. This number does not include the recently passed program in Texas, which takes effect in Fall 2026, and will serve an additional 100,000 students (EdChoice); Florida has added over 700 private schools since ESA expansion in 2012. Ron Matus documents an interesting wrinkle – that 34.7% of parents who received an ESA in Florida didn’t use it because there were not enough available seats in the schools of their choice.
The two trends have a similar trajectory and timeline - decades of very incremental progress followed by apparently explosive growth, with COVID as the tipping point.
But the leaders of these movements have not always viewed one another as allies. Classical educators place a very strong emphasis on the “what” and school choice champions on the “how.”
Now that the question of “how” is being settled in more places, the donor class, which has heavily invested in school choice, must begin to wrestle with the need to increase the supply of private and charter school “seats,” and in so doing, begin to prioritize the question of “what.” New leaders for new schools are needed, but what kind of leaders? How should they be educated? What are the virtues and skills that are necessary?
Parents seem to be answering the “what” fairly decisively. Classical schools are thriving in states that have expanded private and public classical charter school choice, pointing towards what economists call a “revealed demand.”
How can those who invested fortunes and time in school choice policies ensure that these policies endure through enhanced popular support? By giving the people what they want. Closing the “human capital” gap in classical school leadership should be a key strategy for school-choice friendly philanthropists and policymakers alike. This does not mean that other kinds of education should be suppressed or discouraged. It simply means: a) school choice advocates should be embracing, encouraging, and resourcing classical educators in their aspirations to expand the number of families that they serve; and b) that classical educators should “meet the moment” by intentionally developing a new generation of school leaders who know both the “what” and the “how.”
But the flip side of this is that classical educators should be giving more thought to the “how.” Existing institutions that train classical educators should dedicate more time and resources to developing leaders that are entrepreneurial, policy-savvy, and equipped with executive skills.
The solution to meeting parent demand for classical education is for educators and choice advocates to collaborate more intentionally. The following are just a few examples of what that could look like, and in many cases, partnerships are already emerging.
Higher education has an important role to play. In states that are launching “civic leadership” or similar programs, policymakers can follow the lead of Florida by creating certification pathways and programs that are specifically designed for classical educators. Another example is the K12 Fellowship at the University of Austin, which will give students the opportunity to serve as aides in a variety of local schools, including classical private, charter, and microschools.
Schools and school networks can employ a wider range of strategies to attract teacher talent. AEI’s recent report, The Achilles’ Heel of Classical Education, suggests a range of solutions, including expansion of teacher fellowship programs, recruitment of “refugee teachers,” and cultivating a larger network of higher education partners.
Philanthropists should be looking at the model of the Charter School Growth Fund, and consider strategies to fund “shovel ready” expansion efforts at existing and emerging schools that are held back by facilities constraints. The major constraint on choice policies and classical charter expansion will be the supply of seats, and concentrated philanthropic and other capital funding models are urgently needed.
Charter school advocates should be aware of and ready to leverage new opportunities to meet demand, whether by advancing policies which allow for more rapid expansion of campuses or by opening new private campuses.
Private institutions with existing classical education programs should include more business and policy-focused courses to equip future leaders with the know-how to engage with policy and build strong and enduring institutions.
Churches should be leaning into creating new supply. Society for Classical Learning’s President, Eric Cook, has been a vocal supporter of this approach.
Since accreditation remains an issue for school expansion in states (like Texas) that have this condition in their ESA legislation, the next frontier in school choice should be increasing the number of accreditors that are friendly to classical educators, AND that have capacity to give start-up schools (especially microschools) the runway they need to financial viability. Both SCL and the Stand Together Trust (in partnership with Middle States Association) are creating more streamlined accreditation processes, but new accreditors are needed that can meet the needs of new and emerging classical schools.
And finally, to cultivate more ideas and solutions, leaders in each space should attend one another’s gatherings - the relational element cannot be underestimated. A few interesting opportunities that span worlds are the following (this is far from complete - there are many others):
Great Hearts Institute has been a leader in bringing together leaders in both worlds, and their annual summit is a model of the power of this approach. Their annual “big tent” National Symposium will be held in Tempe, Arizona February 25-27, 2026.
Heritage Foundation has been a national leader in think tank land with the development of research and resources for classical education.
This year, the International School Choice and Reform Conference will be held in Rome. Policy-curious classical educators should consider attending and getting to know the researchers and influencers who are making the “how” happen. The Eternal City is a perfect backdrop to inspire reflection on human flourishing and the necessary conditions for it.
Society for Classical Learning has held panel discussions on policy issues at its conferences (next year’s is June 16-18, 2026), and continues to be a leader in terms of both influence and practical solutions for growth-minded classical educators.
To the extent that classical education is coded as a reaction to modernity, it should build within its next generation of leaders gratitude for the classically liberal framework of school choice that is enabling more parents to access an education in the good, true, and beautiful. And choice advocates should cultivate gratitude for the tradition which gave rise to classical liberal ideas in the first place.
Building relationships and solutions together will help make school choice a more politically durable victory, even as we look ahead to the coming battles over AI and the cultural challenges and opportunities that will emerge. Classical leaders that have a growth-oriented mindset and school choice advocates who respect the small-c conservative values of classical education will ensure that parents are choices worth choosing.
