Tyton Partners Choose to Learn 2024 Uncovers 20% of U.S. K-12 Parents Want a New School Environment for Their Child – What Can the Education System Do?

[BOSTON, February 14, 2024] – Tyton Partners, a strategy consulting and investment banking firm focused on the education sector, announces the release of Part 1 of 3 of their latest Choose to Learn K-12 initiative, K-12 Parents Poised to Explore New Educational Options. This research initiative, launched in 2022, investigates the evolving landscape of parents’ K-12 education options, shedding light on the motivations, barriers, and aspirations of parents actively exploring alternative educational pathways for their children.

Building on insights gained from Choose to Learn 2022, this latest work assesses the breadth of preferences from 2,000+ parents for alternative education pathways beyond public school and the barriers these parents face. Choose to Learn 2024 highlights the “Open-minded” parent segment, those most likely to take action over the next several years in exploring alternatives for their child.

Choose to Learn 2024 will be published in three parts; key findings from Part 1 include:

• 48% of all U.S. K-12 parents fall into the Open-minded segment, expressing a strong interest in pursuing new and additional educational programs for their child.
• Three distinct parent personas exist in the Open-minded segment: School Supplementers (64% of parents), School Switchers (10%), and Customizers (26%).
• Mental health and academic challenges are the primary factors motivating parents to explore alternative education programs for their children.
• The perceived importance of “school culture” is a key barrier that prevents parents from leaving their current environment.
• Affordability is a barrier to accessing more personalized pathways for 46% of parents with incomes under $50,000, versus 26% for those with incomes over $150,000.

In the coming weeks, Part 2 will dive into the barriers that prevent families from taking the leap into new school alternatives, where we confirm “fear of the unknown” remains a powerful force in education. Concluding the series, Part 3 will introduce a diverse set of organizations called “Navigators” that assist parents in understanding alternative education options and detail eight design principles to ensure that Navigators are impactful and sustainable. In combination, Choose to Learn 2024 will not only highlight evolving parental preferences, but also guide stakeholders in navigating systemic shifts within the K-12 school landscape.

Adam Newman, Founder and Managing Partner at Tyton Partners, emphasized the study’s significance, stating, “In this transformative period for K-12 education, Choose to Learn 2024 offers crucial insights into the shifting dynamics of parental choice. As parents actively seek more personalized and student-centric learning experiences for their children, this research illuminates the motivations driving their decisions and the potential impact on the broader K-12 landscape.”

While the 48% of K-12 parents considering new educational options have a myriad of personal circumstances and goals for their child’s education, they are united in their bias against the status quo. By highlighting these issues and opportunities, Tyton Partners and Choose to Learn 2024 sponsors, the Walton Family Foundation and Stand Together Trust, believe an authentic response from philanthropists and policymakers is warranted to ensure all parents have equitable access to the best options for their child.

Read Choose to Learn: K-12 Parents Poised to Explore New Educational Options here.

About Tyton Partners

Tyton Partners is the leading provider of investment banking and strategy consulting services to the global knowledge and information services sector. With offices in New York City and Boston, the firm has an experienced team of bankers and consultants who deliver a unique spectrum of services from mergers and acquisitions and capital markets access to strategy development that helps companies, organizations, and investors navigate the complexities of the education, media, and information markets. Tyton Partners leverages a deep foundation of transactional and advisory experience and an unparalleled level of global relationships to make its clients’ aspirations a reality and to catalyze innovation in the sector. Learn more at www.tytonpartners.com.

About Walton Family Foundation

The Walton Family Foundation is, at its core, a family-led foundation. Three generations of the descendants of our founders, Sam and Helen Walton, and their spouses, work together to lead the foundation and create access to opportunity for people and communities. We work in three areas: improving education, protecting rivers and oceans and the communities they support, and investing in our home region of Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta. To learn more, visit waltonfamilyfoundation.org.

About Stand Together Trust

Stand Together Trust invests in social entrepreneurs developing solutions to America’s most pressing problems. Learn more at www.standtogethertrust.org and www.standtogether.org. Join the Stand Together philanthropic community on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.