School's Out: Why Families Are Choosing Unconventional Education

Inside the quiet revolution reshaping how American children learn.

In the wake of the pandemic, millions of American families have made a quiet but consequential decision: to leave traditional schools behind. In School's Out, education journalist and online-learning pioneer Mickey Revenaugh takes readers inside the rapidly expanding world of unconventional education.

From homeschooling and virtual public schools to microschools, from hybrid programs to roadschooling, Revenaugh traces the many paths parents are choosing for their children--and the deeply personal reasons behind them. Each chapter centers on families navigating questions of safety, identity, flexibility, and belonging, revealing a movement far more diverse and complex than common stereotypes suggest. The book introduces readers to Black homeschool collectives in the South, neurodiverse learners thriving online, families wrestling with ideological divides, and parents seeking refuge from bullying, rigid curricula, or institutional mistrust. Rather than advocating for a single solution, Revenaugh presents these stories as windows into a broader transformation of American education--one accelerated by technology, remote work, and shifting expectations about how children learn best.

School's Out explores both the promise and the risks of this educational shift. As personalization increases, so do concerns about isolation, equity, and community. Revenaugh argues that the future of education will depend on how well families and institutions balance flexibility with connection and offers a clear-eyed look at an educational landscape being reshaped in real time.

Mickey Revenaugh is a writer and the cofounder of Connections Academy.