In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new form of alternative education, microschools, has begun to form all over the country. In the North Austin, Leander, Cedar Park and Georgetown areas, there are seven schools that offer this unique style of education.
According to Nature’s Schoolhouse owner Nicole Tomayko, microschools are an alternative to public schooling and an extension of homeschooling. In microschools, students learn at their own pace, and many in the Austin area do not have specific grades, but rather group students according to age and where they are in their education.
Microschools are different from Montessori schools because microschools do not have to follow the Montessori curriculum, Tomayko said. Instead, microschools can choose various philosophies and curriculums that best fit their students’ needs and learning styles.
