By: Mary Beth Almond | C&G Newspapers | Published January 26, 2026
METRO DETROIT — When it comes to educating your children, there are a multitude of options to consider before choosing the right fit.
The key, experts say, is finding a suitable learning environment for your child — whether it be at a traditional public, charter, private, home, virtual or other school.
Schools of Choice
According to a Bridge Michigan analysis of the state’s latest enrollment data, one in four Michigan K-12 students attend school at a charter or in a Schools of Choice district.
Michigan’s Schools of Choice provisions in Section 105 and 105c of the State School Aid Act allow local school districts to enroll nonresident students and count them in membership without having to obtain approval from the district of residence.
While a few dozen public school districts in the state — including Rochester Community Schools and Grosse Pointe — do not accept most students from other districts, the majority of Michigan’s 532 public school districts welcome choice.
The Troy School District, for example, offers a limited School of Choice program, allowing students from specific areas to enroll, with priority for siblings of current Schools of Choice students.
“Troy is really known for its strong academics, enrichment, athletics, and performing arts and has always been in the top three in the state for many things. Because of that reputation, that helps Troy immensely,” said Kendra Montante, director of communications and strategic initiatives for the Troy School District. “We also have a very diverse community, which is amazing, so that is a draw as well.”
Schools of Choice, Montante explained, helps maintain district enrollment while providing educational opportunities, with specific seat numbers announced annually.
“Over the years, School of Choice programs have changed based on things like enrollment needs, so for the last eight or nine years, we have not done a significant amount of Schools of Choice. We have done a little bit of it because our goal was to right size the district a little bit and determine where we were at with our student population and our schools. That’s not uncommon. Many districts do that.”
More recently, as many districts across the state face declining student enrollment, Montante said the Troy School District polled families and received feedback supporting further opening up its Schools of Choice program rather than potentially closing schools with lower student enrollment.
“For the 2026-27 school year, we opened it up a little bit more for grades kindergarten, first grade, sixth, seventh and eighth grade,” Montante said.
The Montessori method
A popular educational approach that differs from traditional public and private schools’ teacher-led, age-segregated, curriculum-focused option is the Montessori method.
Tanya Dallo, who owns Country Hills Montessori in Farmington Hills, said the Montessori method — established by Dr. Maria Montessori in the 1890s — is based on the philosophy that students learn best by self-directed activities and observing the world around them.
Country Hills Montessori, which serves children ages 14 months to 9 years in mixed-age classes, offers a more individual approach to education, Dallo says, with different self-directed experiences for every child.
“A Montessori education is designed to develop the full child, so it’s not just the academics, we focus on their social and emotional growth, too, to set them up to be lifelong learners,” she said.
To foster independence, children can choose the subjects they want to study, depending on their interests — things like art, music, foreign language, gardening, science, math, geography, and reading skills — and they are encouraged to reason, cooperate, negotiate and understand along the way.
Dallo, who has been providing Montessori education for 32 years, says the method works.
“I’ve seen kids graduate, go through med school to become doctors, we have lawyers, we have a student who is a sheriff,” she said. “It’s so rewarding and it’s wonderful to see.”
GATE programs an option for some
The Avondale School District launched its GATE, or Gifted And Talented Education program during the 2017-2018 school year, enrolling approximately 31 students in two multiage third and fourth grade classrooms at Woodland Elementary School.
At that time, Superintendent James Schwarz said the idea was that it would be a self-contained magnet program to service truly gifted students, being that there was not one in this area — a public school that services students to that end, in a program specific for that ability.
In 2019, the program more than doubled — with 74 students enrolled in four multiage classrooms: two second-and third-grade split classes, and two fourth-and fifth-grade split classes.
To meet the increasing demand for enrollment, the GATE program moved into a dedicated building, the Avondale Meadows Learning Center in Rochester Hills, with students in second through eighth grades eligible to be part of the program. Today, the school has grown to serve over 400 students.
Upon reaching eighth grade, Schwarz said GATE students then go to high school, where they can differentiate into a wide variety of honors choices, Advanced Placement, dual enrollment and early college. GATE students can complete their high school requirements in half the time, which allows them to take AP or dual enrollment courses.
The GATE program is open to students in second through eighth grades within the Avondale School District and those outside the district through Schools of Choice, as space allows. Applications for students within the district are typically due in the fall, and Schools of Choice applications are typically due in February.