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Education Choice Big Bet

Expanding Quality School Options for Families

Create 100,000 new choice seats to give families more options for a quality education.

The Daniels Fund is supporting the creation of 100,000 new high-quality school choice seats across the Rocky Mountain West. This Big Bet is grounded in the belief that families are best positioned to decide what kind of education will help their children thrive, and is rooted in Bill Daniels’ belief that opportunity begins with a great education.

Too many students, especially those from low-income households, are not being well served by the current system. By expanding access to public and private schools, charter and traditional models, homeschool networks, and microschools, we are helping families choose the learning environment that aligns with their child’s needs, values, and long-term success.

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Why Education Choice Matters​

Across the country, families are driving a profound shift, perhaps even a revolution, based on the growing belief that the traditional education system no longer meets their needs.

We are committed to creating 100,000 new “choice seats” across our four-state region by 2030. With nearly 350,000 private and charter seats in place today, this represents a nearly 30 percent increase in options. We believe a great education is not one size fits all, and this expansion allows more families to select schools that are the best fit for their children.

At the Daniels Fund, we believe schools should:

  • Prioritize academics and critical thinking, including reading, writing, and arithmetic
  • Shape the next generation of citizens by imparting core American beliefs, values, and traditions
  • Build future leaders who are positioned for upward mobility and long-term success.

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Unlocking Potential in Education

Across this country, we are seeing a family-driven evolution—maybe even a revolution—predicated on a belief that the traditional system is not working for families.

15%

Charter schools in Colorado now serve more than 137,000 students, making up over 15% of all public K–12 enrollments statewide (Common Sense Institute)

80k

In the 2023–24 school year alone, charter schools gained over 80,000 students nationwide, outpacing traditional district schools (National Alliance for Public Charter Schools)

3.7 million

Between 2010 and 2021, public charter school enrollment more than doubled, from 1.8 million to 3.7 million students (NCES)

+ 51%

Homeschooling has grown dramatically since the pandemic, rising from 2.5 million students in 2019 to 4.3 million in 2022, a 51% increase (NHERI, BusinessWire)

Impact in action

Hear from the students, parents, and educators impacted by investments in innovative learning models.

“With the support of the Daniels Fund, we put families in charge of their children’s education, principals in charge of their schools, teachers in charge of their classrooms, and students in charge of their futures. Together, we are seeing this vision come to life in communities across the Rocky Mountain region.”
National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
“I want to know that all families have a quality choice available to them, and that they have the data at hand to know which schools are advancing their children’s learning and which are not. The Daniels Fund investment in school choice makes this possible for more families every day.”
Rick CruzChair of the Board, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
“The Daniels Fund shares our belief that education flourishes in freedom, when people are trusted to make the best choices for their families and communities. With this support, VELA is cultivating the conditions for entrepreneurs to transform the future of education in ways that reflect families’ values and priorities.”
VELA Education Fund
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