Opening a private school in the United States requires remarkably little institutional oversight, as demonstrated by investigative reporters who successfully founded three distinct private and microschool ventures across Arkansas, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Reporters from ProPublica partnered with local journalists at the Arkansas Times, Mountain State Spotlight, and The Assembly to test the ease of establishing these educational entities without any background in teaching or running a school. We have no business running a private school. We’re reporters, not teachers,
they noted of the effort, which also involved Arkansas Times reporter Milo Strain, ProPublica reporters Jennifer Smith Richards and Jodi S.
Establishing Schools Across Three States
The process in each state demanded minimal effort and verification. In Arkansas, reporters used a few clicks on the secretary of state website, spent $45, and acquired an American flag to form a bona fide private school. In West Virginia, they established a school with Mountain State Spotlight after filing the school’s name and location on a piece of notebook paper and exchanging a few emails. In North Carolina, reporters filed an online notice of intent to open a private school while at Ponysaurus Brewing Co. in Durham. Across these efforts, they used their real names and news organization email addresses to follow the rules for starting private or microschools, which are a type of private school intended for just a few students.
None of the states asked about the reporters’ backgrounds or qualifications, though West Virginia requested proof of a high school diploma. No one questioned what the founders planned to teach or how student learning would be measured.
Flags, Vouchers, and Regulatory Gaps
Arkansas state law requires private schools to display an American flag. To comply, reporters visited the Arkansas Flag and Banner store in Little Rock, where they surveyed options including handheld American flags on skinny sticks, midsize wall displays, and formal flags with silky gold fringe, before purchasing a small American flag and an Arkansas flag for a total of $49.45. Kaelin Clay, an Arkansas Department of Education spokesperson, told reporters earlier this year, “We don’t have rules for opening a private school.” The process required no filings with the state Education Department.
Arkansas officials even suggested ways the new school could accept public money through the state’s voucher-style program.
