Over the past decade of school choice in Colorado, nearly 120,000 more students across the state opted to enroll in a school outside their zoned neighborhood.

That figure represents roughly 40% of Colorado students, according to a report by Ready Colorado.

About 44% students in Denver opt for a school outside their neighborhood.

“Denver was a pioneer in this,” said Brenda Dickhoner, president and CEO of Ready Colorado. “I think what this shows is the rest of the state has caught up to them.”

Ready Colorado is an education advocacy organization that specifically advocates for school choice.

Adopted by the state legislature in 1990, school choice in Colorado allows students to enroll in schools outside their school boundary or in another district.

Colorado has been an early adopter of alternative learning environments, passing the state’s charter school legislation in 1993, making it the third in the country to do so.

Today, families have a variety of education options that include charter, magnet, online and innovation schools. They can also opt to homeschool, but that data isn’t reflected in the Ready Colorado study.

Homeschooling, too, has seen a surge in new students, growing 51% over the past decade — a figure that far outpaces traditional public schools.

Many students turned to alternative learning environments — such as remote learning or homeschooling — during the COVID-19 pandemic, something universally acknowledged by educators and school leaders.

Among the report’s findings:

• Most families opting for school choice are picking a different school but staying within their home district.

• Remote learning has grown increasingly popular since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• More than 347,000 students attend school outside their zoned neighborhood. In 2016, that number was 145,000 — that reflects a 140% increase.

One of the criticisms of school choice is access, particularly for struggling families who rely on busing, which is often unavailable for out-of-boundary schools.

The report also mentioned this.

“Despite the success and popularity of school choice in Colorado, persistent barriers continue to limit equitable access,” the report said. “These include a lack of transportation, confusing or inaccessible information, cumbersome application and reapplication processes, and opaque seat availability reporting.”

Some districts have developed strategies to lower these barriers, but Dickhoner said broader policy reforms are needed. This includes travel stipends, gas cards, carpools and streamlined enrollment processes across districts, she said.

“At the state level, lawmakers have the opportunity to revise policies and create conditions that ensure all families — not just those with the time, knowledge, or resources — can take full advantage of Colorado’s school choice system,” the report said.

A 2020 Ready Colorado report found just 6% of those in low-incomes areas have access to “quality” elementary schools compared to 24% for those in high-income areas. Attendance zones often affect how people view which schools are “good” or “bad” — and that these perceptions are frequently associated with race.

The way Dickhoner sees it, choice isn’t going anywhere.

“Choice has been increasing year-over-year as overall district enrollment statewide has been declining,” she said.