This article describes educational pluralism as a common approach to schooling in which the government funds a wide variety of schools and holds all of them academically accountable. Educational pluralism implies a diverse structure (i.e., schools that differ from one another in meaningful ways) and a common academic content (i.e., all schools teach many domains of knowledge). Second, the article outlines the philosophical premises of educational pluralism, the history of educational uniformity and curricular diversity in the United States, and the risks and potential benefits of educational pluralism for social cohesion. Finally, it highlights current tensions that pertain to both the structure and the content of education in the United States, and offers potential resolutions based on the successes and failures of school systems around the world.