This community-based, participatory action research study examined the outcomes of parent participation in the Best Classroom Project, an organized group of parents in Detroit seeking the best school options for children about to enter kindergarten. These parents' residency and school choices have emerged against the grain of public schools that have racially charged histories (Carter, 2007) and decades of residential mobility trends. Examined are the ways in which parents collaborated during the group's first year and organized daytime public, private, and charter school visits to inform their school choices. Surveys, interviews, and observations captured in field notes illuminated parents' preferences and expectations for school characteristics across public, private, and charter school entities. Documentation in school evaluation checklists also reflected the characteristics of parents' preferred schools, particularly factors that satisfied parents' expectations. Documentation also showed participants' willingness to advocate and contribute resources to preferred schools. Field notes additionally revealed features of school and district entities and their efforts to collaborate with and attract parents.