This qualitative study analyses the heterogeneous educational aspirations of Chinese middle-class parents. Drawing on Bourdieusian reflexivity theory alongside concepts of orthodoxy, capital, and field, findings suggest that parents hold diverse educational aspirations, which can be categorised into aspirations for academic performance, holistic development, and self-actualisation. These aspirations are shaped by specific social-structural conditions, which, in turn, incorporate distinct orthodoxies (i.e. dominant, alternative, personalised). Based on 34 life-story interviews with Shanghai-based parents, this study argues that the formation of these aspirations is a reflexive process wherein parents recognise, negotiate, and reflect on their past beliefs and current social circumstances. Identifying four modes of reflexivity (i.e. compliant, reconciling, traversing, disavowing), this study contributes to a framework for unravelling the nuanced process of aspiration formation, shedding light on the conditions and possibilities through which parents develop distinct educational aspirations.