Does School Choice Work? How State Data Should Guide the National Debate

​Protect The 1st champions school choice on First Amendment grounds. We support it as a way for parents to choose schools that reflect their values, and to extend those values across generations. It is sweeping the nation, with Wyoming becoming the latest state to embrace universal school choice.
 
But some have nagging doubts – in budgetary and educational terms, does school choice actually work?
 
With the recent reintroduction of the federal Educational Choice for Children Act in the 119th Congress – and with Texas on the verge of becoming the latest state to embrace universal school choice – this seems like a good time as any to point out that school choice improves educational outcomes in both public and private schools.
 
Critics of school choice worry that school choice programs will bleed public schools and drain state treasuries. This has not been the experience of Arizona, which has had universal educational school choice for several years now. The Arizona Department of Education reported late last year that it had a $4 million funding surplus. This happened despite larger enrollments than the experts predicted.
 
Arizona is not unique. Martin Lueken, director of Fiscal Research and Education Choice at EdChoice, surveyed fiscal data since 2018, analyzing 40 private educational choice programs in 19 states plus the District of Columbia. He found that schools save money when students depart for a private option, funded by education savings programs, school voucher programs, and tax-credit scholarship programs.
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• Lueken found that school choice programs, on average, saved state and local taxpayers between $1.80 and $2.85 for every dollar invested.

 

• Far from harming public schools, school choice has long been associated with higher student achievement. A study from the University of Arkansas shows “a strong and statistically significant association is clear between education freedom and both academic scores and academic gains.”

Results like these, with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott publicly itching to sign legislation now being debated in Austin, ought to put wind in the sails of a federal effort. The Educational Choice for Children Act was recently introduced in the House by Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE) and Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT), and in the Senate by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA).
 
Rep. Smith said that this bill will “empower parents with more options, acknowledging that they have the final say in what educational setting is best for their children.” Sen. Cassidy said, “more freedom empowers parents and allows American children to thrive in school.”

• After decades of declining test scores, it is time to rethink American education for states and the nation. Consider Pennsylvania, where just 33 percent of fourth graders performed at or above the National Assessment for Educational Progress proficient reading level in 2024. Low-income students are particularly disadvantaged. They had an average score that was 25 points lower than that for middle- and high-income students. Why should some students do well, and others suffer because of the state or the zip code their families happen to live in?

We know what doesn’t work – public school systems unchallenged by competition. We know what does work – competition improves outcomes. It also serves parents, as Rep. Smith put it, by giving parents the final say in choosing the best educational setting for their children.
 
Why not make school choice the law of the land?

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