Research Commentary Annually Updated Edchoice Report Collects

EdChoice, one of the national leaders in education choice advocacy and research, has released a new, updated “in-depth review of the available research on private school choice programs in America.” The 123s of School Choice, originally published in 2019 and updated this June, gathers information from 203 empirical studies on choice programs—including vouchers, education savings accounts (ESAs), and tax-credit scholarships—published from 1998 to February... Of the 203 studies, 175 of them, or 86 percent, show these programs have a positive effect. Just 15 studies, or seven percent, show a negative effect, while 20 studies, or 10 percent, show no visible effect. The report breaks these studies down into eight categories in two separate groups. The first group covers the personal benefits experienced by children and families utilizing choice programs.

This includes participant test scores, participant educational attainment (whether they are more likely to graduate high school and attend college), parental satisfaction, and school safety. Of the 22 studies on test scores, only four show any negative effect from the program in question, and 13 show a positive effect on test scores. Six of the eight studies on educational attainment show positive results, while two find no visible effect. Of the 33 studies on parental satisfaction, 31 find choice parents are more satisfied with their choice school than their previous school. Finally, all eight studies on school safety and climate show a positive effect from choice programs. By Tim Benson .pp-multiple-authors-boxes-wrapper.box-post-id-205.pp-multiple-authors-layout-inline.multiple-authors-target-shortcode.box-instance-id-1 .pp-author-boxes-avatar img { width: 80px !important; height: 80px !important; } .pp-multiple-authors-boxes-wrapper.box-post-id-205.pp-multiple-authors-layout-inline.multiple-authors-target-shortcode.box-instance-id-1 .pp-author-boxes-avatar img { border-style: none !important; } .pp-multiple-authors-boxes-wrapper.box-post-id-205.pp-multiple-authors-layout-inline.multiple-authors-target-shortcode.box-instance-id-1 .pp-author-boxes-avatar img { border-radius: 50% !important; } .pp-multiple-authors-boxes-wrapper.box-post-id-205.pp-multiple-authors-layout-inline.multiple-authors-target-shortcode.box-instance-id-1 .pp-author-boxes-meta a {...

EdChoice, one of the national leaders in education choice advocacy and research, has released a new, updated “in-depth review of the available research on private school choice programs in America.” The 123s of School Choice, originally published in 2019 and updated this June, gathers information from 203 empirical studies on choice programs—including vouchers, education savings accounts (ESAs), and tax-credit scholarships—published from 1998 to February... Of the 203 studies, 175 of them, or 86 percent, show these programs have a positive effect. Just 15 studies, or seven percent, show a negative effect, while 20 studies, or 10 percent, show no visible effect. The report breaks these studies down into eight categories in two separate groups. The first group covers the personal benefits experienced by children and families utilizing choice programs.

This includes participant test scores, participant educational attainment (whether they are more likely to graduate high school and attend college), parental satisfaction, and school safety. EdChoice or external research/thought leadership publications so far in 2025 Americans have responded to our surveys so far in 2025 We publish reports on the state and national level, including original empirical research, surveys, voter polls, syntheses and more. Sign up at the bottom of this page to get our future reports sent to your email inbox on the day we release them. Click the button below to browse our research library online.

More states than ever offer families K–12 programs that help them access options like private school or a customized education that fits their needs. Check out our dashboard of every program across the states. Our Public Opinion Tracker, powered by Morning Consult, posts updated findings from our polling of Americans and school parents on timely education-related questions quarterly. We update our polling of K–12 teachers twice a year. You can also find state-level results and special subgroup survey reports. EdChoice, one of the national leaders in education choice advocacy and research, has released a new “in-depth review of the available research on private school choice programs in America.”

The 123s of School Choice gathers information from 142 empirical studies on choice programs—vouchers, education savings accounts (ESAs), tax-credit scholarships—published from 1998 to March 2019. The report breaks these studies down into seven categories in two separate groups. The first group covers the personal benefits children and families utilizing choice programs experience. This includes participant test scores, participant educational attainment (whether they are more likely to graduate high school and attend college), and parental satisfaction. Of the 16 studies on test scores, only three show any negative effect from the program in question, and 11 show a positive effect on test scores. Four of the six studies on educational attainment show positive results, while two find no visible effect.

All 26 studies on parental satisfaction find choice parents are more satisfied with their choice school than their previous school. The second group covers the community and societal benefits of choice programs. This includes the fiscal effects of the programs, their effect on integration, how they affect participating students’ civic values and practices, and the effects these programs have on the test scores of students remaining... Forty-five of the 50 studies on the fiscal effects of these programs find a positive fiscal benefit from choice programs, with only one finding a negative effect. Six of seven studies find choice programs are increasing school integration, with the other finding no statistical effect. Another six of eleven studies find choice programs are improving students’ civic values and practices, with five showing a null effect.

Lastly, 24 of 26 studies find the choice programs improve the test scores of students remaining in public schools, with one finding no effect, and one finding a negative effect. Other studies also find students at private schools are less likely than their public school peers to experience problems such as alcohol abuse, bullying, drug use, fighting, gang activity, racial tension, theft, vandalism, and... There is also a strong causal link suggesting private school choice programs improve the mental health of participating students. The nationwide push to create or expand private school access over the last few years—through vouchers, tax credits, or education savings accounts (ESAs)—has ignited parental curiosity in such choices. But has the supply side of the equation kept pace with that heightened demand (and opportunity)? A new report from EdChoice—formerly the Milton and Rose D.

Friedman Foundation—digs into the data. Hard numbers on private school supply have been lacking until recently. Kudos to EdChoice researcher Susan Pendergrass for her efforts to make sense of what’s out there. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Private School Survey (PSS) indicate there were about 30,000 private schools in the U.S. in 2020-21, with approximately 4.4 million students attending. Overall, it seems these numbers represent a decline in total schools between 2010 and 2020 (and, by inference, student enrollment), with some states likely bucking that trend.

However, further certainty is not possible as PSS data are merely voluntary survey responses from a representative sample of schools. Tuition rates for 2020-21 are reported in ranges—from less than $3,500 to more than $15,000 per year. Approximately four-fifths of private schools charged less than $15,000 in tuition annually. The overall average was about $13,000. From there, the data become more reliable, largely as a result of burgeoning publicly-funded private-school choice programs. While not every private school chooses to participate in its state’s voucher or ESA programs, publicly-available lists of those that do are kept and updated with fidelity by state education agencies or the third-party...

Fordham’s home state of Ohio has been an exemplar for many years, but this report mainly features Arizona, whose ESA program became universally-available in the fall of 2022. Detailed information is fully available on the numbers and types of schools participating (with lots of subcategories) as well as the number of students opting for each type, dedicating their ESA funds toward tuition... The number of participating schools in Arizona grew from 510 in 2022 to 661 in 2023; the number of students participating grew by nearly 10,000; and the tuition support provided to families grew from... Even if every other non-participating private school in the state closed shop in that year (they didn’t), the net was still a big, concrete gain—no ambiguity, statistical sampling, or data modeling required. Ditto for non-school providers—tutors, therapists, curriculum publishers—all reimbursable expenses for Arizona ESA families and all on the rise from 2022 to 2023. EdChoice’s report does not address the question of whether voucher and ESA support are leading to increases in tuition or other private education resources, although it references other recent research that does raise concerns...

If the influx of public money into private-school programs leads to tuition increases over and above the value of the voucher, the intent of such programs to widen access for families would be undermined... It’s a matter of basic economics and needs watching carefully. The available data indicate that expanded private school support programs have led to an increased supply of private education options, at least in Arizona. Other states examined in this report are less clearcut, with eligibility levels determining how big programs grow and how fast. It is not a surprise, then, that EdChoice concludes from this snapshot that private school choice programs must include the widest-possible eligibility (universal would be best), minimal regulatory friction for provider entry, and a... One would expect nothing less of the disciples of Milton Friedman.

Private school choice is on the rise, hastened by COVID-era chaos and learning loss. Programs need to ensure the supply side of the equation is favorable if they are to meet the demand for classroom seats and service providers. Solid data is the keystone to making sure that happens. We publish reports on the state and national level, including original empirical research, surveys, public polls, syntheses and more. To learn more about what we do, visit our Research page, or our Fiscal Research and Education Center. Formerly the EdChoice Study Guide, this publication distills more than 200 empirical studies on the outcomes of school choice programs, including their academic effects, fiscal impacts, and influence on civic values, parental satisfaction, and...

Categorized and cited for transparency, these findings help separate fact from fiction, providing a research-driven foundation for evaluating policy effectiveness.

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