New polling from both EdChoice and the American Federation for Children (AFC) shows the education choice revolution that has been sweeping the states since the beginning of the decade shows no sign of abatement or declining popularity among parents of school-aged children, or of the public at large.
EdChoice’s poll, the latest in its annual Schooling in America surveys, finds 58 percent of the general population and 69 percent of current school parents are in favor of education savings account (ESA) programs that allow children to attend the school most suited for their unique needs. However, upon being provided with a description of what ESA programs are and what they do, support rises among both groups, with support for ESAs jumping to 74 percent among the general population and 83 percent among current school parents.
Buttressing this is AFC’s poll, released on September 24, which finds 73 percent of respondents believe education choice programs should be open to all families. Further, 57 percent said they would vote for the pro-education choice candidate over the anti-education choice candidate in a head-to-head race for their state legislature.
“Every state will have school choice soon, and as these results show, that can’t happen soon enough,” said AFC CEO Tommy Schultz in a press release accompanying the poll. “Parents are the interest group to which politicians at all levels must respond or face political consequences. As the latest scores from the Nation’s Report Card prove, our nation’s education system is in an undeclared state of emergency and in desperate need of meaningful competition and ways out for students who need it.”
The latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores show that only 27 percent of American public school children test “proficient” to their grade level in mathematics, 29 percent test to the same level in reading, and 31 percent test to the same level in science by the time they finish grade school. By the time they finish high school, only 22 percent are proficient in math and 35 percent are proficient in reading. Essentially, America’s public school system is failing to educate roughly seven out of ten children that enter its doors.
Copious empirical research on school choice programs like ESAs, however, makes clear these programs offer families improved access to high-quality schools that meet their children’s unique needs and circumstances. Specifically, these programs improve academic performance and attainment while delivering quality education at lower cost than traditional public schools.
Additionally, education choice benefits public school students and taxpayers by increasing competition, decreasing segregation, and improving civic values and practices. Research also shows 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 weapon-based threats. There is also a strong causal link suggesting private school choice programs improve the mental health of participating students.
Parents instinctively know this, which is why 56 percent of them told EdChoice they would prefer their child to attend either a private school (33 percent), a public charter school (11 percent), or homeschool (12 percent). While 80 percent of all American children attend their neighborhood public district school, only 32 percent of parents told EdChoice that is the type of school they would prefer for their child.
Clearly, there is significant interest in non-traditional public school education options from American parents. That is why it is imperative that state legislators look toward expanding choice options in the upcoming legislative session. While 35 states offer some forms of private education choice options like ESAs, voucher programs, or tax-credit scholarships, only 16 states provide universal eligibility for all children, and 15 states offer no private school choice programs at all.
Legislators in states that have some choice options on the books should look to expand those programs to universal eligibility, while those in states without any options should look to get some form of education choice on the books, whether it be a program for special needs or low-income children or a program for those students stuck in a woefully underperforming public district school. Meanwhile, legislators in states that already have universal choice options should make sure that the funding for those programs ensures each family that wants to pursue that option has the ability to do so and that the funding for their children matches the per-pupil spending that would go toward that child if they were attending one of the state’s public schools.
Simply put, states with robust and expansive school choice programs will be more attractive to families who have the ability to migrate to the state of their choosing. How many families who are considering a move will decide against moving to a particular state because it doesn’t offer their children the opportunity to attend the school that best suits their educational needs?
The goal of public education in the United States today and in the years to come should be to allow all parents to choose which schools their children attend, require every school to compete for every student who walks through its doors, and make sure every child has the opportunity to attend a quality school that best fits their unique needs and circumstances.
The following documents provide more information about education choice.
The 2025 EdChoice Friedman Index
https://www.edchoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/2025-Friedman-Index.pdf
To measure how much K–12 choice is available in a given state, EdChoice has created the EdChoice Friedman Index which evaluates three key factors: student eligibility; flexible use of funds; and funding parity.
The 123s of School Choice (2025 Edition)
https://www.edchoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/123s-of-School-Choice-2025.pdf
This report from EdChoice is an in-depth review of the available research on private school choice programs in America. Areas of study include: private school choice program participant test scores, program participant attainment, parent satisfaction, public school students’ test scores, civic values and practices, racial/ethnic integration and fiscal effects.
Fiscal Effects of School Choice
https://www.edchoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Fiscal-Effects-2024.pdf
This EdChoice analysis of 48 private educational choice programs in 25 states plus D.C. summarizes the facts and evidence on the fiscal effects of educational choice programs across the United States and finds they have provided up to $45.6 billion in net fiscal savings to state and local taxpayers through Fiscal Year 2022. The programs in the analysis include five education savings accounts programs (ESAs), 22 school voucher programs, and 21 tax-credit scholarship programs.
The Public Benefit of Private Schooling: Test Scores Rise When There Is More of It
https://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/pa830.pdf
This Policy Analysis from the Cato Institute examines the effect increased access to private schooling has had on international student test scores in 52 countries. The Cato researchers found that a 1 percentage point increase in the share of private school enrollment would lead to moderate increases in students’ math, reading, and science achievement.
Nothing in this Research & Commentary is intended to influence the passage of legislation, and it does not necessarily represent the views of The Heartland Institute. For further information on this subject, visit School Reform News, The Heartland Institute’s website, and PolicyBot, Heartland’s free online research database.
The Heartland Institute can send an expert to your state to testify or brief your caucus; host an event in your state; or send you further information on a topic. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if we can be of assistance! If you have any questions or comments, contact Heartland’s government relations department, at [email protected] or 312/377-4000.
Tim Benson joined The Heartland Institute in September 2015 as a policy analyst in the Government Relations Department.
