The 123s of School Choice: 2024 Edition

This year has been a unique one for education choice. Alabama created a universal education savings account (ESA) program. Georgia and Missouri created or expanded more limited choice programs. The Louisiana legislature also created a program open to all K–12 students in the state, which Governor Jeff Landry signed.

These developments are extraordinary because these states managed to expand education opportunities for families during an election year. In past election years, states have largely avoided passing such politically fraught bills. As such, we can confidently expect that next year’s state legislative sessions will be hyperactive with efforts to expand education opportunities for families across the country.

State legislators, as well as parents, members of the media, and concerned citizens want to understand the effects that education choice programs have on students, families, taxpayers, public schools, and communities.

Luckily for those curious, a substantial amount of research exists on the subject. Nearly 190 empirical studies examine the impact of private educational choice programs on eight distinct outcomes for students, families, and communities. However, this vast body of research can appear daunting to absorb, summarize, and simplify.

To aid readers in better understanding the impact of choice programs on students, the education system, and society, EdChoice has released a new edition of The 123s of School Choice. This publication reviews the available research on voucher programs, education savings accounts, and tax-credit scholarship programs in the United States and organized the research by eight distinct outcomes.

The 123s of School Choice compiles research on:

• Program Participant Test Scores
• Program Participant Educational Attainment
• Parent Satisfaction
• Public School Students’ Test Scores
• Civic Values and Practices
• Racial/Ethnic Integration
• Fiscal Effects
• School Safety

Parents care about more than just test scores and have diverse preferences for their children’s schools and education. While the outcomes discussed in The 123s of School Choice only touch on a fraction of what parents seek, they do highlight the importance of non-test score outcomes. This report is not the only synthesis of education choice research. Over the years, researchers have published papers that evaluate and consolidate the extensive body of research evidence through their own systematic reviews or meta-analyses. For this reason, we also include a section summarizing these additional compendiums. The research is also illustrated by maps in each category, so you can see what programs have been studied in your state.

Different groups may use this publication in different ways. For example, many readers probably want to know what the research says about choice programs generally. What is the impact overall? Do effects tend to be positive, negative, or mixed? Of the entire body of research included in The 123s of School Choice, 84% of studies detected a positive effect while just 6% detected a negative effect.

Some readers may be concerned about the impact that choice programs have on a particular outcome, such as academic outcomes for public school students who choose to remain instead of participating in a choice program. Of the 29 studies that analyzed this outcome, 26 found that public school students benefit after choice enters the picture while two studies detected a negative effect and one did not detect any effect. In addition to these studies, researchers have conducted numerous systematic reviews of this research, including one meta-analysis, all of which concluded that competition from choice has a positive effect overall on public school students.

Finally, for those interested in reading or citing research on education choice, our Bibliography Page provides links and citations of empirical studies reviewed in The 123 of School Choice.

Whether you’re curious to study up on the effects of these programs yourself, need to bolster arguments for supporting choice in your state, or dispel myths about school choice programs, The 123s of School Choice is your go-to resource.

With that, we present to you the research on private school choice programs in America. As always, feel free to reach out with any questions or suggestions for improving this publication.