In the near future, the idea that families will have only one school to choose from—based on where they live, not what their students need—will likely be a distant memory.
That future came closer to reality in 2023 with policymakers in eight states voting to allow almost every family to choose any available learning option and providing them with the state funds already being set aside to educate their children.
While not achieved without debate, 2023’s expansion of universal school choice centers on the needs of families and students looking to find the best educational fit—and empowers them to do so with funding they can direct.
Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa said it well: “We have to set aside this us-versus-them mentality. If you want to pretend that this is a war between two different school systems, then you’re not focused on our children.”
Iowa was one of the seven states that either adopted or expanded universal school choice programs in 2023.
Having more options for students and parents means more access to quality educational settings that can better meet the diverse needs of families.
National School Choice Week, an organization that promotes activities one week a year to celebrate different learning options, summed up the changes of 2023 concisely: “Broad access to school choice programs is no longer an ‘if’ for families, but a ‘When?’ and ‘Where next?’”
The concept of allowing students to learn elsewhere with financial support is not a new concept.
It goes all the way back to 1869 when Vermont created a practice called “town tuitioning,” allowing “parents living in districts that do not own and operate elementary or secondary schools to send their children to public or non-sectarian private schools in other areas of the state, or even outside the state, using funds provided by the child’s home district.”
As the nation continued to expand, a public school system based on geographic proximity made the most sense as transportation was limited, but the push to empower parents with funds to choose non-public schools never faded.
The father of the modern school choice movement was Milton Friedman, a Nobel Prize-winning economist. In his 1955 essay, The Role of Government in Education, Friedman stated that knowledge and literacy were core components of “a stable and democratic society.”
Friedman suggested that instead of limiting access to learning options based on proximity, America should allow the share of public funds dedicated to each student to “be made available to parents regardless where they send their children–provided only that it be to schools that satisfy specified minimum standards–and a wide variety of schools will spring up to meet the demand.”
It took more than 30 years for a program akin to what Friedman proposed to take hold. Annette “Polly” Williams, a member of the Wisconsin legislature and a longtime community leader, worked with state and local advocates to create the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program in 1990.
The initiative had strong bipartisan support and was the first voucher program in the nation.
If you’re not familiar with private school choice, the program types tend to break down into three main categories:
Vouchers: Voucher programs allow families to use some or all of the K-12 state funding set aside for their student to pay tuition at a private school.
Tax-Credit Scholarships: Tax-credit scholarship programs offer full or partial tax credits to individuals or corporations who donate to nonprofit scholarship funds. Families can apply for scholarships through the scholarship-granting organization in their state and use the funds to pay private school tuition.
Education Savings Accounts: The most flexible form of school choice, education savings accounts (ESAs), also known as education scholarship accounts, are state-supervised spending accounts containing a child’s education funds that can be used to pay for a variety of educational services. With an ESA, parents direct their child’s education funding to the state-approved schools, courses, programs, resources and services of their choice.
In July 2022, Arizona became the first state to create “universal choice,” allowing nearly all families to use the state funds allotted for their child’s education – around $7,000 – in the way that best serves the child’s learning needs.
This year, eight states joined Arizona in adopting universal or near-universal programs:
More states are likely to create their own universal school choice programs in the months ahead. These seven states offer a roadmap for policymakers looking to achieve that goal.
Arkansas
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders proposed a sweeping education reform bill is transforming the education landscape in her home state.
One key component of the Arkansas LEARNS Act is the creation of Education Freedom Accounts.
This year, these ESAs are available to students in foster care, students with disabilities and children of uniformed service members – a total of about 6,500 students.
The program will expand over the next two years, becoming available to all K-12 students, currently numbering around 457,000, beginning in the 2025-26 school year.
The new program is already popular, with a recent poll showing more than 60 percent of families support the accounts.
“We cannot allow a child’s destiny to be determined by their zip code, race or income. We will empower parents to choose whatever school is best for their child,” said Gov. Huckabee Sanders.
Florida
Florida immediately became the largest universal school choice program in the nation when Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB 1 in March 2023, with 3.2 million K-12 students eligible for the Family Empowerment Scholarship in that school year.
“Florida is number one when it comes to education freedom and education choice, and today’s bill signing represents the largest expansion of education choice in the history of these United States,” DeSantis said. “When you combine private scholarships, charter schools, and district choice programs, Florida already has 1.3 million students attending a school of their choosing. These programs have been instrumental in elevating student achievement over the past 20 years.”
Florida ESA students receive funds—nearly $8,000 on average—into a flexible-use account for educational expenses.
Families apply for the scholarship through a scholarship funding organization that works with eligible private schools. Like most ESAs, families can use these funds for many educational uses including private school tuition, tutoring, learning materials and more.
Indiana
Indiana, home to a number of private school choice programs, expanded the state’s Choice Scholarship Program to almost all Hoosier families. The scholarships are based on household income, and about 98 percent of families are eligible.
“We want those parents to have the best choice they can have with regard to where their children should go – and all parents should have that,” Rep. Jeff Thompson said earlier this year. “In this case, we’re just very optimistic about what it’s going to do for families and finding the best spot for their children.”
The program provides a voucher worth 90 percent of the state share of per-pupil funding, about $5,850. Nearly 70,000 students were in the program prior to the recent expansion; the number of eligible students will now be close to 1.1 million.
Indiana has three other private school choice programs, including an Education Scholarship Account Program that provides ESAs for students with special needs. Lawmakers expanded eligibility this year to provide an ESA worth more than $6,200 for educational services that can include transportation, testing fees, private school tuition and more.
Iowa
Less than two weeks after introducing an expansion of school choice in her annual Condition of the State address, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the Students First Act in January 2023.
“Public schools are the foundation of our education system and for most families they will continue to be the option of choice, but they aren’t the only choice,” Gov. Reynolds said in a release. “For some families, a different path may be better for their children. With this bill, every child in Iowa, regardless of zip code or income, will have access to the school best suited for them.”
The ESA program was successfully in place for this current school year. Eligibility includes all students entering kindergarten and students enrolled in public school with a household income cap of around $90,000 for a family of four.
The income cap goes up next year, and all students statewide will be eligible for an ESA in the 2025-26 school year. The most recent data shows that slightly more than 480,000 K-12 students reside in Iowa.
North Carolina
North Carolina expanded its Opportunity Scholarship voucher program in 2023 to all students eligible to attend public school, without household income eligibility requirements.
Despite opposition from Gov. Roy Cooper, the House approved the expansion in May, and a Senate committee approved it in April. The expanded program was successfully included in the state budget, which became law in October.
The approved changes to the program will take effect in the next school year, and they eliminate most requirements for families to participate.
There will be no income cap, although each scholarship amount will be based on household income. These will range from about $3,000 to approximately $7,000 per student.
Ohio
Among the many states that have embraced school choice, Ohio stands out for having eight different private school choice options.
This year’s expansion of the EdChoice Scholarship Program incorporates them all, providing vouchers to all Ohio students wishing to attend a private school.
Most Ohio families can receive a full voucher, worth $6,165 for grades K-8 and $8,407 for high school students. Families with higher incomes can receive vouchers for a smaller amount.
Currently about 39,000 students receive the voucher; the state’s 1.7 million students can now apply for the vouchers.
Visiting a school in Cleveland this month to see the impact of school choice in person, Gov. Mike DeWine praised the school and the program:
“You want to make sure that public money is being used in a proper way,” he said. “The other thing you want, though, is parents to be more empowered. Parents make decisions about where their child can go to. You know, if you’re an affluent parent, you have every opportunity to have your child go wherever you want that child to go. If you’re poor, you do not have that opportunity.”
With this year’s expansion, Ohio ranks among the national leaders in voucher investments in families.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma joined the nationwide movement to enhance school choice in 2023 by creating the Oklahoma Parental Choice Tax Credit Act. This innovative legislation created a refundable tax credit, reaching up to $7,500 per student attending a private school. Notably, homeschooling families are also eligible for a $1,000 per student credit.
Crucially, the legislation was a key component of Governor Stitt’s ASPIRE Oklahoma plan, signed into law last year. This comprehensive initiative not only included record K-12 funding but also allocated resources for teacher pay raises, underscoring the state’s commitment to fostering a robust and equitable education system.
Estimates show the Oklahoma Parental Choice Tax Credit could impact more than 60,000 students across the state; the program has already received more than 30,000 applications since the application opened in December 2023.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt prioritized education in his 2023 legislative agenda and celebrated the passage of the bill as a monumental achievement. He expressed pride in empowering parents and championing school choice.
“I’m elated that parents and students are taking advantage of the most transformative change to Oklahoma’s education system in decades,” Gov. Stitt said. “School choice should be for everyone, not just the rich. What we’ve accomplished is a victory for students and a step towards true education freedom.”
Utah
Utah joined the 2023 movement by creating the Utah Fits All Scholarship Program.
With limited first-year funding, about 5,000 students currently receive scholarships. Beginning in April 2024, applications will be prioritized and awarded based on income and previous participation. Future funding increases will expand the ESA to the state’s 675,000 students.
Uniquely, the program is tied to increased teacher pay, with teachers getting an $8,400 pay increase if the ESA program is funded and $4,200 if not.
“With nearly 97% of our school aged kids participating in public education in some fashion, I really do believe that this is a good scholarship program that will serve those kids that need unique and individualized education and is not really going to have a very strong or meaningful effect on the public education system,” he said.
Strong, student-centered policies often serve as excellent models for leaders in other states. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has already said he will promote a universal school choice plan in 2024.
And while each state’s education systems are different, with unique demographics and populations, there are general lessons to be learned from this historic year.
First, many states already have strong school choice programs. This makes it easier to expand on existing infrastructure.
Second, parent support in these states was strong. Policymakers could not have succeeded with such an historic shift without that support.
Third, the states that enacted universal or near-universal choice programs had bold state policymakers leading the way.
Notably, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has it as a mission statement on his website: “Let’s do the big things. Let’s do the things that matter.”
We at ExcelinEd in Action will be here along the way, ready to support state leaders prepared to take bold steps to improve educational options for families and students.
