Education School Vouchers & ESAs

School Vouchers & ESAs

Reads at about grade 5Both sides shown10 sources cited

Vouchers and education savings accounts let a family use public money set aside for a child's education to pay for a private or religious school.

What it is

A voucher is public money that "follows" a child: the state pays the family instead of the local public school, and the family uses it for tuition at a private or religious school. An education savings account, or ESA, is a broader version -- the state funds an account, and parents can spend it on tuition plus other costs, like tutoring, therapies, and online classes. Both differ from charter schools, which are still public. California has no voucher or ESA program; in 2000, voters rejected a statewide voucher, Proposition 38, by 71% to 29%. But since the early 2020s, many other states have started or grown these programs, some open to every family. What does the research show? The results are mixed: many older studies found little change in test scores, while some newer, large programs showed big score drops -- though some students or subjects still gained. Where states opened ESAs to all incomes, much of the money went to wealthier families. A federal study in Washington, D.C. showed this same mixed picture: no clear change in test scores, but a higher graduation rate. Competition may also push nearby public schools to improve. In the end, the evidence points different ways, and each side reads it its own way.

How it works

In practice, a voucher works like a payment the family can only spend at a private school in the program, while an ESA works more like a restricted debit card that can cover many school costs, not just tuition. Both sides start from real worries. Supporters say a child stuck in a weak school shouldn't have to wait -- the family should be able to leave and take its share of funding along. They also say parents, not the government, should direct a child's education, including a religious one. Opponents say public money belongs with public schools, which must serve every child, including students with disabilities. They worry that private schools taking public money don't face the same tests or rules, and since many private schools are religious, some ask whether tax money should pay for religious teaching. California rejected vouchers in 2000, but the debate is back as other states grow these programs fast.

The debate — equal weight, both sides

The case for vouchers and ESAs

Most often made by conservatives, libertarians, and parents who want options. Some low-income and minority families who use the programs make it too.

Money should follow the child, not the building. Wealthy families already choose their child's school by paying tuition or moving to a pricier neighborhood; vouchers give that same power to families who can't afford it. And most users aren't rich -- in Florida's tax-credit program, "100 percent of the students using the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program are from low-income families," and "around 70 percent of those students are minorities." In Indiana, "42 percent of students using private school vouchers are non-white," far above the state average. Supporters add that parents also value safety and a good fit, and the option can change lives. A federal study in Washington, D.C. found a graduation rate of "82 percent for those students receiving the OSP" (the voucher) "compared to 70 percent" for those who did not. Across careful experiments, "Ten of the 16 random assignment evaluations on the topic find that private school choice programs increased math or reading test scores." Even nearby public schools can gain, because "competition ... leads public schools to improve." The idea is simple and fair: "All families should have the option to choose the school that works best for their own children."

The case against vouchers and ESAs

Most often made by teachers unions, Democrats, and public-school advocates. Some rural conservatives, whose areas have few private schools, make it too.

Private schools that take public money often play by different rules than public schools, which must welcome every child. Many can pick their students and turn others away -- in one survey, "78 percent... select only students who are performing at grade level or above." Children with special needs are often left out: only "15 to 31 percent of private schools surveyed would participate... if they were required to accept students with special needs." A student's rights can vanish at the door, too -- "the rights that they have in public school do not automatically transfer with them to their private school," and a private school "may expel or deny admission to certain students without repercussion." The results can disappoint, as well. Recent research on large voucher programs found "negative academic impacts as high as -0.4 standard deviations," a very big drop. And when a state opens ESAs to everyone, the money tilts toward the well-off: "more advantaged communities are securing a highly disproportionate share of the funds," while in the same program, "families in the poorest communities are the least likely to obtain ESA funds." Supporters call this reform. Critics reply that "Vouchers are not a reform movement or solution to the problems of public education."

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