Summary of Research on School Vouchers

Summary of Research on School Vouchers

Policy Brief #23-2February 2023


Summary

School vouchers and similar programs such as Education Savings Accounts are
publicly funded programs that allow families to send their children to private schools.
These programs have been studied in the United States since they first started
appearing in the 1990s.



Who Uses Vouchers?
  • Voucher programs are often targeted to students in low-performing public schools, or whose families fall below a particular income threshold
  • Voucher programs tend to be used by families already in private schools
  • Indiana’s voucher program initially served mostly children leaving public schools, but now 7 of every 10 voucher students did not previously attend public schools

Percent of Voucher-Using Students Already in Private School [1]

Percent of Voucher-Using Students Already in Private School

Indiana Choice Scholarship Program Participants by Their Prior Public School Attendance (%) [2]

Indiana Choice Scholarship Program Participants by Their Prior Public School Attendance [2]

Do Vouchers Boost Learning?
  • Early, small-scale studies showed promise, but state-wide studies show negative impacts on learning

Effect of School Vouchers on Math Achievement Over Years and Program Size [3]

Effect of School Vouchers on Math Achievement Over Years and Program Size

Does Competition from Vouchers Help Public Schools Improve?
  • Several studies from different states show that competition from vouchers may boost public school productivity [4]
  • Research on Indiana’s voucher program indicates that it erodes the performance of public schools as programs mature

Competition Erodes Student Outcomes Over Time [5]

Competition Erodes Student Outcomes Over Time