Winners
First, let’s look at the clear winners.
Students who participate in universal choice and charter programs. No child is forced to participate in a choice program, so when families switch schools, there is usually a reason. EdChoice polling points to everything from escaping bullying to receiving more individual attention as factors driving school choice. Research shows these students often thrive once they enter their new school communities. A recent study of the voucher program in Ohio, for example, found positive long-term effects on college enrollment and graduation. This is consistent with a broader body of research showing students in choice programs are more civically engaged, more tolerant, commit less crime, and matriculate and persist in college at higher rates. The kids are winning.
Students who remain in traditional public schools. Children who remain in traditional public schools are better off than they were before the introduction of universal choice. They are doing better in math and reading, and they are absent less. They also graduate and matriculate into college at higher rates. These patterns have been documented repeatedly in different places by different research teams. According to a 2023 study by David Figlio, children who remained in Florida public schools after the state enacted universal choice have done better on math and reading assessments and have experienced less absenteeism. A 2025 study by Figlio and Matthew Chingos shows that children who stay in public schools in Ohio graduate and go to college at higher rates as a result of broad educational choice. The competition caused by choice is working, and kids in public schools are winning.
Parents and families. Families in choice-friendly states are finally gaining access to the diverse education options they have long said they wanted. For years, EdChoice polling has asked parents where they would send their child if cost were not a barrier. Only about 44 percent say they would choose a public school, while 48 percent would prefer private, charter, or homeschooling options. Yet the reality looks very different: Nationally, about 74 percent of students still attend traditional public schools. But in choice-rich states like Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, and Ohio, this is not the case—more students are being educated outside their zip code–assigned school. As universal choice takes hold in these regions, parents are being offered and getting what they want for their children’s education. As a result, parent satisfaction with school choice, particularly among lower-income families and families of color, is through the roof in these states. Families are winning.
Private schools. According to data from Susan Pendergrass, while the number of private schools is flat or even down nationwide, states with universal programs like Arizona, Florida and Ohio are seeing increases. In Arizona the number of private schools grew from 314 in 2011 to at least 400 in 2021; just one year after the state’s education savings account (ESA) program went truly universal in 2022, the number of participating private schools and vendors went from 510 to 661. Florida’s private sector grew from 1,875 schools in 2011 up to 2,737 in 2022. Ohio jumped from 852 to 1,400 in the same period. In Indiana, private schools that were once half empty are now bursting at the seams and looking to expand. The results are clear: Private schools are winning.
Education entrepreneurs. The explosion of universal ESAs has led to a dramatic increase in education entrepreneurship in America. Groups like the Yass Prize, Vela, the National Microschooling Center, and the National Hybrid Schools Project all report massive increases in micro- and hybrid schooling. New organizations like KaiPod, Primer, Outschool, and Prenda have jumped into building innovative school models, and all are growing. The National Microschooling Center estimates there are now roughly 95,000 microschools serving about 1.5 million children. In choice-rich states like Florida, Arizona and West Virginia, millions of parent-directed education transactions are processed every year, and the funds are not going just to private schools. Parents are taking advantage of the opportunity to customize their child’s education. Compare ESA spending in Arizona in 2013, for example, when 72 percent of all participating families used their account exclusively for tuition, to 2023–24, when only 13 percent did so—and a whopping 87 percent used their ESA in multiple ways with multiple vendors. Five years after the rise of universal educational choice, education entrepreneurship has exploded onto the scene and is here to stay. Innovation is winning.
Politicians who supported choice. Since 2016, support for educational choice by legislators, particularly Republicans, has expanded dramatically. They have learned through experience that backing school choice is not political suicide. In fact, the opposite is true. Governors like Greg Abbott, Kim Reynolds, Sarah Huckabee, Kay Ivey, Ron DeSantis, and Doug Ducey have all proven that educational choice is a winning issue. One anecdote demonstrates this sea change. A State Speaker of the House in the Midwest told me that school choice used to be one of the toughest votes in caucus, and now it is one of the easiest. Politicians who support choice are winning.
