Private School Choice Program Participation Surges Nationwide in the U.S.
Participation in private school choice programs is growing rapidly across the US. According to an analysis of government data, more than 1 million students nationwide are participating in choice programs. This represents a doubling in participation over the past five years. However, these enrollments represent only 2% of the eligible K-12 (kindergarten through 12th grade) population.
The increase in participation is attributed to the expansion of universal private school choice programs in some states over the past few years. Ohio, for example, expanded private school choice eligibility last year, contributing to the increase. State data show that enrollment under the expanded program, which is open to families at all income levels, increased from 23,272 in fiscal 2023 to nearly 88,000 in fiscal 2024.
In addition to Ohio, other states that have seen notable increases over the past few years include Arizona, Florida and Indiana. Families in these states are seizing the opportunity to provide a higher quality education for their children.
Another reason for increased participation is the growing popularity of education savings accounts and tax credit education savings accounts. Education savings accounts offer students special accounts to cover the cost of their education. Contributions to these accounts are tax advantaged. This year these programs had 470,801 participants. This trend shows that private school choice programs are being adopted and preferred by more and more families.