School Choice 101
TYPES OF PRIVATE SCHOOL CHOICE PROGRAMS
School choice means different things to different people. For us school choice means education freedom. The freedom to allow parents to select the best education environment for their children. School choice includes school vouchers, scholarship tax credit programs, education savings account programs, public charter schools, virtual charter schools, homeschooling, microschooling, and meaningful public school choice. Learn more about general program types and student eligibility–state-level program details will vary state to state.
VOUCHER PROGRAMS
School voucher programs allow education dollars to “follow the child” to the private school of their parents’ choice.
EDUCATION SAVINGS ACCOUNT PROGRAMS
Education savings account programs give parents the power to use their children’s state education dollars for a variety of educational purposes.
SCHOLARSHIP TAX CREDIT PROGRAMS
Scholarship tax credit programs give families greater access to high-quality private schools by providing incentives to assist in expanding educational opportunity.
INDIVIDUAL TUITION TAX CREDITS
Individual tuition tax credits give parents a state income tax credit for their child’s approved educational expenses.
PUBLIC CHARTER
Charter schools are public schools that are created by school districts, colleges, nonprofit organizations, or other entities.
MAGNET SCHOOLS
Magnet schools, permitted in each of the 50 states, are public schools operated by school districts (or groups of school districts) that allow kids to focus on a specific learning track, such as STEM, medical science, or performing arts.
STUDENT ELIGIBILITY—REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATION:
SPECIAL NEEDS QUALIFICATIONS
Special needs scholarship programs are private school choice programs designed specifically for students with special needs. These programs allow students to attend a public or private school that can address their specific learning needs.
Twenty of the nation’s fifty private school choice programs are specifically designed to serve students with special needs.
MEANS-TESTED QUALIFICATIONS
Means-tested programs are designed to empower students from low-income families to attend the school of their parents’ choice. These programs provide access to quality educational options that low-income families would not otherwise have.
Means-preferenced programs give preference to students from low-income families by serving them first, while also allowing students from working class and middle income families to participate.
Twenty-seven of the nation’s fifty private school choice programs are either means-tested or means-preferenced.
UNIVERSAL QUALIFICATIONS
Universal eligibility programs allow every child, with no restrictions such as income or prior public school attendance, the opportunity to receive a scholarship to attend the school of his or her parent’s choice. Two of the nation’s fifty private school choice programs have universal eligibility. One additional program is near universal – students from families of all income levels are eligible, unless they already attend private school.
FAILING SCHOOLS QUALIFICATIONS
Failing schools programs help students stuck in or assigned to persistently low-and-under-performing public schools. These programs allow students to attend the private or public school of their parents’ choice, providing immediate educational options to students. Eight of the nation’s fifty private school choice programs are failing schools programs.