Summary of Research on School Vouchers

Policy Brief #23-2 • February 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]

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]

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]