School Vouchers

The school voucher debate is a controversial topic that involves the use of government funding to allow students to choose their schools. The debate has evolved over time and includes arguments about free market ideology, social justice, and parents' rights. 

The very first school voucher programs were created in the states of Vermont (in 1869) and Maine (in 1873). These voucher initiatives were called “town-tuitioning” programs and were created with a simple goal in mind: to provide education for children living in small, rural towns that did not have public schools of their own. 

The modern school choice movement was spawned in 1990 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, through an unlikely political alliance. State Representative Annette Polly Williams, an African-American product of Milwaukee public schools, joined forces with Republican governor Tommy Thompson and Republican state legislators to secure the passage of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program. 

Types of School Voucher Programs


The scholarships provided by the Wisconsin program are commonly known as educational vouchers or school vouchers. There are various types of school voucher programs available, depending on the state or city. These vouchers for attending private schools may be offered to:

In addition, some states provide tax credits to help parents who enroll their children in private schools. While these are not classified as voucher programs, they achieve similar goals indirectly. Examples of such tax credits include:

Presently, there are approximately 75 different voucher or “voucher-like” programs across the United States. Proponents of these various programs — whether they are private school vouchers, Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), or tax credit scholarships — believe they offer educational options for families outside of traditional public schools. Up until just recently, voucher programs across the country were almost always “means-tested,” meaning they aimed to assist a specific group of at-risk students. For example, most voucher programs since 1990 were intended for and only open to students from low-income families or students with special needs.

However, since September 2022, eight states have passed universal (or near universal) private school voucher programs or ESAs, opening up these programs to all students, even those currently attending a private school. North Carolina became one such state with the passage of a voucher expansion law in the fall of 2023.


Some supporters of vouchers, including the late economist Milton Friedman, who founded an organization to promote them, advocate for a more extensive initiative: universal vouchers available to all children. In November 2000, California voters rejected a universal voucher plan by a vote of 71% to 29%. This proposal would have given parents $4,000 each year for every child to help cover private school costs, which was about half the amount the state spent per child in public schools at the time. Currently, no region in the U.S. has implemented such a program. However, voucher initiatives have gained traction in recent years. In fact, 2011 was labeled the "Year of the Voucher," as twelve states either launched new voucher programs or expanded existing ones. Opponents criticize vouchers for redirecting public money to private schools, which they argue may harm public education. After the Supreme Court upheld a voucher program in Cleveland, Ohio, that allowed funds to be used at religious schools, Senator Edward Kennedy expressed that it was wrong to take limited taxpayer dollars away from public schools for private education. He maintained that even if vouchers are deemed constitutional, they are detrimental to public schools, and Congress should remain opposed to them. The Cleveland teachers' union vice president warned that the ruling would devastate public schools, while Attorney General John Ashcroft argued it was a significant victory, particularly for low-income and minority students stuck in failing public schools. President George W. Bush added that school choice leads to improved education not only for students participating in voucher programs but also for those in public schools that benefit from the competition.

School choice encompasses various options that provide parents with more control over their children's education, often sparking less debate than vouchers. This movement includes several alternatives:

School choice refers to the ongoing effort to empower parents in selecting the right schools for their children. This can involve charter schools, magnet schools, the option to choose among regular public schools, various educational vouchers for attending private institutions, tax credits or deductions for private tuition, and homeschooling.

Charter schools are public schools that have more flexibility from state regulations and frequently utilize innovative teaching methods. Magnet schools are public schools that focus on specific subjects like science, technology, or the arts and attract students from a larger area.

Additional options under school choice are intradistrict school choice, which permits parents to enroll their children in any available public school within the district, and parent-trigger laws allowing a majority of dissatisfied parents to convert a public school into a charter school, change its staff, or close it down. Homeschooling is another choice where parents directly educate their children, with around 2 million children estimated to be part of this approach currently.


The Democratic and Republican party platforms of 2004 show the differences in how the two major parties approach the school-choice issue, especially regarding vouchers. In the words of the Democratic Party platform: 

Instead of pushing private school vouchers that funnel scarce dollars away from the public schools, we will support public school choice, including charter schools and magnet schools that meet the same high standards as other schools.

In contrast, the Republican Party praised a newly enacted voucher demonstration plan in the District of Columbia (though it avoided the term voucher) and called for greater school choice: 

T he Republican Party strongly supports school choice, because choice creates competition and competition puts the focus on quality. . . . President Bush and the Republican Congress enacted the D.C. School Choice initiative—the first federally funded school choice demonstration program. We commend the President and Congress for making DC’s schoolchildren the most important special interest in education improvement.”

Opponents of school vouchers assert that school vouchers divert money and attention away from public schools that may already be underfunded or undervalued. Depending on the policy, the funding for school vouchers is sourced from state budgets already stretched to maintain public education. In Florida, as much as 10% of state funding has been reallocated from public schools to voucher programs. 

Furthermore, those against school vouchers argue that the programs may not lead to academic improvement and do not reach those most in need. Some studies of universal voucher programs have shown evidence of learning loss following the switch to private schooling. Other studies have indicated that the precise cause of this educational slowdown is ambiguous; potential causes include a lack of oversight in private schools or simply the pressure of transferring. Regarding a voucher program’s reach, studies in Arizona indicate that more than three-quarters of voucher applicants were not enrolled in public schools at the time of their application. This means that the vouchers were used to subsidize private schooling for families already able to budget for the entire cost of private tuition.

Finally, opponents of school vouchers take issue with the religious affiliation of many private schools which accept vouchers. Private schools, unlike public schools, are not required to admit all students and may refuse to provide admission at their discretion. Historically, some voucher programs originated as a reaction to desegregation in public schools; some states, at that time, permitted private schools to deny students based on race. Opponents are also concerned that voucher programs violate the separation of church and state, as vouchers may end up providing public funding to private schools with religious affiliations. 

Finally, private schools often are not subject to the same educational standards or oversight as public schools. Because of this, the quality and content of education can vary widely. Some opponents feel that it is not appropriate for state funds intended for educational institutions with state oversight to be allocated to private schools instead. They believe that part of the contact between taxpayers and government involves oversight and responsibility for use of tax dollars.