Record enrollment in school-choice programs inspires advocates

By Mary C. Tillotson | Watchdog.org

State lawmakers this year are on track to pass a record number of school-choice laws, said Scott Jensen, senior adviser for the Alliance for School Choice.

The Alliance for School Choice published its annual yearbook of school choice, cataloging the year’s school choice statistics.

Among the highlights:

In 18 states, Washington, D.C., and Douglas County, Colo., students are participating in 39 private school choice programs — 21 voucher programs, 16 tax-credit scholarship programs, one education savings account program, and one tuition tax credit.

Enrollment increased about 25 percent, or 63,000 students, from last year — the largest one-year increase in the history of private school choice movement.

Florida has the most students, 90,000, in school-choice programs, and Indiana’s voucher program doubled.

“A lot of the growth we’ve seen this year really stems from the magnitude of the number of programs enacted in the last couple years,” said Whitney Marcavage, policy director for the alliance. “More and more states are enacting programs for the first time, and states that have one or two programs are enacting additional programs in their state.”

The yearbook can be viewed at the alliance’s website and will be updated throughout the year.

Contact Mary C. Tillotson at mtillotson@watchdog.org.