Research Review: A Guide to the Studies on Private School Choice. 2025 Edition

Abstract

Each year, states consider creating or expanding school choice programs--such as vouchers, tax-credit scholarships, and education savings accounts (ESAs)--which empower families to choose beyond their ZIP Code-assigned schools. And families weigh whether they are the right fit for their children. Anyone can promise what school choice programs could, would or should do. But EdChoice prefers to rely on what the data say these programs are already doing--whether that's positive, negative or unknown. Researchers from across the country have published at least 188 empirical studies on the effectiveness of private school choice programs. For most, that's an overwhelming amount of literature to tackle. That's why EdChoice presents the "EdChoice Research Review", a resource updated annually exploring available research on private school choice programs in America. In this guide, one can learn what the body of rigorous research says about school choice's effect on: (1) Participant Test Scores; (2) Participant Educational Attainment; (3) Parent Satisfaction; (3) Public School Students' Academics; (4) Students' Civic Values and Practices; (5) Racial and Ethnic Integration in Schools; (6) Taxpayers, State Budgets, and Public School Districts (Fiscal Effects); and (7) School Safety.