Five Years Later, Public Schools Are Still Not Accountable 

Five years ago, EdChoice released The Accountability Myth, a report challenging one of the most common arguments in debates over school choice: that public schools are accountable, while private schools are not. 

Today, that argument is as relevant as ever, so EdChoice has released a second edition of this critical report. 

Opponents of school choice frequently argue that public schools operate under clear systems of accountability, while private schools do not. But as this updated analysis makes clear, that assumption does not hold up under scrutiny. 

The original paper focused on three core areas where schools should be accountable: financially, democratically, and educationally. On each of these fronts, the findings remain consistent. 

First, public schools are not financially accountable in a meaningful way. School spending is often opaque, with multiple and inconsistent measures of per-pupil expenditures and limited transparency into how funds are actually used. Without a clear understanding of where money goes, it becomes difficult — if not impossible — for taxpayers to hold decision-makers responsible.  

Second, public schools are not democratically accountable in the way many assume. School board elections, often cited as a cornerstone of local control, frequently suffer from low turnout and are held off-cycle, limiting participation. In practice, these systems tend to reflect the priorities of organized interest groups rather than the broader community.  

Third, public schools are not educationally accountable. While extensive testing and reporting systems exist, they are often complex, bureaucratic, and disconnected from meaningful consequences. Schools may comply with reporting requirements, but rarely face significant repercussions for poor performance.  

Since the original publication in 2021, school choice programs have expanded significantly, including the growth of universal programs across multiple states. At the same time, public education has faced mounting challenges, including rising chronic absenteeism and declining national assessment scores.  

As school choice has grown more popular, its critics have adapted their arguments. Rather than opposing choice outright, many now focus on “accountability,” claiming that newer programs lack the safeguards of traditional systems. But as The Accountability Myth argues, this framing relies on a flawed premise: that traditional public schools are, in fact, accountable. 

They are not. 

Accountability is often equated with visibility — what one scholar describes as “legibility.” But being able to see a system does not mean it is working, nor does it mean those within it are being held responsible for results. 

The updated edition of The Accountability Myth brings new data and recent developments into focus, but its core conclusion remains unchanged: traditional public schools are not held accountable in any meaningful way. 

As the conversation around education continues to evolve, this work challenges policymakers, advocates, and stakeholders to think more carefully about what accountability truly means — and how it can best serve students and families.