How much private educational choice is really available to families in your state? To measure how much K–12 choice is available, we have created the EdChoice Friedman Index which evaluates three key factors: student eligibility–the percentage of children who can participate in taxpayer-funded private K–12 choice programs; flexible use of funds–assessing whether families can apply these funds not only to private school tuition but also to other educational expenses such as tutoring, textbooks, test fees, and special needs therapies; and funding parity–determining whether choice programs receive funding comparable to state and local per-student allocations for public schools. 

The EdChoice Friedman Index ranges from 0 to 100. To achieve a score of 100 on the index, a given state must meet each of the following three criteria: 

• “All Students”: 100% of the students in the state are eligible to participate in a choice program, with funding available for all who wish to participate (universal funded eligibility).  

• “All Options”: All choice students are able to participate in choice programs that permit multiple uses, which means families have the opportunity to use the taxpayer funds placed in their child’s account to offset tuition payments at private schools and to purchase educational goods and services outside of schools, (e.g. tutoring, textbooks, test fees, special needs therapies, etc.).                                                                                                             

• “All Dollars”: Average awards per choice student are equal to the average state and local revenue per public school student, which means that choice students receive the same amount of funding as public school students (sans federal funding), on average. 

View the Friedman Index appendix here.