For decades, critics of school choice have warned that it would destroy public education. From claims that funding would evaporate to predictions of catastrophic harm to students, the rhetoric has been dramatic—and remarkably consistent.

But is there any truth to these warnings?

In Who’s Afraid of School Choice?, we examined public debates over new school choice programs in eight states—Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah. This second edition builds on findings from the 2021 report, which revealed that the intensity of opposition rhetoric doesn’t depend on the size or scope of a program. Whether a program serves 1% of students or nearly all of them, critics employ the same heated arguments.