What are School Vouchers?
What are School Vouchers?
School vouchers give parents the freedom to choose a private school for their children, using all or part of the public funding set aside for their children’s education. Under such a program, funds typically spent by a school district would be allocated to a participating family in the form of a voucher to pay partial or full tuition for their child’s private school, including both religious and non-religious options.
Watch the short, animated video below to see how school vouchers work for families.
Fifteen states and Washington, D.C., have school voucher programs.
Check out the list below for quick links to those program details, which include family eligibility tests, participation numbers, funding amounts and more.
AR
Arkansas – Succeed Scholarship Program for Students with Disabilities
CO
Colorado – Douglas County Choice Scholarship Program
DC
District of Columbia – Opportunity Scholarship Program
FL
Florida – John M. McKay Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program
GA
Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program
IN
Indiana – Choice Scholarship Program
LA
Louisiana – School Choice Program for Certain Students with Exceptionalities
MD
Maryland – Broadening Options and Opportunities for Students Today (BOOST) Program
ME
Maine – Town Tuitioning Program
MS
Mississippi Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship for Students with Dyslexia Program
Mississippi – Nate Rogers Scholarship for Students with Disabilities Program
NC
North Carolina – Special Education Scholarship Grants for Children with Disabilities
North Carolina – Opportunity Scholarships
OH
Ohio – Cleveland Scholarship Program
Ohio – Autism Scholarship Program
Ohio – Educational Choice Scholarship Program
Ohio – Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship Program
Ohio – Income-Based Scholarship Program
OK
Oklahoma – Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarships for Students with Disabilities
UT
Utah – Carson Smith Special Needs Scholarship Program
VT
Vermont – Town Tuitioning Program
WI
Wisconsin – Milwaukee Parental Choice Program
Wisconsin – Parental Private School Choice Program (Racine)
Wisconsin – Parental Choice Program (Statewide)
Wisconsin – Special Needs Scholarship Program
School Voucher Fast Facts
Do you know which of America’s school voucher programs is the biggest? Which school voucher program was ruled constitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States? For more little-known truths about America’s school voucher programs, visit our school voucher fast facts.
Do school voucher programs improve student learning?
School voucher programs—if well designed—improve students’ academic performance. In fact, the competition created by school voucher programs actually drives improvement for public school students, as well. Beyond that, school voucher programs foster more racial and socio-economic integration and better civic values in students. The proof is in the empirical evidence.
Are school voucher programs a sound financial policy for taxpayers?
School vouchers save states and taxpayers money while educating more kids than our current system can alone. Read this study to learn more.
To compare and contrast data from all of the states’ school voucher programs, visit our School Choice in America Dashboard.