The 15th Annual National School Choice Week is here. It is an important week to raise awareness about school choice throughout our country. Also, it gives a dedicated week to celebrate the school choice wins that have taken place. As I wrote in this month’s policy focus:


Huge historical legislative victories have occurred over the past four years, advancing school choice in states nationwide. In some states, the wins have entailed the creation of new school choice programs, while in other states, it has involved expanding existing programs to reach more students. Most noteworthy has been the enactment of universal or near-universal school choice in 12 states since 2021.

The public education monopoly isn’t working, and it is failing to fulfill its function to a greater degree than in years and decades past. There is a better way: education freedom, which allows parents to choose the school or other learning avenue that best fits their unique child.

A few years ago, widespread school choice was nearly unimaginable, but historical education freedom has occurred:

  • Fewer than 500,000 public education students had access to school choice as of 2020 unless their parents could afford private school tuition or were able to homeschool.
  • Now, roughly 18.9 million students have access to funding so their parents can select the learning avenue that will best serve their unique child.
  • Twelve states — Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Utah, and West Virginia — have enacted universal or near-universal school choice.

Laws supporting access to private school choice come in various forms, including private school scholarships, education savings accounts, and tax-credit scholarships.

Public school choice avenues that allow students to enroll in a public school other than their residentially-assigned district school include intra-district (within the district) open enrollment, inter-district (outside the district) open enrollment, magnet schools, and charter schools.

All parents should be empowered to select the school or alternative learning avenue for their unique child. This is known as education freedom.Landmark education freedom wins occurred during the 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 state legislative sessions. Parental demand for school choice is strong, and more school choice legislative victories at the state level are expected in the 2025 legislative sessions and beyond.

To learn more, read the Policy Focus on School Choice in the States.