The Effects of Ohio's EdChoice Voucher Program on College Enrollment and Graduation. Research Report

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Bibliographic Details
Title: The Effects of Ohio's EdChoice Voucher Program on College Enrollment and Graduation. Research Report
Language: English
Authors: Matthew M. Chingos, David N. Figlio, Krzysztof Karbownik, Urban Institute
Source: Urban Institute. 2025.
Availability: Urban Institute. 2100 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20037. Tel: 202-261-5687; Fax: 202-467-5775; Web site: http://www.urban.org
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 43
Publication Date: 2025
Sponsoring Agency: Bill and Susan Oberndorf Foundation
Document Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Elementary Secondary Education
Descriptors: School Choice, Educational Vouchers, Private Schools, Public Schools, College Enrollment, Educational Attainment, Bachelors Degrees, Elementary Secondary Education, Outcomes of Education, Enrollment Trends, College Choice
Geographic Terms: Ohio
Abstract: More than a million US students now participate in private school choice programs because of recent growth in vouchers, tax credit scholarships, education savings accounts, and tax credits. Given the rapid expansion in these programs, it is important to understand how they affect the students who participate in these programs and the students who remain in public schools. Ohio's Educational Choice Scholarship Program (EdChoice), which was enacted 20 years ago, provides a rare opportunity to study the long-term impacts of a statewide voucher program on both private and public school students' enrollment in and graduation from college. In this study, the authors track the college enrollment and degree attainment of more than 6,000 students who first participated in EdChoice between 2008 and 2014 and compare them with the outcomes of more than 500,000 students with similar demographic characteristics and student achievement who remained in public schools. The authors find that students who used an EdChoice scholarship to attend private school were substantially more likely to enroll in and graduate from college than similar students who remained in public schools. For college enrollment, the impact of EdChoice participation was 15 percentage points, which represents a 32 percent increase over the public school enrollment rate of 48 percent. For college graduation, the impact was 9 percentage points, corresponding to a 60 percent increase above the public school rate of 15 percent.
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: ED673493
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:More than a million US students now participate in private school choice programs because of recent growth in vouchers, tax credit scholarships, education savings accounts, and tax credits. Given the rapid expansion in these programs, it is important to understand how they affect the students who participate in these programs and the students who remain in public schools. Ohio's Educational Choice Scholarship Program (EdChoice), which was enacted 20 years ago, provides a rare opportunity to study the long-term impacts of a statewide voucher program on both private and public school students' enrollment in and graduation from college. In this study, the authors track the college enrollment and degree attainment of more than 6,000 students who first participated in EdChoice between 2008 and 2014 and compare them with the outcomes of more than 500,000 students with similar demographic characteristics and student achievement who remained in public schools. The authors find that students who used an EdChoice scholarship to attend private school were substantially more likely to enroll in and graduate from college than similar students who remained in public schools. For college enrollment, the impact of EdChoice participation was 15 percentage points, which represents a 32 percent increase over the public school enrollment rate of 48 percent. For college graduation, the impact was 9 percentage points, corresponding to a 60 percent increase above the public school rate of 15 percent.