School choice programs around the nation have experienced exceptional growth – in both the number of students served and the number of programs available – over the last two decades. The Alliance for School Choice’s new yearbook documents this expansion and highlights the programs within each state.

While the school choice expansions may have suffered some early setbacks in 2014, the movement has added programs in eight states since 2010. According to the yearbook, there were seven new school choice programs passed into law in 2013 alone.

Overall, private school choice programs grew to serve over 300,000 students in 39 different programs within 18 states plus D.C and Douglas, Co. Colorado. These programs provided students with $1.2 billion in support – an average of just $3,780 in scholarships for each student.

Voucher programs are the most numerous, but in recent years tax-credit scholarships have been more popular among legislators. Interestingly, the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (which is administered by Step Up for Students one of the co-hosts of this blog) is the largest private school choice program in the nation in both the number of students served and the dollars expended. (more…)