Education Savings Accounts deposit a percentage of the funds that the state would otherwise spend to educate a student in a public school into accounts associated with the student’s family. The family may use the funds to spend on private school tuition or other educational expenses. Funds remaining in the account after expenses may be “rolled over” for use in subsequent years.
Empirical research on private school choice finds evidence that private school choice delivers benefits to participating students—particularly educational attainment.
Currently, Arizona, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Tennessee have active ESA programs that are limited to particular groups of students such as those with special needs. The proposed Oregon ESA bill would introduce a universal ESA program for all K–12 students.
ESAs are frequently designed so the amount of funding provided to families is less than the amount the state would otherwise pay for a student to attend public school, with the state recouping the difference. In this way, ESAs can be designed to produce a net fiscal benefit (i.e., cost savings) to state and local government budgets….
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