Education Freedom and Student Achievement: Is More School Choice Associated with Higher State-Level Performance on the NAEP?

Abstract

ABSTRACT School choice is spreading across the U.S. at the same time that scores on the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) are stagnant. We examine the association between education freedom and 8th grade student NAEP score levels and gains in states in 2019. We construct the 2019 Education Freedom Index as a composite measure of the accessibility of private school choice, public charter schools, homeschooling, and public school choice in each state. Using statistical regression, we find that more education freedom is significantly associated with increased NAEP scores and gains, supporting the claim that choice and competition improves system-wide achievement.