Power to Choose: Many Americans Approve of Reformed School Choice Policies
June 2025
A NORC Spotlight on Education survey found that approximately half of U.S. adults (53 percent) strongly or somewhat favor education savings accounts (ESAs), while only 12 percent strongly or somewhat oppose their use.
ESAs are a commonly used school choice policy tool that provide funds for educational expenses for K-12 students such as tuition, tutoring, online education, special education support, and textbooks. This Spotlight on Education was powered by AmeriSpeak®, with a focus on questions about K-12 ESAs based on increased national interest in school choice using these accounts.
The majority of U.S. adults do not think specific student groups should be prioritized for ESAs.
Just over half of U.S. adults (56 percent) shared that there should be no student group prioritized in the allocation of ESA funding. For those that did state that a student group should be prioritized, 34 percent noted priority should go to low-income students, and 28 percent noted priority should go to students with disabilities.
U.S. adults believe ESAs should be used for a variety of services and supplies, accessible to all student groups.
U.S. adults overwhelmingly agree a variety of services and supplies should be available through ESA funding, including services for students with disabilities (89 percent), tuition (85 percent), online learning tools (78 percent), uniforms (66 percent), and homeschooling (56 percent).
These results indicate that most U.S. adults both believe all student groups should have equal access to ESA funding and that parents should be allowed to leverage these funds for a wide range of options to support their student’s education.
The majority of U.S. adults do not support state regulation of ESA funding.
Fourty-four percent of U.S. adults oppose state governments deciding which student groups are prioritized for school choice funding, while 18 percent support states’ role in this process. Similarly, 38 percent of U.S. adults oppose state governments deciding how families can use ESA funds, while 29 percent support the role of states in this decision-making.
“Many Americans are sending a clear message: they want flexibility and choice in education,” said Jennifer Hamilton, senior vice president of Education & Child Development at NORC. “Support for ESAs, and for flexibility in how they can be used, indicates a significant move towards more personalized learning experiences.”
Methodology
Data were collected using the AmeriSpeak Omnibus®, a bi-monthly multi-client survey using NORC’s probability-based panel designed to be representative of the U.S. household population. The survey was part of a larger study that included questions about other topics not included in this report. Interviews for this survey were conducted between March 6 through March 10, 2025, with adults aged 18 and over representing the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Panel members were randomly drawn from AmeriSpeak, and 1,128 completed the survey—1,056 via the web and 72 by telephone. Panel members were invited by email or by phone from a NORC telephone interviewer. All interviews were conducted in English. The final stage completion rate is 15.0 percent, the weighted household panel recruitment rate is 26.1 percent, and the weighted household panel retention rate is 77.8 percent, for a cumulative response rate of 3.0 percent. The overall margin of sampling error is +/- 3.9 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level, including the design effect. The margin of sampling error may be higher for subgroups. A comprehensive methodology report is available below.
This Spotlight on Education survey was conducted by Education & Child Development at NORC at the University of Chicago with funding from NORC.
About the NORC Spotlight on Education
NORC at the University of Chicago’s Spotlight on Education series is a series of quick-hitting national surveys on issues vital to education and its place in society, conducted using AmeriSpeak®’s probability-based panels.
About NORC at the University of Chicago
NORC at the University of Chicago conducts research and analysis that decision-makers trust. As a nonpartisan research organization and a pioneer in measuring and understanding the world, we have studied almost every aspect of the human experience and every major news event for more than eight decades. Today, we partner with government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world to provide the objectivity and expertise necessary to inform the critical decisions facing society.
Contact: For more information, please contact Anna-Leigh Ong at NORC at ong-anna-leigh@norc.org or (917) 242-2172 (cell).
