(The Lion) — Although Republican-led states are more likely to enact school choice programs, new research suggests Democrats are more likely to use them.
The study, published in December in the Journal of School Choice, analyzed participation patterns in North Carolina, a politically competitive state with nearly equal numbers of registered Republicans and Democrats. The findings – showing higher usage in Democrat-leaning areas – challenge claims that school choice primarily benefits conservatives or families already enrolled in private schools.
Researchers Samantha Schuermann and Jason Giersch examined participation in North Carolina’s Opportunity Scholarship program. Lawmakers created the program in 2014 and later removed income restrictions to provide universal access. Awards are tiered, with lower-income families receiving larger scholarships.
While conservative and religious groups played a significant role in advancing school choice legislation, the researchers found higher participation rates in counties that voted Democratic in the 2024 presidential election.
“Our analysis shows that counties with higher support for Trump in the 2024 presidential election have lower rates of participation in the state’s Opportunity Scholarship program,” Schuermann and Giersch wrote. “These counties also have a smaller proportion of recipients from the program’s highest income tier.
“Both patterns hold even after controlling for population size, urban or rural status, income, educational attainment, availability of private schools, and the reputation of local school districts.”
The researchers suggested several possible explanations. Rural communities, which tend to lean Republican, may be more satisfied with their local public schools. In addition, voter support for Trump may not necessarily correlate with support for school choice policies.
If the trend continues, they wrote, “a shift in partisan positions on the issue could occur,” if more liberal areas remain the primary users of school choice programs.
Corey DeAngelis, a school choice advocate and senior fellow with Americans for Fair Treatment, said the findings mirror trends seen in Florida in 2018.
“Black moms in particular voted for (Gov. Ron) DeSantis at a much higher rate than expected after his Democratic opponent called for getting rid of their scholarships. The data showed that non-white and low-income families disproportionately used the school choice program in Florida,” DeAngelis, who is also a visiting fellow with the American Institute for Economic Research, told The Lion.
“These results should alarm Democratic politicians who have historically relied on the teachers’ union cartel to get into office,” he said. “Republicans are building a new coalition of voters who benefit from school choice. If Democrats keep fighting to take those scholarships away, voters who would have otherwise supported them will choose the GOP to keep their scholarships secure.”
The debate comes as North Carolina and other Democrat-led states consider whether to opt in to a new federal school choice program set to begin in 2027. North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat, vetoed an opt-in bill last fall but said he plans to participate once federal guidelines are released.
President Donald Trump has made expanding school choice a priority, signing the federal program into law and directing the Department of Education to work with states to broaden access.
DeAngelis said he hopes the trend will influence Democratic lawmakers.
“They need to listen to their constituents instead of special interests unless they want to give Republicans a bigger advantage on the issue of education,” he said. In the meantime, “Republicans should pass as much school choice as they can so that they build large coalitions of school choice beneficiaries. That will ultimately lead to the bipartisan breakthrough we need to unleash school choice for every child in America.”
