Wisconsin school choice students gain years of additional learning, study finds

School choice students achieve greater learning gains the longer they participate, a groundbreaking new study shows.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) recently published a report on 100,000 students in the Milwaukee, Racine and Wisconsin Parental Choice Programs.

Looking at data from 2018 to 2023, WILL found significant learning gains accumulating over time.

“Instead of asking who scored higher on one test, the study examined how much students improved over four years – and compared that growth to similar students who stayed in public school over the same time period,” wrote WILL Research Director Will Flanders. “This approach provides a better picture of learning over time than a single snapshot can offer.”

The data showed school choice students gaining the equivalent of years of additional learning in the private school environment, far exceeding what their public school counterparts received.

And school choice programs spend thousands less than government-run public schools.

“Average public school revenue exceeds voucher funding by more than $5,000 per K-8 student and more than $2,500 per high school student,” WILL observes. “This new data confirms gains in academic outcomes can come at just a fraction of the cost to taxpayers when students are learning in a school choice environment.”

Currently, Wisconsin spends an average of nearly $19,000 per K-12 student.

But despite their clearly documented success, school choice programs still face antagonism from Democrat politicians and the education establishment.

Earlier this year, teachers’ unions and other public school groups filed a lawsuit against the state for allegedly underfunding public education.

The lawsuit takes aim at school choice, saying private school programs shouldn’t receive funding if the public schools are underfunded.

Democrat Gov. Tony Evers has also failed to support school choice and even refused to opt Wisconsin into Trump’s federal tax credit.

David Crowley, the Democrat’s freshly nominated gubernatorial candidate, hasn’t explicitly said he will oppose school choice. But his campaign has implied he doesn’t support them, saying Crowley’s “priority is ensuring public schools are fully funded and prepared to serve every student, including if and when the state’s voucher programs eventually sunset.”