Evidence from Arizona’s School Choice System: Competition Works in Education

As explained in this video from 15 years ago, the case for school choice is based on the fact that government monopolies don’t do a good job.

There are several reasons for the inadequate performance of government schools, most notably the way that they are operated for the benefit of teacher unions and education bureaucrats rather than students.

The net result is that taxpayers pay a lot for kids to only learn a little.

In a system of school choice, however, families can choose the best option for educating their kids.

When that happens, educational outcomes improve and taxpayers save money.

We’re seeing real-world evidence in Arizona.

Here are some excerpts from a report in the Washington Post by Laura Meckler. We’ll start with the supposedly bad news of a government school closing.

…the school’s librarian was in tears. …On a wall of the library, visitors posted sticky notes to describe their feelings: “Angry,” read a purple square. “Anxious,” said a pink one. “Annoyed.” “Heart broken.” “Bummed.” And more than any other word: “Sad.” Ten days later, John R. Davis Elementary School would close — not just for the summer, but for good. Now, as the new school year begins, the Roosevelt Elementary School District opens with just 13 schools. That’s almost a third fewer than it had last spring, a response to enrollment declines as the state offers unprecedented taxpayer funding for alternatives to public school. …Districts of all income levels and test scores have seen enrollment declines, Brammer said.In the Phoenix area, at least 20 schools across several districts have closed in the past year or so amid enrollment drops.

Why did John R. Davis Elementary School shut down, along with the others?

Because, as discussed here, parents had better options.

The Post story also notes that parents have voted with their feet.

Perhaps more than any other state, Arizona has embraced market competition as a central tenet of its K-12 education system, offering parents an extraordinary opportunity to choose and shape their children’s education using tax dollars, and developing a national reputation as the Wild West of schooling. …just 75 percent of Arizona children attended public schools in 2021, the most recent year for which data is available. That’s one of the lowest rates in the country. …Critics complain that vouchers eat up state funding…and send tax dollars to schools that face little accountability. …School officials in Roosevelt (and elsewhere) partly blame demographic change for the enrollment declines. …The problem…stems from families choosing alternatives. …south Phoenix has been ripe for competition in a state eager to offer it. …The district’s failings help explain the rise of microschools operated by Black Mothers Forum.

But the Post report didn’t tell the full story.

Jason Bedrick of the Heritage Foundation has a tweet with some very valuable context.

And Bedrick, along with Matthew Ladner, preemptively addressed this controversy in a column more than two months ago for the Daily Signal.

It deals with the closure of other government schools. Here are some excerpts.

…some school choice critics are citing the Roosevelt Elementary School District in South Phoenix, which recently began the process of closing five schools. …Let’s be clear: Something is draining students out of Roosevelt School District. But it’s not scholarship accounts. It’s families making rational, often difficult decisions to leave underperforming and sometimes unsafe schools for better opportunities elsewhere—mostly in other public schools. Funding isn’t the problem. Arizona school districts are at record levels of funding, and Roosevelt is no different. According to the Arizona Auditor General, in fiscal year 2024, statewide “school district spending increased by over $500 million to $13.1 billion, with per student increases in all operational spending areas.” Since fiscal year 2019, Roosevelt’s total spending has increased from $111 million to over $143 million—a 29% increase in spending even as student enrollment dropped by 16%. …Roosevelt spends 50% more on administrative costs per pupil than the state average. …Roosevelt has been hemorrhaging students since long before the scholarship account program went universal in 2022. The district has lost more than 5,000 students since 2006, including more than 1,300 students in the past five years. Instead of complaining about the competition, district officials should ask parents why they are fleeing in droves. …No one should blame parents for walking away from this dysfunction or for choosing better options.

The bottom line is that school choice is working exactly as it should – giving families options so that they are not trapped in failing government schools.

School closings in Arizona should be celebrated, not mourned.

P.S. No wonder school choice is spreading across the country. Hopefully, this means the United States will improve its #19 ranking.

P.P.S. While Arizona’s school choice system is great, Florida’s might be even better.