Ohio’s Educational Choice Scholarship Program (EdChoice), established more than two decades ago, offers a unique setting to analyze the long-term impacts of a statewide voucher initiative on college enrollment and degree completion. Earlier studies found small gains in public school test scores alongside negative short-term test score effects for students who used vouchers. In this study, Matthew M. Chingos, David N. Figlio, and Krzysztof Karbownik investigate longer-term outcomes by following more than 6,000 students who first participated in EdChoice between 2008 and 2014 and comparing them with over 500,000 demographically and academically similar peers who stayed in public schools.
The authors find that students who used EdChoice vouchers were substantially more likely to enroll in and graduate from college. Voucher participation increased college enrollment by 15 percentage points—a 32 percent increase over the public school rate—and college graduation by 9 percentage points, a 60 percent increase. These gains were concentrated in four-year and selective college enrollment rather than two-year institutions. Effects appear largest for students who remained in the program for at least four years, though these estimates may be biased upward due to selection.
The benefits of EdChoice were particularly pronounced for male students, Black students, students with lower prior achievement, and those who experienced prolonged childhood poverty. Importantly, the program also generated positive spillover effects for students who remained in public schools, especially among Black and low-income students.
Overall, the findings suggest that voucher programs can improve meaningful long-run outcomes for disadvantaged students even when short-run test scores decline, raising questions about the adequacy of standardized tests as sole measures of school quality.
- Working Paper: https://www.urban.org/sites/de...