History of Private Schools

A timeline is helpful when dealing with a controversial issue such as school vouchers. But before we do that, what are vouchers?

EdChoice describes vouchers as:

"School vouchers give parents the freedom to choose a private school for their children, using all or part of the public funding set aside for their children's education. Under such a program, funds typically spent by a school district would be allocated to a participating family in the form of a voucher to pay partial or full tuition for their child's private school, including both religious and non-religious options."

You will hear vouchers called various names, such as parental choice, education grants, scholarships, and tuition grants, to list but a few of the names you will encounter for vouchers. According to the Education Commission of the State, sixteen states and the District of Columbia currently offer 27 voucher programs.

This TEDxICC talk is entitled School Choice: The Next Frontier In Civil Rights.

Introduction to School Choice

School choice is a term that encompasses various alternatives to traditional public schools, including charter schools, private schools, homeschooling, and vouchers. The concept has deep historical roots and continues to be a vital part of contemporary education policy.

Early 20th Century: Origins and Early Models

The idea of educational vouchers was first proposed by economist Milton Friedman in 1955. He suggested that allowing parents to choose schools for

Voucher programs have become a subject of significant interest in education policy, with more than thirty states now implementing some form of private school choice program. These initiatives aim to give parents more educational choices for their children, allowing them to use public funds to enroll their children in private or parochial schools.

This article overviews voucher programs in thirteen states: Arizona, Colorado, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Ohio, Oklahoma, Utah, Vermont, and Wisconsin. In addition, it highlights the year each program became law and provides a brief description of each state's voucher program.

For a broader context on how school choice policies have evolved nationwide, read School Choice: Vouchers, Scholarships And More.

Arizona (1997)

Arizona's Empowerment Scholarship Account Program was established in 1997. Initially limited to students with disabilities, the program has expanded significantly and is now available to all K-12 students in the state. ESA provides parents with public funds through education savings accounts for various educational expenses, including tuition, textbooks, tutoring services, and approved online programs.

Colorado (2003)

Colorado enacted a voucher law in 2003, but the program is no longer operating. As of 2026, Colorado does not maintain an active statewide private school voucher program. Families may still have access to charter schools, magnet schools, homeschooling, and public school open enrollment options.

District of Columbia (2003)

The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program was established in 2003. It remains the only federally funded voucher program in the United States. The program offers

The utilization of vouchers in education has been a subject of ongoing debate in various states, and Arizona is no exception. Vouchers, also known as school choice programs, provide public funds that parents can use to cover tuition expenses at private schools. In this article, we will delve into Arizona's current state of vouchers, exploring relevant state laws and evaluating the pros and cons of this contentious issue. However, before we delve into Arizona's voucher program, here is a look at the beginnings of voucher programs.

How voucher programs got their start

Voucher programs have their roots in the mid-20th century. Economists and politicians initially promoted vouchers for educational choices and alternatives to traditional public schools. The concept of vouchers gained traction as a response to concerns about the quality of education, particularly in disadvantaged communities.

Here is a brief overview of the historical context and reasons behind the emergence of voucher programs:

Milton Friedman and the School Choice Movement

The intellectual foundation of voucher programs can be traced back to economist Milton Friedman, who popularized the idea in his seminal 1955 essay "The Role of Government in Education."

Friedman argued for a system where government funding would follow students, enabling parents to choose the educational institutions that best meet their children's needs, including public and private schools.

Civil Rights Movement and Desegregation

During the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s, there was a push for desegregation and equal access to quality education for

I wrote my first article on vouchers in 2008. While the media portrays it as a controversial issue, I have always tried to take a balanced approach when I write about vouchers. School Choice: Vouchers, Scholarships, and More; Vouchers aka Tax Credits and Scholarships; What Strings Do School Vouchers Have Attached?; Charter Schools and Vouchers illustrate my thoughts on the subject.

This time, because so much more information about voucher programs is available, I asked an authoritative source to answer my questions on your behalf.

Rob K: What is the purpose of a private school voucher program?

ChatGPT: A private school voucher program aims to provide families with publicly-funded scholarships or vouchers that can be used to pay for tuition at private schools rather than at public schools. The goal of such programs is typically to increase school choice and provide families with access to educational options that they might not otherwise be able to afford.

Proponents of voucher programs argue that they promote competition among schools and can help improve education quality by giving families more options and forcing schools to compete for students. They also argue that voucher programs can help to reduce educational inequality by providing low-income families access to high-quality private schools that they might not otherwise be able to afford.

Critics of voucher programs argue that they divert public funds away from public schools, which can lead to reduced resources and lower-quality education for students who remain in the

It was a different world for the Presidents who held office in the 20th century. They had a succession of wars to deal with, as well as two devastating economic recessions.

28 - Woodrow Wilson

President from March 4, 1913, to March 4, 1921.
Born: December 28, 1856, Staunton, Virginia
Died: February 3, 1924, Washington, DC
Political party: Democratic Party

Virginia native Woodrow Wilson did not attend school until he was a teenager. He was homeschooled. Scholars seem to think he might have had dyslexia. Wilson compensated for this by learning Graham Shorthand. He did manage to attend college, variously attending Davidson College, Princeton University, and the University of Virginia Law School.

29 - Warren Harding

President from March 4, 1921, to August 2, 1923
Born: November 2, 1865, Blooming Grove, Ohio
Died: August 2, 1923, San Francisco, California
Political Party: Republican Party

Little is known of Ohio native Warren Harding's early education. Scholars seem to think that he was mostly homeschooled. He attended Ohio Central College and earned his degree from that institution.

30 - Calvin Coolidge

President from August 2, 1923, to March 4, 1929
Born: July 4, 1872, Plymouth Notch, Vermont
Died: January 5, 1933, Northampton, Massachusetts
Political Party: Republican Party

Vermont native Calvin Coolidge attended Black River Academy and then St. Johnsbury Academy, local semi-private schools which eventually became their town's public schools. He matriculated to Amherst College from