school choice

noun

US : a program or policy in which students are given the choice to use public funds to attend a school other than their district's public school (as at a charter school, private school, home school, or at a public school in a different district)

Voucher plans were adopted largely as a last resort, an effort to guarantee a semblance of school choice for low-income minority students in failing inner-city schools.

—Jeffrey Rosen

To be sure, even their most enthusiastic defenders acknowledge that many public schools, especially in big cities are riven with serious problems. The debate over "school choice" and tax vouchers for private schools illustrates the widespread discontent with public schools.

—Dirk Johnson

Examples of school choice in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Starting in 2027, private donations of up to $1,700 for school choice scholarships will be eligible for 100% federal tax credits. —Center Square, The Washington Examiner, 17 Dec. 2025

But after Bush was elected as a Republican governor in 1998, the banner of school choice was raised high, and much of Bush’s attention on the charter school movement continued to take place in Miami. —Daniel Rivero, Miami Herald, 16 Dec. 2025

Twelve states have universal school choice, while Americans for Prosperity said this year that 50 percent of all students have some access to a school choice program. —Lexi Lonas Cochran, The Hill, 10 Dec. 2025

Throughout 2025, the project heard from kids and families about issues like book bans, school shootings, school choice and recovering from natural disasters. —Rachel Wegner, Nashville Tennessean, 7 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1988, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for school choice

• rejoice
• voice