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

The Dawn of Semipublic Schools Parents who are forking over hefty sums so that their children can attend a private school will likely soon find their schools are semipublic institutions subsidized by federal school choice dollars — and more expensive in the bargain. —Marie Sapirie, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025

Voucher advocates, lobbyists Likewise, lobbyists will be engaged significantly on both sides of the issue, including Americans for Prosperity Tennessee leaders Tori Venable and Michael Lotfi, who brought dozens of school choice supporters to the state Capitol to advocate for Lee's bill last year. —Melissa Brown, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025

For decades, many education reformers have rallied under the banner of school choice to call for policies similar to those Friedman prescribed. —Chandler Fritz, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025

Moreover, Congress could commission a national study of NIL’s effects across both levels of education to understand how early monetization affects athlete well-being, school choice, and long-term equity. —Aaron S. Marks, Hartford Courant, 15 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1988, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for school choice

• rejoice
• voice