Universal Eligibility, No Accountability: The Evolution of Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) in the United States

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 2:15 pm - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: Resource Allocation in School Choice

Abstract

Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) represent the fastest-growing form of private school choice in the United States, with 21 programs across 18 states. This national policy analysis examines the rapid evolution of these programs since 2011, with attention to their educational and fiscal implications and emerging governance challenges. Our findings reveal that ESAs enacted since 2020 represent a radical departure from earlier private choice programs, moving toward universal participant eligibility for public subsidies with minimal oversight. We document how current trends in ESA expansion appear poised to exacerbate the inequities that have emerged from earlier private choice schemes while imposing potentially unprecedented fiscal burdens on state budgets, raising critical questions about the future of public education funding and democratic schooling.

Authors

• Trevor W. Baisden, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Luis A. Huerta, Teachers College, Columbia University