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By: Leif Le Mahieu | Jan 26, 2024 DailyWire.com
A nonprofit organization that provides school choice scholarships to low-income children has seen requests from parents looking to move their kids out of the public school system nearly triple since state governments’ closed down schools across the country during COVID.
ACE Scholarships, a group that advocates for school choice, has seen requests for scholarships increase from 12,311 for the 2021-2022 school year to 32,113 for the 2023-2024 school year, according to data shared with The Daily Wire.
“Every kid learns differently, so a one-size-fits-all education system, no matter how well-meaning, cannot accommodate every student. The soaring demand for ACE scholarships is a testament to the hope school choice provides for students and their parents. We are committed to helping students find institutions where they can excel,” ACE CEO Norton Rainey told The Daily Wire.
For this school year, ACE has allocated 14,090 scholarships for kids to go to private schools worth $42,660,935. The organization is partnered with 1,000 schools nationwide and helps out families that have an average family income of $56,000 and average family size of 4.7 people, according to the data.
ACE said that students for whom it provided scholarships tested 54% more proficient in math and 34% more proficient in reading than their public school counterparts.
“This historic demand for educational freedom should empower states currently considering school choice legislation in 2024 to act now. Every kid — no matter what state they live in — deserves access to a high-quality education that sets them up for a lifetime of success. We can’t let them down,” Rainey said.
Lawmakers across the nation, from Tennessee to Texas, have pushed for expanding school choice opportunities amid declining educational achievement and lagging test scores. A report released last summer showed that math and reading test scores for 13-year-olds in the United States have hit their lowest levels in decades.
While the Texas Senate passed a school choice measure in November, the Republican-controlled House shot down the proposal, which would have created a Texas Education Savings Account. An amendment to remove school choice from an omnibus education bill passed 84-63, with 21 Republicans voting for the amendment.
For this school year, ACE has provided 1,494 scholarships to lower-income Texas students worth $4,149,787.
The guiding principles of ACE include that the “American public education system is flawed,” “free enterprise and democracy work,” and that “parents know the best education environment for their kids.”