Low-income high school students in Baltimore, MD who received private school scholarships were more likely to graduate high school and enroll in college than their traditional public school peers, according to a new study from the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice.
“The Achievement Checkup: Tracking the Post-Elementary Outcomes of Baltimore Need-Based Scholarship Students,” examined the Children’s Scholarship Fund Baltimore (CSFB), which disburses need-based scholarships to low-income students in grades K-8 to attend the school of their choosing, with the ultimate goal of improving educational attainment and outcomes for these students.
Using survey and school data, researchers found a 97 percent high school graduation rate among students who accessed CSFB scholarships, compared to the 50 percent Baltimore public graduation rate among low-income students.
When it comes to higher education, 84 percent of CSFB recipients reported enrolling in college, compared a college enrollment rate that ranges between 44 and 61 percent for low-income Baltimore students.
Initiatives that allow parents greater freedoms in choosing the best educational environment for their children are getting results not just in Baltimore, but throughout the nation.
For more on this study, check out the blog Breaking Down “The Achievement Checkup”
Related Resources:
Maryland’s Parent Power Index