The Reality of Switchers: Are Most Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) Given to Students Already in Private Schools? An Analysis of Switchers in the Iowa and New Hampshire ESA Programs. Policy Brief

This policy brief discusses "switchers" and "non-switchers" in the context of choice programs with broad eligibility (universal and near-universal choice programs). Switchers are students who would have enrolled in a public school without any financial assistance from a choice program. Non-switchers are students who would have enrolled in a nonpublic school even without any financial assistance from a choice program. Switchers generate fiscal benefits for taxpayers when they leave public schools. These savings can partially or fully offset the cost of the choice program. Non-switchers do not generate any savings and represent a pure cost. To better inform the switcher question, the author obtained participation data on education savings account (ESA) programs in Iowa and New Hampshire to try and estimate the true switcher rate. This brief discusses the analysis and findings.