More than 93% of Parents Approve of Their Child’s Louisiana Scholarship Program School

Annual parental choice survey finds an overwhelming majority of parents approve of academic gains and support Louisiana’s school choice program

More than 93 percent of parents participating in the Louisiana Scholarship Program say they are satisfied with every aspect of the program, which allows students to escape underperforming schools by attending the participating private school of their choice.

The Louisiana Federation for Children (LFC), the state’s voice for educational choice, along with the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO), a national organization advocating for parental choice on behalf of low-income and working-class black families, today announced the results of the annual Parental Satisfaction Survey.

 

The survey found that 93.5 percent of parents are satisfied or very satisfied with their child’s scholarship school, and 95.1 percent are happy with their child’s academic performance.

“The results released today is clear evidence that parents are are overwhelmingly satisfied with schools in the Louisiana Scholarship Program,” said Ann Duplessis, President of the Louisiana Federation for Children.

“Parents are telling us that the Scholarship program works. This is an important message as the program is under attack from those who would like to repeal educational choice options.”

“Parents are the most important voices in determining the course of a child’s education. The survey clearly shows that parents are pleased with scholarship schools and the quality of education their children are receiving,” said Stacy Martin, State Director, Louisiana BAEO.

Survey highlights:

• 93.5 percent of parents are very satisfied or satisfied with their child’s current scholarship school.
• 95.1 percent of parents are happy with their child’s academic performance at his/her scholarship school.
• 98.9 percent of parents say their child feels safe in his/her scholarship school.
• 98.8 percent of parents say they and their children feel welcome at their child’s current scholarship school.

I wanted my daughter Corissa to be part of the legacy of St. Mary’s Academy. Any parent would be more than grateful to have this opportunity. You want to do the best that you can for your children.

Corinne Celestine, whose daughter Corissa attends St. Mary’s Academy in New Orleans.

The annual survey, conducted by LFC and BAEO, is one of the most comprehensive parental satisfaction surveys, with more than 1,200 responses.

The Louisiana Scholarship Program received nearly 13,000 applications from parents for the 2015-2016 school year. 7,110 students were awarded a scholarship to attend 119 schools in 32 school districts across the state.

Enacted in 2008 by a bipartisan group of legislators, the Louisiana Scholarship Program has the strongest and most transparent accountability measures of any program in the nation. Every child in the program comes from a low-income family, and 89 percent of students in the program are minority students, giving many of Louisiana’s most vulnerable students the opportunity to choose the education that best fits their individual needs.

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The Louisiana Federation for Children (LFC), the state’s voice for educational choice Children seeks to improve our Louisiana’s K-12 education by advancing systemic and sustainable public policy that empowers parents, particularly those in low-income families, to choose the education they determine is best for their children. LFC supports a wide range of school choice initiatives by building strong legislative coalitions and working closely with allies. We also fight against bills and regulatory changes that would hurt existing school choice programs.

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