Parents overwhelmingly approve of Louisiana Scholarship Program
Annual parental choice survey finds an overwhelming majority of parents approve of academic gains and support Louisiana’s private school choice program.
More than 94 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, today announced the results of its annual Parental Satisfaction Survey.
The survey found that 94.3 percent of parents are satisfied or very satisfied with their child’s Scholarship Program school, and 95.4 percent are happy with their child’s academic performance, including 98.6 percent of parents with children in kindergarten.
“Parents are the most important voices in a child’s education,” said Ann Duplessis, President of the Louisiana Federation for Children. “Parents, who know what is best for their children, have indicated they are overwhelmingly satisfied with their child’s school.”
“The results released today provide clear evidence that the Louisiana Scholarship Program is providing children with access to a high-quality education, in a safe and secure learning environment.”
Survey highlights:
- 94.3% of parents are very satisfied or satisfied with their child’s current scholarship school.
- 95.4% of parents are happy with their child’s academic performance at his/her scholarship school.
- 99.4% of parents say their child feels safe in his/her scholarship school.
- 99.0% of parents say they and their children feel welcome at their child’s current scholarship school.
- 98.6% of parents of kindergarten students say they are happy with their child’s academic performance.
The annual survey, conducted by LFC, is one of the most comprehensive parental satisfaction surveys of a school choice program, with more than 1,300 responses.
The Louisiana Scholarship Program received nearly 11,000 applications from parents for the 2016-2017 school year. 6,695 students were awarded a scholarship to attend 123 schools in 31 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.