Open enrollment is a school choice policy that both blue and red states can embrace

In recent years, school choice has made impressive strides. Eleven states have codified universal or near-universal private school choice programs. Still, most of this progress has occurred in red-leaning states, such as Florida or Arizona, and some advocates fear the momentum school choice gained during and after the COVID-19 pandemic will soon sputter out. In the National Review, Notre Dame University’s Nicole Stelle Garnett theorized that private school choice expansions will likely hit a “blue wall” in states where policymakers have not been open to expansive choice programs, such as Pennsylvania.

However, educators and lawmakers should consider options for advancing school choice far more broadly. One potential opportunity is to strengthen and expand K-12 open enrollment, which allows students to attend public schools outside their residential zones as long as space is available. 

The latest national polling from EdChoice showed that 79% of Democrats, 75% of Republicans, and 73% of independents with school-aged children support open enrollment. 

There are two types of public school open enrollment: within-district, which lets students transfer to schools inside their assigned district, and cross-district, which lets students enroll outside district boundaries. The hallmark of a strong open enrollment law is that all districts must participate so long as schools have open seats available.

Like other school choice policies, open enrollment has gained momentum since the pandemic. Reason Foundation research finds that “21 states have either a robust cross- or within-district open enrollment policy, while 29 states do not, leaving 30 million students with limited school options.” 

Since 2021, nine states have codified strong open enrollment laws, including Oklahoma, Kansas and West Virginia. But before this recent surge, it wasn’t just red states: six were red or leaned red, three leaned blue and three were purple states. Blue-leaning and purple states, including Delaware and Colorado, have very successful open enrollment laws; others, like California and Washington, have elements of successful public school transfer programs.

States’ Political Leanings when Statewide Open Enrollment Laws Were Codified

In Delaware, whose program ranked seventh in Reason Foundation’s report, about 22% of public school students used open enrollment during the 2020-21 school year to find an alternative that was the right fit for them. 

Kansas codified its strong open enrollment laws in 2022 with a Democratic governor. Preliminary reports show that more than 1,500 students used the state’s cross-district open enrollment program just launched in 2024. 

Open Enrollment Participation Rates in Select States

Colorado passed its open enrollment law back in 1990. During the 2023-24 school year, nearly 200,000 Colorado students, 28% of the traditional public school population, used open enrollment to find the best public school for them. This is especially notable because this past November, Colorado voters rejected a statewide constitutional amendment to establish a right to private school choice. Colorado illustrates how strong open enrollment laws can enjoy success in states where other forms of school choice may struggle to gain traction.

With the 2025 legislative sessions starting, lawmakers and school choice advocates should consider public school open enrollment proposals that expand families’ options. With its widespread popularity among parents and its success across red, purple, and blue states, open enrollment is a winning political issue for the right and left that can benefit the tens of millions of students in public schools.

A version of this commentary first appeared in The 74.

The post Open enrollment is a school choice policy that both blue and red states can embrace appeared first on Reason Foundation.

Source: https://reason.org/commentary/open-enrollment-is-a-school-choice-policy-that-both-blue-and-red-states-can-embrace/