Socioeconomic standing
In San Antonio, parents who sought out the school-choice program were more than twice as likely as either those who were turned down or those who did not apply to come from families with an annual income of more than $35,000. Conversely, significantly higher percentages of nonchooser and nonadmitted-chooser families earned less than $10,000 a year and received federal income assistance.
Percent of parents who have heard the term “magnet” school or program
In Montgomery County, Md., more than a third of the families studied reported that they had never heard of magnet schools. The percentage of parents familiar with the term varied across ethnicity. Among all parents, nonmagnet parents, and magnet parents, whites were the most likely group to know the term; Hispanic parents were the least likely.
Achievement test scores
Even after four years, students in Milwaukee’s voucher program are still doing no better academically than their public school counterparts. According to one study, the mean test scores of choice students--in both reading and math--were lower than those for the city’s public school students. Their scores also fell consistently below those for public school students from lower-income families.
