The latest Nation's Report Card results released this year showed steep declines in student performance, with nearly half of high school seniors scoring below the "basic" level in math and reading, prompting renewed calls from parents and education choice advocates for expanded alternatives to traditional public schools.
Education advocacy group EdChoice and other proponents of school choice seized on the scores as evidence that families need more options, pointing to recent polling that shows widespread dissatisfaction with K–12 education and strong backing for programs such as education savings accounts (ESAs), vouchers and tax-credit scholarships.
EdChoice's 2025 Schooling in America Survey found that 68% of Americans and 60% of parents believe K–12 education is on the wrong track. The group said more than half of parents would prefer a school other than their local district school if given the opportunity, but noted that roughly eight in 10 children remain enrolled in their assigned district schools. EdChoice reported a 25% year-over-year increase in enrollment in private school choice programs, saying participation surpassed 1.3 million students nationwide.
Robert Enlow, president and CEO of EdChoice, wrote in an opinion piece that the NAEP scores should "jolt policymakers into action" and argued that expanding school choice would allow families to match students with schools that better meet their needs. The piece, published by Fox News, also cited survey findings that 83% of parents support ESAs and that three-quarters of Americans favor making ESAs universally available rather than limiting them by income or need.
Supporters of school choice contend that private-school options, charter schools and other choice mechanisms produce higher parental satisfaction and academic gains for some students, and they point to survey data showing that about half of private school parents describe themselves as "very satisfied" with their child's education — a figure the group said is 17 percentage points higher than satisfaction reported by public school parents.
The NAEP results and the accompanying debate come amid ongoing partisan and policy disputes over how to address student achievement, school funding, accountability and equity. Advocates for maintaining or strengthening traditional public-school systems have emphasized the need for increased investment, targeted interventions and support for struggling schools, while critics of broad choice policies have warned about potential impacts on funding, oversight and access for the most disadvantaged students.
Education policy experts say the NAEP findings will likely intensify discussions at the state and federal levels about schooling policy, including whether to expand charter school charters, increase funding for remediation and early literacy programs, or scale up choice programs such as ESAs and vouchers. Lawmakers and education officials in several states have already been wrestling with proposals to expand or restrict various choice options, and the new national scores are expected to shape those debates in the months ahead.
The Nation's Report Card, administered by the National Assessment of Educational Progress, is a widely used measure of student achievement over time. Officials and analysts caution that changes in scores can reflect a range of factors, including differences in student participation and broader societal trends, and they urged policymakers to consider multiple data sources and targeted strategies when formulating responses.
Parents and advocacy groups on both sides of the issue say the NAEP findings underscore urgency. For choice proponents, the results bolster calls to remove barriers that families face when trying to switch schools and to expand financial supports that enable access to alternatives. For advocates of traditional public education, the results have been cited as a reason to increase investments in curricula, teacher support and in-school interventions aimed at reversing declines in student proficiency.
As states consider policymaking ahead of upcoming legislative sessions, education leaders and family advocates are preparing to press their respective positions, arguing that the NAEP findings highlight a need for renewed action to improve outcomes for students across the country.