A new Yankee Institute and University of New Haven Liberty Initiative report, Tax-Credit Scholarships Across the US: A Roadmap for Connecticut to Follow, demonstrates that tax-credit scholarship (TCS) programs have measurable, academic benefits and improve performance for both public and private school students.
With 26 programs enacted across the United States, TCS programs incentivize individuals or businesses to contribute to Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs) in their state. These entities then award scholarships to eligible students based on specific criteria, allowing them to attend accredited private schools. TCS programs empower parents to choose schools that best fit their children’s needs, focusing on educational impact, cost-effectiveness, scholarship distribution, and parent satisfaction.
“Previously underperforming low-income children in public schools have demonstrated their potential to achieve a high-quality education when provided with a tax credit scholarship to attend private schools,” the report states. “In Illinois, TCS students outperformed their low-income peers on standardized state tests, while in Florida, TCS students pursued post-secondary education at higher rates than their public-school counterparts.
“Hundreds of thousands of students have already benefited from the generosity of donors who support these programs,” the report adds. “Connecticut children deserve the same opportunity.”
For the past several legislative sessions, a Connecticut TCS program — that could help more than 150,000 students below the Federal Poverty Line while not taking any funds from public schools — has been introduced but has failed to pass the General Assembly. Still, the Constitution State has been home to several SGOs, including Connecticut Center for Educational Excellence (CTCEE), which offered K-8 scholarships for private schools to children from anywhere in the state. In just four months after launching in 2022, CTCEE received 833 applications from 94 municipalities.
Despite the small sample size of 53 students, CTCEE students nevertheless outperformed their public-school counterparts in math and reading proficiency examinations in Waterbury, Wethersfield, Newington, Bridgeport and Windsor. This trend mirrors the positive outcomes of TCS programs in other states.
“Scholarships offer a powerful way to introduce competition into the education system, benefiting not only the students who attend private schools but also revitalizing public schools, which retain their funding while serving fewer students,” the report concludes. “Tax credit scholarship programs are not just a lifeline for hundreds of students each year — they represent a transformative opportunity to reimagine education for low-income children across Connecticut. The success of programs like CTCEE provides a glimpse of a brighter future for students across the Constitution State.”
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