Arkansas students outperform national average after universal school choice expansion, governor says

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders pointed to emerging results as evidence that the state's universal school choice program is bolstering student outcomes after a new report indicated students participating in the program scored above the national average in math and English following the overhaul.

"In every single subject, last year we saw a 20% increase for our student performance," Sanders said Tuesday.

"Arkansas is investing in education where it matters, and it's paying off, and we're seeing a big difference."

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Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders participates in the first-ever National Outdoor Recreation Executive Forum hosted by Outdoor Recreation Roundtable at Decatur House on May 7, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Outdoor Recreation Roundtable)

Discussing the initiative on "Fox & Friends," the Republican governor credited Arkansas' Education Freedom Account program with giving families more control over their children's education while pairing universal school choice with increased investments in public schools, teacher pay and literacy programs.

Sanders said that under the program, eligible families receive roughly $8,000 per student each school year to help pay for private school tuition, charter schools or homeschooling, while the state simultaneously increased funding for public schools and salaries for more than 12,000 educators.

"We had about 50,000 kids that have participated in last year's school year and that have signed up for the upcoming year," she said.

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Student outcomes have improved under Arkansas' school choice initiative, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Tuesday. (iStock)

"That means that the money is truly following the students. We are empowering parents to make the best decisions about where and how their kids can be educated."

The state is also deploying "literacy coaches" to struggling schools while raising starting pay for teachers and ensuring current teachers receive at least a $2,000 raise.

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While touting the tailored approach's success, Sanders cited her experience as a mother of three to emphasize the inadequacies of a "one-size-fits-all" system, stressing that "different kids need different environments" to reach their full potential.

"Parents should be allowed and empowered to figure out what that is. I believe that every single kid can learn when given the right resources, the right environment and the right opportunity, and in Arkansas, we're making sure that's happening," she said.