school choice

noun

US : a program or policy in which students are given the choice to use public funds to attend a school other than their district's public school (as at a charter school, private school, home school, or at a public school in a different district)
Voucher plans were adopted largely as a last resort, an effort to guarantee a semblance of school choice for low-income minority students in failing inner-city schools.Jeffrey Rosen
To be sure, even their most enthusiastic defenders acknowledge that many public schools, especially in big cities are riven with serious problems. The debate over "school choice" and tax vouchers for private schools illustrates the widespread discontent with public schools.Dirk Johnson

Examples of school choice in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Against the backdrop of national debates over school choice and vouchers, homeschooling has burst from the ideological fringe to the center of Chicago’s education landscape. Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026 That’s why school choice is the best answer to our education crisis. Chris Talgo, Washington Post, 5 Feb. 2026 Applications for the nation's largest school choice program kicked off Wednesday with tens of thousands of families applying for the Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA). Lacey Beasley, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026 The opt-in option leaves the school choice movement with work to do. Lexi Lonas Cochran, The Hill, 30 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for school choice

Word History

First Known Use

1988, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of school choice was in 1988

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Cite this Entry

“School choice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/school%20choice. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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