Between 2002 and 2017, Florida expanded its private school voucher program, and according to a new NBER study, children who participated in the program were the big winners.

Expansion of the program produced modestly larger benefits for students attending public schools that had a larger initial degree of private school options, measured prior to the introduction of the voucher program. These benefits include higher standardized test scores and lower absenteeism and suspension rates. Effects are particularly pronounced for lower-income students, but results are positive for more affluent students as well.