Survey says: Strong support for school choice

A sizable majority of North Dakotans (64 percent) support giving “parents the right to use tax dollars designated for their child’s education to send their child to the public or private school that best serves their needs,” according to a February/March 2025 poll conducted by WPA Intelligence on behalf of the North Dakota News Cooperative.

The poll data is timely, as the North Dakota Legislature continues to debate school choice policies that include two proposals for creating Education Savings Account (ESA) programs and a bill authorizing charter schools.

An October 2023 survey conducted by Arc Insights that asked North Dakotans specifically about ESAs found strong support across the political and geographic spectra — 72 percent of K-12 parents, 66 percent of Republicans, 64 percent of independents, 62 percent of Democrats, 67 percent of respondents in urban areas, 64 percent in rural areas, and 62 percent in suburban areas support an ESA program in North Dakota.

With an ESA (which is a different policy than a voucher), families are able to direct a portion of the education dollars already allocated for their child’s education toward a variety of pre-approved education-related expenses, such as tuition at a nonpublic school, tutoring, or special education services or therapy, to name a few. This gives parents who want to participate in the voluntary program the flexibility and control to customize the learning services their child needs to be successful.

To learn more and let your legislators know you support bringing ESAs to North Dakota, visit here.