New Polling Shows Pennsylvanians Want School Choice 

Nationwide, people continue to demand better academic opportunities for students and programs that allow funding to follow the child. 

This is especially true in Pennsylvania. 

New polling by Ragnar Research Partners found that seven out of ten Pennsylvanians support school choice. Moreover, roughly the same amount also supports Lifeline Scholarships, which would provide low- and middle-income students with the funding they need to attend a school of their choice. 

This support for educational freedom is bipartisan. When broken down by political affiliation, support for school choice is highest among Republicans (84 percent) and independents (79 percent). Democratic support was markedly lower (56 percent) but still demonstrates a solid majority. When specifically addressing Lifeline Scholarships, these statistical gaps narrow, revealing strong bipartisan support for the program: 64 percent Democrat, 73 percent independent, and 76 percent Republican. 

School choice also appears to bridge racial divides in the state. When asked about Lifeline Scholarships, 86 percent of Hispanic voters, 81 percent of Black voters, and 68 percent of White voters support the program.  

Geographically, this thirst for educational reform is also statewide. School choice is popular in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area (71 percent), Philadelphia (76 percent), Pittsburgh (72 percent), and central Pennsylvania (74 percent).  

This new polling coincides with legislative efforts in Harrisburg.  

The Pennsylvania Senate is in the early phases of introducing an updated version of the Lifeline Scholarship Program. State senators from both sides of the aisle—Sen. Judy Ward, a Republican from Blair County, and Sen. Anthony Williams, a Democrat from Philadelphia—circulated a memo seeking support for the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success (PASS) program.  

“Under this legislation, parents with children in grades K-12 who reside within the attendance area of a district school in the bottom 15% of performance metrics based on state testing would be eligible to receive a scholarship,” the memo reads. “PASS scholarships can only be used for education expenses associated with the new education instruction.” 

Pennsylvania House Republicans recently introduced a new bill—House Bill 1258—proposing “student freedom accounts” for Pennsylvania students. Unlike Lifeline Scholarships, which focus on predominately lower-income students, these new accounts would have universal eligibility.  

“Prioritizing students over systems has worked tremendously in states that have embraced universal educational choice,” writes state Rep. Joseph D’Orsie, the leader sponsor of the bill. “Not only has this initiative improved outcomes for countless students who enroll in the program, it has also shown to improve outcomes of public-school students.” 

These bills enter the political melee of the state budget. With the deadline for the state budget just a few months away, debate about the fiscal priorities of the 2025–26 budget will heat up in the coming weeks.  

Considering its widespread support across Pennsylvania, school choice will remain top of mind of lawmakers and voters alike for the foreseeable future.