Best States for School Choice: Where the Schools Actually Are
Editorial Staff · September 18, 2026
Make this a wish: Where Might I Live highlights US counties where you might find it, in search of YOUR happy place. Combine wishes for healthcare, prices, and more.
Charter and private schools nearby. An open door, on the Tuesday the school you were handed stops fitting your child. Close enough to get to before the bell goes.
2,304 of 3,139 US counties have no charter school at all. In 30 counties a family has plenty of charter and private schools nearby.3
| Wishes | Matching counties | Across the country in general |
|---|---|---|
| Charter schools nearby | 2233 | 2,304 of 3,139 counties have none; 835 have at least one |
| Private schools nearby | 5263 | 1,080 of 3,141 counties have none |
We measure the charter and private schools in the county, from the federal school location file. Vouchers and education savings accounts are state law, and we leave them out. A school nearby is not a place in it: nothing here covers tuition, admissions, transport, or whether a school has room this year.
What stands out
- In most states, the typical county has no charter school at all.1
- Only 30 of 3,143 US counties have plenty of both charter and private schools.3
- Counties with plenty of both kinds of school are in 16 different states.3
Best states for school choice
Two families, same state, same voucher, same amount of money in hand. One of them has four schools inside twenty minutes and spends a spring visiting all of them. The other has the one school their child already attends, and the voucher buys exactly nothing.1
30 counties across 16 states have charter and private schools within reach.3
School choice programs, vouchers and ESAs by state
Under a voucher or an education savings account the state writes part of the tuition cheque, and a charter school charges no tuition at all. The number of schools a family can get to stays the same either way.1
A cheque is worth what there is to spend it on, and in 30 counties a family has plenty of charter and private schools to choose between.3
How many counties have a charter school?
2,304 of 3,139 counties have no charter school, which is most of the country. 223 counties have enough charter schools that a family can choose between them rather than apply to the only one.1
Private schools are more widespread: 2,061 counties have at least one. Whether a county holds any alternative to the district school is one thing a family can check before they move.1
Plenty more places have private schools nearby. Start there and narrow as you go.
Sources and review
- National Center for Education Statistics, CCD school universe, CCD 2024-25. Fact sheet (PDF).
- National Center for Education Statistics, CCD school universe, Private School Universe Survey 2023-24. Fact sheet (PDF).
- Where Might I Live county figures: schools measured in the county, against the school age children living there. Methodology
- Written
- 2026-09-18
- Reviewed by
- Editorial Staff, 2026-09-27
- Published
- 2026-10-04