Publicly funded voucher policies are now established in jurisdictions throughout the United States, but the number of students receiving such vouchers remains very small. For the 2006–2007 school year, fewer than 57,000 vouchers were granted for all programs combined. This entry describes these policies, their effects, and their current legal status.

Each jurisdiction's voucher policy has its own unique characteristics, in terms of the targeted population and in terms of eligible private schools. In Florida, Georgia, and Utah, vouchers are available only for students receiving special education. In Arizona, voucher plans cover special education students as well as students in foster care. In Cleveland and Washington, D.C., voucher eligibility is limited to low-income students, and the same is true of Milwaukee's voucher program, the oldest and ...