Grad rates much higher in Milwaukee schools of choice

A new report shows students who took advantage of Milwaukee’s school voucher program had a high school graduation rate 12 points higher than the public schools in that city posted. That works out to be 18 percent better than the city school’s 65 percent grad rate.

The report says that over 3,000 more students would have graduated from public schools if they had matched the voucher students’ performance.

Aside from the obvious social benefits, the research indicates that higher rate could have generated an additional $21.2 million in personal income and $3.6 million in extra tax revenue if it had actually occurred.

Furthermore, while Milwaukee pays $6,442 per pupil for each voucher, that is less than half the $14,011 spent in the Milwaukee Public Schools.

Thus, “bang for the buck” from the voucher program is astronomical.