School Choice in
Maryland
Maryland offers K–12 students and their families a few types of school choice, including one private school choice program, charter schools, magnet schools and home schooling. Maryland does not offer any type of public school choice through open enrollment.
Fast FactsPolicy ToolkitRegulationsState Groups
Private School Choice
Maryland has one private school choice program, a school voucher. This program helps families send their children to participating private schools.
Public School Choice
Maryland does not have intra-district or inter-district open enrollment policies, which would allow parents to transfer their children to traditional public schools outside of and within their district. Maryland does have magnet schools.
Charter Schools
Maryland has a few charter schools. Charter schools are publicly funded schools that are free of many of the regulations that restrict traditional public schools.
Homeschool
Parents have to follow certain laws in Maryland when homeschooling their children.
As with all policies, policymakers crafting legislation to create a school choice program have to make numerous decisions about policy design: Who should be eligible? How should it be funded? How can we ensure accountability without too much red tape? Which state agency should have the responsibility of running or overseeing the program?
In the EdChoice Policy Toolkit, we summarize the main elements of educational choice policy design, discuss potential tradeoffs and make suggestions for designing policies that empower all families with educational opportunity.
Simply click below to download each piece of the toolkit.
Eligibility and Scale: Universal or Targeted?
Admissions: School Missions or Open Admissions?
Testing: Single Test or Menu of Options?
Uses: Traditional Vouchers or Education Savings Accounts (ESAs)?
Administration: Nonprofits and State Agencies
ESA Financial Accountability: Reimbursem*nts, Debit Cards or Online Platforms?
Tax-Credit Scholarships: A Primer on Policy Options
A Guide for Producing Fiscal Notes for Private Educational Choice Programs
Have questions about this toolkit? We’re here to help. Email our Director of Policy Jason Bedrick at jason@edchoice.org. If you have specific questions about crafting fiscal notes, please email our Director of Fiscal Policy and Analysis at marty@edchoice.org.
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Materials You Might Find Useful
https://www.edchoice.org/state_fast_facts/maryland/
