The Effects of Town Tuitioning in Maine and Vermont

Released: 1/1/2002

Author(s): Christopher Hammons

This study finds that the school voucher programs known as “town tuitioning” in Maine and Vermont improve public schools through competitive incentives. Public schools close to tuitioning towns had higher test scores than other public schools – if a town decided to begin tuitioning its students, a public school one mile away could expect to see its test scores increase by over 3 percentile points – on average, that would be a 12 percent gain over existing scores.

Town Tuitioning Program

Began Operation 1873

Many small towns in Maine do not operate local high schools, and some do not operate local elementary schools. Students in these towns are eligible for a voucher to attend public schools in other towns or non-religious private schools, even outside the state. The “sending” towns pay tuition directly to the “receiving” schools. Although most towns allow parents to choose which schools will receive their students, some towns send all their students to one school. In 2009, 176 towns let parents decide where to send their children, while 33 towns contracted with one school.

Student or School Participation
In 2010:

·        Students Participating: 5,171

·        Schools Participating: 21

·        Average Voucher Value: $8,718