Writing for The Conversation, William McCorkle and Beth Llloyd, two professors from the College of Charleston, point to one group that often does not benefit from school choice– immigrants.
Some of the school choice debate has focused on whether charter schools – meaning publicly funded, independently operated schools – offer students more equitable educational opportunities and better academic outcomes than traditional public schools.
Not much of the debate has focused on how school choice can affect immigrant students.
We are scholars of social studies education and educational foundations.
In our forthcoming research, we examined the impact of school choice on the academic outcomes of immigrant students, primarily from low-income families.
We found that school choice often leaves them behind, as they struggle to succeed academically in often less-than-ideal educational environments.
From 2024 through 2025, we analyzed the impact that school choice is having on immigrant students in our city, Charleston, South Carolina.
Though South Carolina’s foreign-born population is smaller than it is in some states, it has increased by more than 900% since 1980.
Approximately 7.2% of the residents in Charleston County are foreign-born.
School choice and the rise of charter and magnet schools can heavily influence immigrant students’ experiences in Charleston schools.
As in many parts of the country, charter schools have expanded across Charleston since 1996, when lawmakers first allowed them in the state.
In 2025, South Carolina passed a bill that allows many state residents to use virtual vouchers – or, as they are also called, educational scholarship funds – that people use to pay for scholarships at private schools or, in some cases, to cover home-schooling expenses.
Charter schools have increased inequality and racial and socioeconomic inequality within school systems, some research shows.
In our opinion, this new voucher plan will likely exacerbate these issues.