JUNE 27, 2025 Indianapolis, IN — In a landmark ruling that will surely send shockwaves throughout the education world, the United States Supreme Court ruled 5-4 today that Cleveland’s school voucher program is constitutional, arguing that vouchers given to parents which are then used at religious schools are not an establishment of religion.
“This is a great day for the children of America,” said Dr. Milton Friedman, the Nobel Laureate founder of the Friedman Foundation who is credited with coming up with the concept of school vouchers. “The Supreme Court decision opens the way for a major expansion of programs enabling parents to choose the schools their children attend. The resulting competition and innovation will bring improvements in quality that they have brought in every other area and that have been so clearly lacking in education.”

The historic ruling, which reversed the decision made last year by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, means that the long-embattled Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Program, which was struck down in Federal Appeals Court last year, can now operate free of legal obstacles. The program, enacted in 1995, provides vouchers worth up to $2,250 to low-income Cleveland parents that enable them to choose the school their children attend. In 2000-2001, 4,457 children received scholarships, and 56 private schools in Cleveland (10 non-sectarian and 46 religious) accepted voucher students.

“This is great news not only for low-income parents in Cleveland who use vouchers and who faced the prospect of sending their children back to poor performing public schools, but also for the thousands of low-income parents around the country who want the same freedom to choose a good school for their child that wealthier parents take for granted,” said Friedman Foundation President Gordon St. Angelo.

Cleveland voucher parent Christine Suma, who has 12 children, agrees. She is ecstatic: “School choice will be given to all, not just the rich and privileged. Now, a publicly funded education will take place not only in a traditional public school but in all schools, public or private.”

“Now that vouchers has passed Constitutional muster, there’s no stopping the tide of educational freedom. The floodgates are open, and states across the union can introduce voucher programs secure in the knowledge that the U.S. Supreme Court is on their side,” added St. Angelo.

About The Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation:

Dubbed “the nation’s leading voucher advocates” by The Wall Street Journal, the Milton & Rose D. Friedman Foundation was started by Nobel laureate Dr. Milton Friedman and Dr. Rose D. Friedman in 1996 as a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public about the role competition plays in achieving real K-12 education reform.