School choice may be the fix to DC's crime crisis

The Hill

3 days ago

Washington, D.C., faces a serious crime crisis, with violence and homicide rates dangerously high. Even government officials have been targeted. While the Trump administration's plan to increase federal involvement may help temporarily, relying on permanent federal intervention is unsustainable.
The long-term solution requires tackling root causes — especially chronic disengagement from education, which is widespread in D.C.'s traditional public schools and contributes significantly to youth crime.
In the 2023–2024 school year, more than half of all high school students in Washington, D.C., were chronically absent, meaning they missed 10 percent or more of the school year. This absenteeism represents a failure to keep students connected to constructive environments and opportunities for success. When young people are not in school, evidence overwhelmingly shows they are at much higher risk of engaging in criminal behavior.
The academic outcomes for D.C. public school students further illustrate the crisis. On recent standardized tests, only about 32 percent of students in grades 3–5 met or exceeded expectations in English Language Arts, a slight improvement from the previous year but still alarmingly low. Just 11 percent of high school students met or exceeded math standards.
These outcomes are a direct reflection of an education system unable to provide the foundation students need for success, making disengagement and subsequent criminal activity more likely.
Charter schools offer a proven, evidence-based alternative that can disrupt this cycle. Unlike traditional public schools in D.C., charter schools provide students with 30 to 50 percent more instructional time, effectively giving students up to four additional months of schooling each year. This extra time in the classroom correlates with improved academic performance and stronger student engagement.
A landmark study conducted by Harvard and Princeton researchers demonstrated that winning a lottery to attend a New York City charter school almost completely eliminated the chance of incarceration for male students in the study sample. The same study also found a 59 percent reduction in teen pregnancy rates for female students who attended charter schools through the lottery.
Another study, published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics, found that winning a lottery to attend a school of choice in Charlotte, N.C., halved the rate of criminal activity among high-risk male students. And research on Milwaukee's voucher program found that students attending charter schools were significantly less likely to commit crimes by their mid-twenties compared to matched peers in public schools.
Despite delivering compelling results, D.C.'s charter schools face significant funding disparities compared to traditional public schools. Though only a few studies have examined the precise funding differences between charter schools and public schools, one found that charter schools in D.C. receive approximately 41 percent less funding per pupil than public schools, averaging $17,525 per student compared to $29,808 per student — a gap of $12,283. This significant disparity limits charter schools' ability to expand facilities, attract qualified staff and improve programs.
Meanwhile, demand for charter school seats far exceeds supply, with 17,047 students on waiting lists during the 2021–2022 school year, reflecting strong parental preference for alternatives to the struggling traditional system. Despite this funding disparity, evidence shows that public charter schools in Washington, D.C., specifically, continue to outperform traditional public schools.
The success of charter schools in other cities demonstrates what could be achieved if D.C. removed these barriers and increased support.
New York City's Success Academy, whose student population is 98 percent non-white and predominantly low-income, achieved remarkable academic results: 96 percent of students passed state math exams and 83 percent passed English Language Arts exams. This starkly contrasts with New York City's overall public school proficiency rate of around 49 percent, illustrating that well-supported charter schools can deliver superior outcomes even among disadvantaged populations.
Washington, D.C. must view charter school expansion and equitable funding as integral parts of its strategy to reduce crime. Increasing access to quality education through charter schools addresses the root causes of criminal behavior by keeping youth engaged in structured, rigorous environments that foster academic achievement and discourage delinquency.
Ultimately, no city can arrest or incarcerate its way out of a crime crisis. Long-term, sustainable solutions demand investments in education and opportunity. The District of Columbia has a proven tool in charter schools to disrupt the cycle of violence and provide at-risk youth with a pathway out of crime and into success.
It is time for policymakers to remove funding disparities, lift arbitrary caps, and prioritize school choice as a core component of public safety reform in the nation's capital.