School Choice in Europe

In this book, leading experts present rigorous, readable studies of education policies and school markets in 11 European countries from Ireland to Ukraine, offering lessons for researchers, policymakers and educators. No other book fills this niche.

Americans debating whether parents’ choosing their children’s schools will improve education would be wise to learn from a century of experience in Europe, where most governments have long subsidized private schools, including religious schools. Likewise, Europeans debating this issue may learn that there is a varied landscape of state/private school arrangements around Europe and that the one specific to their country may be enriched by these experiences. This volume brings together leading European researchers who present rigorous, readable studies exploring how education markets work in 11 European countries from Ireland to Ukraine. The chapters cover a range of topics including empirical examinations of the reasons Irish parents choose single sex education, how a Ukrainian school improvised to serve students and parents in a war zone, how school choice defused culture wars in countries as varied as the Netherlands and Estonia, how the German left and right embraced increased parental agency for different reasons, the effectiveness of central regulations of autonomous British schools, how changing subsidy levels affect demand for private schooling in Italy and Portugal, the motivations of Hungarian parents choosing schools, and the impacts of social class on schooling choices and policies in Sweden, Germany, and Spain.

This volume will be a key resource for academics, researchers, and advanced students of education, education policy and leadership, educational research, economics, and sociology. The chapters included in this book were originally published in the Journal of School Choice

Robert Maranto is the 21st Century Chair in Leadership in the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, USA. With others, he has produced 16 scholarly books including Educating Believers: Religion and School Choice (2021) and The Free Inquiry Papers (2025).

Tommaso Agasisti is Full Professor at Politecnico di Milano School of Management, Italy, where he teaches Public Management and researches performance evaluation and innovation of public schools, universities and local governments. He authored more than 130 publications. Since 2019, he has served on the Governing Board of Politecnico di Milano, Italy.

Rodrigo Queiroz e Melo is invited Assistant Professor at Universidade Católica Portuguesa and Vice-President of the study centre CEPCEP, Portugal. He is CEO of AEEP, Portuguese Association of Independent Schools, Chairman of ECNAIS – European Council of National Associations of Independent Schools and Vice-President of EFEE – European Federation of Education Employers.