Jude Schwalbach
Senior Policy Analyst, Reason Foundation
Jude Schwalbach is a senior policy analyst at Reason Foundation.
Schwalbach previously worked at Heritage Foundation’s Center for Education Policy, where his research focused on expanding educational opportunities for K-12 students and reducing the federal footprint in education. Before joining Heritage, Schwalbach taught high school in Phoenix, Arizona.
Schwalbach’s writings have appeared in The Hill, National Review, RealClear Education, Orange County Register, Washington Times, and redefinED.
Schwalbach holds a B.A. in philosophy from Thomas Aquinas College and an M.A. in political philosophy from Hillsdale College.
He is based in Washington, D.C.
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Funding Education Opportunity: The best open enrollment proposals moving through state legislatures
Plus: Three states announced they will reconsider their initial opposition to the federal tax-credit scholarship program.
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Missouri Senate Bills 906 and 971 would improve open enrollment
If signed into law, these bills would allow Missouri's students to transfer to public schools outside of their assigned school district.
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Utah House Bill 528 would significantly improve open enrollment transparency
Unlike other states with strong open enrollment laws, Utah currently does not collect open enrollment data or publish it at the state level.
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Why New Hampshire’s K-12 open enrollment laws aren’t good enough
New Hampshire’s existing open enrollment law needs additional reforms because the current law lets districts stop students from transferring out of them.
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Funding Education Opportunity: About one in four students is chronically absent
School districts may need to implement new policies to encourage students to attend school more regularly.
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Strengthening Michigan’s open enrollment program through House Bill 5310
House Bill 5310 refines Michigan’s open enrollment program and would implement excellent transparency provisions at the state and local levels.
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Mississippi’s open enrollment proposals would be a step in the right direction for students
Mississippi’s K-12 students should be able to more easily transfer to public schools other than the ones they are residentially assigned to.
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Proposed bill would give Michigan the best open enrollment law in the nation
Michigan House Bill 5310 is a strong bill that would allow students to attend the public school that is the right fit for free, regardless of where they live, and would implement excellent transparency provisions.
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Open enrollment would help Alaska’s students and public schools
Alaska should adopt a strong cross- and within-district open enrollment policy that ensures transfers are free for students and their families.
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How public schools measure capacity for K-12 open enrollment transfers
Far too many public school districts are blocking transfer students they could easily accommodate.
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Funding Education Opportunity: How states fund K-12 open enrollment programs
Plus: Mississippi gears up for a school choice battle, New Hampshire considers an expansive open enrollment proposal, and more.
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Examining the K-12 open enrollment laws passed in 2025
Three states—Arkansas, Nevada, and New Hampshire–significantly improved their open enrollment policies this year.
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Funding Education Opportunity: School buses and changing transportation needs
Plus: Texas finalizes rules for new private school choice program, and states opt into federal tax-credit scholarship program.
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Funding Education Opportunity: Study examines K-12 education spending, teachers’ salaries and benefit costs
All 50 states increased K-12 funding from 2002 to 2023, but inflation-adjusted average teacher salaries fell by 6.1% between 2002 and 2022,
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Open enrollment is an important part of school choice for California
California’s current public school transfer laws are overly restrictive, complicated and in need of reform.
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Funding Education Opportunity: Grading and ranking every state’s open enrollment laws
Open enrollment policies are a vital part of improving students' options and outcomes.
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Public schools without boundaries 2025: Ranking every state’s open enrollment laws
Study finds 16 states have statewide cross-district open enrollment and 17 states have statewide within-district open enrollment.
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LAUSD celebrates mediocre test scores
If these test scores are the definition of a breakthrough success, LAUSD’s bar for student achievement isn't high enough.
