MILWAUKEE – Pretty much everyone agrees that environment makes a big difference in young peoples’ lives.

That’s why nobody is surprised that crime is more common among people who grow up in impoverished neighborhoods with higher crime rates.

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Now a new study has determined that school environment makes a significant difference in students’ lives, as well.

“The School Choice Voucher: A Get Out of Jail Card?” suggests that students who attend a private school through the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program are less likely to commit crimes than their peers attending Milwaukee Public Schools.

The Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, the nation’s oldest school voucher program, enrolls approximately 30,000 students, based on income eligibility. Most would be unable to afford private school tuition without voucher assistance from the state of Wisconsin.

Most of the schools in the program are private religious schools that stress character education.

The study, authored by researcher Patrick Wolf of the University of Arkansas’ School Choice Demonstration Project, says that voucher students in the group that was studied were 5-7 percent less likely to commit misdemeanors, 3 percent less likely to commit felonies, and 5-12 percent less like to be accused of committing any type of crime, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

And the longer a student remains in the voucher program, the more significant the statistics become.

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The study said “students who attended a private school using vouchers through the entirety of high school were 75 percent less likely to commit a felony, 56-78 percent less likely to commit a misdemeanor, and 21-50 percent less likely to be accused of any crime, compared to similar public school students,” according to the MacIver News Service.

School choice proponents said the study confirms what common sense suggests – that more structured and disciplined environments are better for kids.

“These results confirm what parents already know – school culture matters,” Jim Bender, president of School Choice Wisconsin, told the MacIver News Service. “Parents are seeking environments where strength of character plays a significant role. This study highlights the positive impact the MPCP has on crime and community.”

“We hope people look at this study and see the broad positive impact of educational choice and a quality learning environment,” Kevin Chavous, a board member of the American Federation for Children, told the MacIver News Service.

Officials from Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), as well as other several school defenders, blasted the report, suggesting it lacks scientific rigor and its findings are therefore questionable.

They also accused Wolf of being biased in favor of voucher schools because his department is partially funded by conservative, pro-voucher organizations.

But Wolf noted in several media reports that he has conducted studies with findings that are critical of voucher schools.

Meanwhile, it should be noted that MPS has a financial stake in the voucher debate. It opposes the voucher program and wants to keep low-income students trapped in public schools, because it receives more money from the state for kids who remain in enrolled in MPS.

Students who attend voucher schools use a significant portion of their per-pupil state dollars to cover the cost of their tuition.