Moreover, free-market schools, like other free-market producers, are oriented, not toward social-engineering ends (cf. p. 5.4:72), but toward the requirements of the individual consumer—in this case, the needs of the student. Thus each student can advance at his or her own pace, and specialized programs can be developed for both gifted and disadvantaged students. Even students of average ability differ widely in cognitive style. Some students function best in a verbal environment, while others prefer a spatial or a mathematical approach; some rely primarily on visual memory while others have a strong auditory memory. Thus even these "average" students respond better to the variety of customized pedagogical approaches that can be offered in the competitive market, rather than the "one-size-fits-all" approach of a monopoly system. Furthermore, the non-coercive environment offered by schools in the voluntary marketplace generates more positive interest among students, thereby facilitating true learning.

The higher levels of functional literacy and numeracy attained in a competitive educational market lead to higher worker productivity, reinforcing the trend toward greater and wider prosperity.