Programs that direct public money toward private schools of a family鈥檚 choosing or family accounts that can cover any education expenses outside the public school system are proliferating.
Parents say they have sought out these programs as a way to deliver an education customized to their children鈥檚 unique needs. Politicians championing them say they represent a lifeline for students trapped in underperforming schools. Critics argue the programs deprive public schools of much-needed resources and point out that many children now benefiting from private school choice funds were already attending private schools beforehand. Several private school choice programs are facing lawsuits alleging that they violate state constitutions.
69传媒 taking advantage of private school choice represent a small fraction of the nation鈥檚 total K-12 population, but the numbers signing up for new state programs have sometimes exceeded projections.
This tracker provides a concise yet comprehensive snapshot of the private school choice landscape on a rolling basis. In our States to Watch section, we highlight states where new private school choice programs or other notable private school choice policy changes are under consideration. Our glossary defines common terms in discussions about school choice.
States with at least one universal private school choice program
States with one or more private school choice program
Policies to watch
An ongoing look at significant private school choice policy development:
- The federal government
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- New Hampshire
- North Dakota
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Wyoming
The federal government
President-elect Donald Trump has included private school choice among his education priorities. Republicans in Congress have that would set aside as much as $10 billion annually for a new tax-credit scholarship program open to students in every state whose families earn less than 300 percent of the federal poverty level.
Even before Trump took office, one version of the bill earned majority approval from the House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees taxation. If Republicans choose to move the bill forward as part of the annual budget reconciliation process, they would need a simple majority of lawmakers in both chambers to agree to it. As of January, Republicans will hold 53 of 100 Senate seats and a slim majority in the 435-member House.
A federal private school choice program is closer than ever to becoming law, but it鈥檚 not guaranteed to pass. Some lawmakers who represent rural districts with few alternatives to public schools may balk on behalf of their constituents. On Dec. 9, a proposal to allocate federal defense funds to help American students living on U.S. military bases in Bahrain to attend private school .
Georgia
69传媒 are eligible through the newly-established private school choice program to receive $6,500 in public ESA funds for next school year if they attend a public school that ranks among the bottom 25 percent in the state according to academic performance metrics.
The state education department in November 2024 several versions of the list of eligible public schools after district leaders questioned the inclusion of certain schools.
Then the Georgia Education Savings Authority, the newly formed rulemaking body tasked by the state with implementing the program, that permit eligibility for any student who lives in an attendance zone that includes a public school on the eligibility list. For instance, if a middle school is on the list, elementary and high school students who live in the same attendance zone would be eligible even if the school they currently attend isn鈥檛 on the eligibility list.
Some state lawmakers, including several who voted last year to approve the ESA program, have said they to hundreds of thousands of students more than expected. Critics of private school choice worry that expanding eligibility could create political pressure to increase the program鈥檚 annual spending cap, currently set at $144 million.
Idaho
Gov. Brad Little on Jan. 6 included in his 2025 state budget proposal an . His proposal didn鈥檛 include details, but in his , he said any investment in private school choice would need to be 鈥渇air, responsible, transparent and accountable鈥�; prioritize families with the highest need; and avoid denting funding for public schools.
On the same day, State Rep. Wendy Horman that would set aside $50 million for refundable tax credits for families investing in private education or homeschooling. Participating students would receive a base amount of $5,000 each, and students with disabilities would get an extra $2,500. Families earning less than 300 percent of the federal poverty level would get first priority.
Another calls for spending as much as $250 million a year on tax credits for parents with children who attend private schools.
And on Jan. 22, the Senate Education Committee also began , the committee鈥檚 chair, that would make changes to the state鈥檚 existing Empowering Parents program, which gives $1,000 per child to parents who apply for funds to spend on various public or private education expenses that supplement the classroom experience. The bill proposes adding $20 million to the program, offering a bigger award of $5,000 per student, and expanding the list of eligible expenses to include private school tuition.
Little has previously said he doesn鈥檛 support spending public dollars on private education. Lawmakers in the coming months will likely debate vigorously over how to structure the new program.
Idaho is currently one of 22 states without a private school choice program in place. Last March, a House bill that would have allocated $50 million for private school choice faltered well before passing.
Indiana
Newly elected Gov. Mike Braun, a Republican, is to increase investment in the state鈥檚 existing school voucher program so that all students are eligible. Currently, students are eligible for the voucher program if they come from families earning no more than 400 percent of the federal poverty level, which means the overwhelming majority of the state鈥檚 students are already eligible. Roughly 70,000 students participated this year, costing the state $439 million.
Braun鈥檚 budget proposal also includes tripling the annual allocation for the state鈥檚 limited education savings account offering, from $10 million to $30 million. The program accepts applications from K-12 students with disabilities who previously attended public schools. Roughly 1,000 students use the program for the current school year.
Kansas
Top state lawmakers have been to discuss their goals of expanding private school choice. The state currently has a tax-credit scholarship program with roughly 1,400 students participating.
If Republicans manage to pass a bill, they will have to contend with a likely veto from Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly鈥攖hough with , they may be able to overcome it.
Mississippi
State House Speaker Jason White has said he plans to push for a new education savings account program, geared toward a limited number of students, primarily those who currently attend low-performing public schools, White said. The chair of the state house education committee, Rob Roberson, said he鈥檚 , but expects a vigorous debate on the issue.
Lawmakers also plan to propose investing $2 million a year to clear the waitlist for the state鈥檚 existing ESA program, which has offered roughly $7,000 apiece to a few hundred students with disabilities since 2015.
Last year, lawmakers proposed a universal private school choice program, and later a state-funded study of private school choice, but neither bill advanced.
Missouri
Lawmakers have proposed during the 2025 legislative session. One would expand eligibility for the state鈥檚 existing tax-credit ESA program--which prioritizes scholarships for students with disabilities and low-income students--to include students who already attend private school. (Currently, the program is only available to public school students hoping to enroll in a private school.)
Another proposal, with bills filed in both the House and Senate, would offer a separate tax credit directly to families for private educational expenses.
New Hampshire
State Rep. Valerie McDonnell has circulated a to remove the income eligibility cap on the state鈥檚 education savings account program, which currently restricts eligibility to students from families earning less than 350 percent of the federal poverty level.
McDonnell鈥檚 bill would immediately make the ESA program universal, though the Republican has said she鈥檚 open to a conversation about gradually lifting the eligibility cap rather than eliminating it all at once. Newly inaugurated Gov. Kelly Ayotte, a Republican, has also for making the ESA program universal.
Roughly 5,300 students at an annual cost of $23 million. Slightly more than 300 applied for accounts this school year but were denied because their income was too high. All of those applicants would be approved under the proposed adjustment to the program.
North Dakota
Lawmakers are in the early stages of pondering several private school choice proposals they could pass in the upcoming legislative session. One, and , would dedicate $50 million to education savings accounts for all K-12 students in the state.
Under what Burgum鈥攚hom President-elect Donald Trump has tapped to serve as Interior secretary鈥攊s calling 鈥渦niversal school choice,鈥� public school students could use them to cover fees for field trips, enrichment programs, and extracurricular activities; while non-public school students could use them for private school tuition, homeschooling costs, and other related expenses. Some Democratic lawmakers and school district advocates have said they鈥檙e open to this proposal if public and non-public school students alike receive the same amount of money, the .
Meanwhile, a Republican state senator is planning to introduce a different proposal for an ESA program. Participating public and homeschool students would each receive roughly $1,000, while participating private school students would each receive roughly $6,000.
North Dakota currently does not have any private school choice programs. It鈥檚 also one of only four states that still prohibits public charter schools鈥攖hough a state House member is .
South Carolina
The state supreme court ruled last September that the state constitution鈥檚 鈥淏laine Amendment鈥� prohibits the state from using public dollars to cover the cost of private school tuition. That ruling essentially nullified the state鈥檚 existing education savings account program.
Republican state senators are now that creates a similar program offering roughly $8,500 in ESA funds to 10,000 students per year. That money will come from the state鈥檚 lottery revenue, rather than from its general fund.
Within two years, the program would be open to families whose annual income is less than 600 percent of the federal poverty level--which means the vast majority of the state鈥檚 families would be eligible.
If the law passes, another lawsuit to challenge the program鈥檚 new funding approach is likely.
South Dakota
Gov. Kristi Noem on Dec. 3 $4 million for a new education savings account program. Each participating student would receive $3,000 to spend on private school tuition and other private education expenses.
Republican majority leaders in the state house and senate have that would establish a new ESA program. Each participating student would receive an amount of funds equivalent to 40 percent of the amount of money the state spends per pupil on public schools. All of the state鈥檚 K-12 students would be eligible to apply, with priority consideration for students from families that earn less than 150 percent of the eligibility threshold for free and reduced-price meals.
South Dakota lawmakers debated creating an ESA program twice in recent years, but financial constraints . The state has had a tax-credit scholarship program since 2016.
President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Noem to serve as his Homeland Security secretary.
Tennessee
The first bill filed in the state legislature after the Nov. 5 election was a . Half the money would be reserved for students from families earning less than 300 percent of the federal poverty line, and all students in the state would be eligible for the other half.
Republican Gov. Bill Lee is and to avoid a repeat of the chaos and infighting that doomed last year鈥檚 effort to expand private school choice. On Jan. 15, Lee called a to focus specifically on private school choice as well as hurricane relief and immigration.
Several election victories for lawmaker candidates backed by Lee may smooth the path, but .
Texas
Gov. Greg Abbott declared victory after Election Day for his fight to establish private school choice. Lawmakers who have signaled their support for offering state funds to parents to spend on private education now make up a majority of both houses of the legislature, Abbott said.
On Jan. 22, lawmakers in the House and Senate that included $1 billion to establish an education savings account program that would accept applications from all students. Each participating private school student would receive a base amount of $10,000; students with disabilities would each get $11,500; and homeschool students would get a $2,000 ESA.
Some school boards and district superintendents who previously opposed private school choice are now saying they will adjust their advocacy to focus on ensuring any new programs offering public funds for private education include the same accountability measures that public schools must follow, the Texas Standard . Others remain opposed to a new ESA program.
Wyoming
The legislature on Jan. 16 began considering a bill that would make the ESA program universal. The House education committee on Jan. 22 .
Megan Degenfelder, the state education chief, that she supports expanding eligibility for the state鈥檚 existing education savings account program to all of the state鈥檚 K-12 students. Degenfelder proposed amending the House bill to require participating schools to be certified by the state and to administer state tests for students鈥攂ut the committee鈥檚 lawmakers .
Eligibility for the program, signed into law last year and set to subsidize students鈥� private education starting in the 2025-26 school year, is currently restricted to students from families earning 150 percent of the federal poverty level.
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How to Cite This Page
Which States Have Private School Choice? (2024, January 31). Education Week. Retrieved Month Day, Year from /policy-politics/which-states-have-private-school-choice/2024/01
