Fifteen U.S. states have at least one universal private school choice program, which allows families to use taxpayer-funded education money to attend private schools, be homeschooled or seek options other than local public schools.
Why It Matters
School choice has long been a focus of Republican education platforms, with proponents arguing that they give students in underperforming schools a way out and allow parents to choose the best educational environment for their children.
But choice programs often face pushback from opponents that say such policies gut public education and further exacerbate educational inequalities. They note that wealthier families may be better positioned to take advantage of the programs and that many children benefiting from school choice had already been attending private schools.
What To Know
According to an analysis by Education Week, 29 states and the District of Columbia have at least one private school choice program. But of those, 15 have at least one program that is universally accessible to all K-12 students in the state.
Twenty states have tax-credit scholarships, 16 have Education Savings Accounts, 10 plus the District of Columbia have vouchers, five have direct tax credits and two have tax-credit educations savings accounts, per the analysis by Education Week.
Direct tax credits
Some states offer direct tax credits to parents to cover the cost of private school tuition or homeschooling expenses.
Education Savings Accounts
Education Savings Accounts (ESA) provide families with public per-pupil funding, allowing them to use it for tuition at private schools, tutoring, homeschooling supplies or other educational expenses. Some states have universal ESAs, but others restrict ESAs to students with disabilities, those attending underperforming schools or those from lower-income households.
Tax-credit education saving accounts
These are a less common form of ESA through which families receive a designated amount of per-pupil funding from a state-authorized nonprofit that administers the account, but families can also use the funds to cover any educational expenses.
Tax-credit scholarships
These programs provide scholarships to families that can be used at private schools of they choice, including faith-based schools.
Vouchers
School vouchers are public funds that families can use to subsidize the cost of tuition at private schools of their choosing, including religious schools.
President Donald Trump, who promised to expand school choice during his 2024 campaign, signed an executive order on January 29 that directs the Department of Education to prioritize the programs when awarding grants.
The order also directs the education secretary to issue guidance to states on how they can use federal money “to support K-12 educational choice initiatives.”
The order was signed on the same day a report showed American students have still not regained the ground lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. It cited the National Assessment of Education Progress, known as the nation’s report card, that found only 28 percent of eighth-grade students were proficient in math and only 30 percent were proficient in reading.
Meanwhile, Senate Republicans in January proposed legislation—the Educational Choice for Children Act—that would provide $10 billion in annual tax credits for individuals and businesses to fund K-12 scholarships.
What People Are Saying
The White House said that traditional public schools have failed students and that the executive order signed by Trump “begins to rectify that wrong by opening up opportunities for students to attend the school that best fits their needs.”
Republican Senator Tim Scott, co-chair of the Congressional School Choice Caucus, in a statement in January: “When you give parents a choice, you give kids a better chance at achieving their dreams. By empowering families with more education resources and freedom, this bill will unlock opportunities that have been out of reach for students across America who deserve every chance to succeed and a schooling system that fosters their potential.”
National Education Association President Becky Pringle, in a statement in January: “Every student deserves fully-funded neighborhood public schools that give them a sense of belonging and prepare them with the lessons and life skills they need to follow their dreams and reach their full potential. Instead of stealing taxpayer money to fund private schools, we should focus on public schools—where 90% of children, and 95% of children with disabilities, in America, attend—not take desperately needed funds away from them.”
What Happens Next
Linda McMahon, who was recently confirmed as education secretary, will have to issue the guidance on states using federal funds for choice initiatives in the coming weeks, per Trump’s executive order.
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