Tipsheet

Here Are the States Moving Forward With School Choice Initiatives

Madeline Leesman
Madeline Leesman  |  March 08, 2025 10:30 AM

When President Donald Trump took office, he vowed to direct the Department of Education to prioritize school choice programs in the Department’s discretionary grant programs.

“Every child deserves the best education available, regardless of their zip code. However, for generations, our government-assigned education system has failed millions of parents, students, and teachers,” a fact sheet from the Trump White House stated. Trump’s ultimate goal is to bring school choice to every state in the nation. 

Some states are already making important strides when it comes to school choice. Here's four of them.

1. Wyoming

Two weeks ago, President Trump called on Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, a Republican, to sign off on a universal school choice bill. 

Recommended

JD Vance Hits Back at Agitators Who Terrified His Three-Year-Old Daughter Sarah Arnold
A Former Top Aide for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Had Quite the Secret Matt Vespa

“Congratulations to Patriot Senator Bo Biteman, of the Great State of Wyoming, for working to pass SCHOOL CHOICE, a top priority of my Administration, putting power where it belongs – PARENTS,” he wrote. 

“Every member of the Wyoming Senate should vote for HB 199. I will be watching!” he added.

The Wyoming Senate passed the bill 21-8.

On Tuesday, Gordon announced that he would sign the school voucher bill into law. 

“I’m very excited that we’re not only going to be able to expand K-12 choices to be accompanied by careful oversight and … ensure that all families have access to the best educational options,” Gordon said, according to WyoFile. “As we pursue these opportunities, I want to make sure that we uphold the strength of Wyoming’s public schools.” 

2. Texas

In the weeks since Trump took office, Republican lawmakers in the Lone Star State have worked to create school choice measures.

One piece of legislation, HB 3, has enough support to pass the Texas House after 75 Republicans signed on to the bill, Fox 7 Austin reported. The bill is not yet up for a vote.

According to Texas Policy Research, the bill would impose the creation of an ESA program that would allocate about $10,000 per child. Families could use this money on private school tuition, homeschooling resources, special education services, school materials, and other services. 

"For the first time in our great state's history, the Texas House has the votes to pass a universal school choice program," Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican school choice advocate, said. "This is a remarkable achievement for the countless parents, students and educators across Texas who want school choice expanded to all families."

On Saturday, Abbott published an op-ed in The Dallas Morning News to debunk some of the lies that Democrats spread to try to undermine the school choice initiative:

One myth says school choice is only popular with wealthy families who already send their children to private schools. The truth is, Texans from all walks of life and all income levels support the ability of parents to choose the education path that is best for their child. In a recent University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs poll, 67% of Texans said they support passing a universal school choice program for all Texas families.

Yet Democrats are spreading another myth that school choice will steal money from public schools. The fact is that funding for public education is at an all-time high. Texas allocates more than $80 billion to public education, and we’re adding more than $5 billion in this year’s budget. Average funding per student for public schools is also at an all-time high of over $15,000, when all funding sources are taken into account — more than double the $6,160 basic allotment figure that Democrats claim as per student funding.

A separate poll shared last month by Texas Southern University found that the majority of Texans support school choice.

3. Idaho

Late last month, Idaho Gov. Brad Little, a Republican, signed a bill into law creating the Parental Choice Tax Credit program. The bill would offer up to a $5,000 tax credit to help cover private school tuition, homeschooling expenses, or other educational expenses. 

“With the passage of the $50 million Parental Choice Tax Credit program, Idaho boasts even more abundant schooling options for Idaho students and families. Combined with the continuation of Idaho’s astoundingly successful LAUNCH program, Idaho has become the first state to offer education freedom from kindergarten through career,” Little said in a statement.

“Idaho can have it all – strong public schools AND education freedom. Providing high-quality education for Idaho students will always be our top priority,” Little added.

Trump praised the legislation, as well. 

“Congratulations to Governor Brad Little, and Idaho Legislators, who are fighting to bring School Choice to their beautiful State,” Trump wrote.

Earlier this year, in Little’s State of the State address, he promised to expand school choice. He carried out his promise.

4. Tennessee

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee brought education freedom to his state several weeks ago. Republicans in the state House voted 54-44 to pass school choice legislation, which then passed the Senate 20-13. 

Lee called the passage of the bill “a milestone in advancing education in Tennessee.”

“I’ve long believed we can have the best public schools and give parents a choice in their child’s education, regardless of income or ZIP code,” Lee said in a statement.

According to the Catholic News Agency, the law provides $7,000 scholarships to enable students to attend private schools while also increasing funding for public schools. It sets aside bonuses to be awarded to public school teachers for excellence, increases K–12 facilities funding, and the legislation promises that school district funding won’t decrease due to disenrollment.

"We will never go backward on public education," Tennessee House Majority Leader William Lamberth said. "I would hope each and every member would be for that. I know it's a passionate issue for so many in this room and Tennessee. For the first time ever, we can fully support funding schools. I look forward to the regular session so every single kid in this state can have a fantastic education in this state.