Will School Choice Continue to Spread in 2025?

More than one million American K-12 students utilized private school choice last year, nearly double the number from just five years ago. This growth has been fueled by the rapid spread of school choice programs, such as education savings accounts (ESAs), vouchers, and tax credit scholarships, which allow state tax dollars to fund education beyond an assigned public school.

One million is a big number, but this just scratches the surface when it comes to the number of families who would like other educational options. Polling consistently finds that only around 40 percent of parents would choose a regular public school if they had other options, but around 83 percent of the country’s 54 million students attend a regular public school. This huge mismatch shows the potential impact as school choice continues to spread.

A Brief History of Public Education and School Choice

Let’s back up for a minute to better understand what I mean by school choice. Starting in the mid-to-late 1800s, states began getting more involved in education. This largely involved creating school districts, assigning children to schools based on where they lived, and sending tax dollars to those schools. Over time, there has been increasing recognition that different students have different needs and one size cannot fit all. Since states mandate school funding and attendance, people began to push for scholarship programs that would allow a portion of education tax dollars to be used at private schools.

In 1990, the first modern school voucher was created in Milwaukee to provide private school tuition help for lower-income families. Other states followed suit, creating school vouchers or tax credit scholarships, which are funded by private donations that receive a tax credit rather than direct tax funding. In 2011, Arizona created the first education savings account program, which allowed funds to be used for a variety of educational expenses, such as computers, curricula, and services for students with special needs, as well as private school tuition. (RELATED: K-12 School Choice Will Improve Higher Education)

In the wake of COVID, there has been tremendous growth in school choice, a trend that continued last year. But, as the statistics I cited earlier indicate, there is a long way to go. With new legislative sessions kicking off, what are the prospects for school choice in 2025?

The Future of School Choice

The Milwaukee voucher program was bipartisan when it was created in 1990, and support among voters tends to be bipartisan. But school choice victories are usually Republican-led endeavors; Democratic lawmakers, who are often supported by teachers’ unions that oppose school choice, generally vote against the programs. Despite the recent successes, around half of red states still lack widespread school choice. But efforts are already underway to make inroads in the biggest holdouts. (RELATED: California Democrat Defects Over School Choice)

In 2023, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) called four special legislative sessions aimed at passing ESAs. The Texas Senate passed an ESA bill that year, but Democrats and rural Republicans in the House, faced with intense political pressure from teachers’ unions and public school bureaucrats, blocked it. Rather than continue to fight them, Abbot successfully backed several 2024 primary challengers against the House Republicans who thwarted his school choice proposal. The governor says the House now has enough supporters and he expects to pass school choice this year.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) is also enthusiastically pushing school choice in 2025 with support from legislative leaders. The day after the November election, identical versions of the Education Freedom Act of 2025 were filed in both chambers of the legislature — as House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 1 to indicate their high priority. The legislation would create education savings accounts that could be used first for private school tuition and then for other eligible educational expenses. Unfortunately, the current version is much less flexible than a typical ESA since students have to enroll in private schools to participate, but it is a start.

The Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit, which would provide a credit on state income taxes for allowed education-related expenses, would be the first private school choice program in the Gem State if enacted. Many advocates are optimistic that this could be the year given the current political landscape. Republicans have super majorities in both chambers, and last year’s elections increased the number of school choice supporters. Plus, Gov. Brad Little (R) called for school choice in his recent State of the State address.

In addition to enacting new programs, some states will look to expand existing programs this year. For example, New Hampshire already has one of the most expansive ESAs in the country. Known as Education Freedom Accounts — which makes sense in a state whose motto is “Live Free or Die” — the accounts can be used for private school tuition, tutoring, curriculum, services for students with special needs, and other education-related expenses.

Currently, only around half of students in New Hampshire are eligible due to the program’s income limits. However, incoming Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R) supports eliminating the income restrictions. And there are strong Republican majorities in both chambers of the legislature, which could bode well for efforts to make the program universal.

Throughout the 2024 presidential campaign, there was also a lot of buzz about school choice at the federal level. With President-elect Trump and many Republican Congressional members supporting the idea, it will likely be front and center this year. However, the federal government doesn’t have a constitutional role in K-12 education outside of very limited areas. Every state constitution, on the other hand, includes mandates related to education, making states the better providers of school choice.

Between continued action on the state level and expected efforts in Washington, D.C., school choice will continue to be a hot topic in 2025. This is good news for students who are currently in educational environments that aren’t working for them. And that’s what’s important to remember when thinking about school choice. While their assigned public schools may work well for many — even millions — of students, there are likely millions more who are just getting by but could flourish in a different location. By enacting school choice programs, states can transform their educational offerings to prioritize individual students and their needs.

READ MORE from Colleen Hroncich:

The Status of School Choice: Looking Back at Gains in 2024

How to Ease COVID-Era Education Battles: Fund Students

Colleen Hroncich is a policy analyst at the Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom.

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