In its inaugural year, Texas’s new school-choice initiative has seen substantial uptake, with 102,000 students receiving vouchers for the upcoming school year. This program, authorized by Senate Bill 2 and signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott, allows parents to redirect public school funds to support private education.
The Texas Comptroller’s office reported that approximately 4,100 students who were previously on a waiting list were granted vouchers this week. However, around 2,000 of those initially awarded vouchers have since chosen to opt out.
Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock highlighted the significance of this milestone, noting, “Our history-making progress bringing school choice to Texas continues. Our office is working diligently to ensure that as many families as possible can join this program in its first year as we manage the longest school choice waitlist in the country.”
Demographic data reveals that nearly 11,000 vouchers were issued to Pre-K students, while the fourth grade accounted for the second-largest group with 8,647 vouchers. The distribution of vouchers was relatively balanced between male and female students.
In terms of ethnicity, white students represented 38% of those receiving vouchers, followed by Hispanic students at 27%, black students at 16%, multi-racial students at 12%, and Asian/Pacific Islander students at 6%. Among approved applications, approximately 68% of students expressed a desire to attend private schools, while around 32% identified as homeschoolers.
Looking ahead, families who obtained vouchers must confirm their enrollment in an eligible private school, choose to homeschool, or opt out of the program by the upcoming deadline of July 15.
