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Results for education and school choice ballot measures, 2024
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On November 5, 2024, voters decided on 12 education-related ballot measures—the most in 18 years. The ballot measures covered various education-related topics, including school choice programs, non-public education, standardized testing, school board elections, and school governance and funding.
Measures were on the ballot in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Rhode Island, and Utah.
This page provides election results for the education-related ballot measures, as well as campaign finance and historical ballot measure context. Click on the links below to find the following:
- Summaries for measures to watch
- Results for Nov. 5, 2024
- Campaign finance for ballot measures
- Historical context
Watchlist
The following ballot measures are highlighted among the education measures for addressing school choice policies or unique topics for this year:
- Colorado Amendment 80 and Kentucky Amendment 2: Supporters of school choice programs, defined as policies that provide families with taxpayer funding for private education or homeschooling, sought to expand these policies through constitutional amendments in two states, Colorado and Kentucky. Both ballot measures were rejected. Colorado Amendment 80 would have provided that "Each K-12 child has the right to school choice." Kentucky Amendment 2 would have provided that General Assembly can "provide financial support for the education of students outside the system of common schools."
- Nebraska Referendum 435: The veto referendum was successful, repealing legislation that would have allocated $10 million each year for a scholarship program for eligible students to cover costs to attend accredited private schools. From 2000 to 2023, there were three veto referendums against school choice policies—Arizona Proposition 305 (2018), Utah Referendum 1 (2007), and Washington Referendum 55 (2004). Voters repealed the legislation in each case.
- Massachusetts Question 2: Before Question 2, Massachusetts was one of eight states that required students to pass a standards-based exam to graduate high school.[1] Question 2 was approved, eliminating the testing requirement. Massachusetts did not have the most common type of requirement for high school graduation, however—state-based course credit requirements.[2][3] Voters had not considered a ballot measure related to standardized testing requirements for students since 1996 in Oregon. While Question 2 eliminated the requirement that students pass the standardized test to graduate, Massachusetts could continue the test to gather data and assess performance.
- Florida Amendment 1: Amendment 1 was defeated. The constitutional amendment would have made school board elections partisan beginning in November 2026. Heading into November, Florida was one of 41 states where school board elections must be nonpartisan, meaning candidates run without partisan labels, such as Democrat or Republican. Amendment 1 required a 60% vote for approval.
Results
- See also: 2024 ballot measure election results
School choice
The following table lists the three ballot measures regarding school choice programs, defined as policies that provide families with taxpayer funding for private education or homeschooling, and their election results.
| State | Type | Title | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CO | Amendment 80 | Provide that "each K-12 child has the right to school choice" |
|
1,507,236 (49%) |
1,548,679 (51%) |
|
| KY | Constitutional Amendment 2 | Allow the state to provide funding for non-public education |
|
706,942 (35%) |
1,298,967 (65%) |
|
| NE | Referendum 435 | Uphold the law providing for an education scholarship program for students to attend accredited private schools |
|
382,921 (43%) |
508,140 (57%) |
Tests
The following table lists the one ballot measure concerning standardized testing requirements, including its election results.
| State | Type | Title | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MA | Question 2 | Eliminate the requirement that students must pass the standards-based (MCAS) exam to graduate high school |
|
2,004,216 (59%) |
1,388,560 (41%) |
Elections
The following table lists the one ballot measure about school board elections, including its election results.
| State | Type | Title | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FL | Amendment 1 | Change school board elections from nonpartisan to partisan beginning in 2026 |
|
5,492,993 (55%) |
4,512,372 (45%) |
Funding
The following table lists the four ballot measures related to school funds or funding and their election results.
| State | Type | Title | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AR | Issue 1 | Allow state lottery proceeds to fund scholarships and grants for vocational-technical schools and technical institutes |
|
1,029,102 (90%) |
119,527 (10%) |
|
| CA | Proposition 2 | Issue $10 billion in bonds to fund construction and modernization of public education facilities |
|
8,820,842 (59%) |
6,207,390 (41%) |
|
| NM | Bond Question 3 | Issue $230.26 million in bonds to fund capital improvement projects for higher education institutions, special public schools, and tribal schools |
|
530,807 (66%) |
277,070 (34%) |
|
| RI | Question 2 | Issue $160.5 million in bonds for improvements to higher education facilities |
|
281,672 (60%) |
189,173 (40%) |
|
| UT | Amendment B | Raise the annual distribution limit from the State School Fund for public education from 4% to 5% |
|
1,004,901 (71%) |
402,865 (29%) |
Governance
The following table lists the two ballot measures related to school district or college governance and their election results.
| State | Type | Title | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AL | Amendment 1 | Authorize the Franklin County Board of Education to manage, sell, or lease lands and natural resources within the Franklin County School System located in Walker and Fayette Counties |
|
1,159,794 (74%) |
399,640 (26%) |
|
| NV | Question 1 | Removes the constitutional status of the Board of Regents, which oversees state universities, allowing the legislature to change the governing structure of these universities through statute |
|
615,415 (45%) |
738,901 (55%) |
Campaign finance
- See also: Ballot measure campaign finance, 2024
The following table lists the statewide ballot measures, support and opposition contributions for each measure, and the post-election outcome of each measure.
Historical context
- See also: Education on the ballot
The following chart shows the number of education-related measures on the ballot from 2000 to 2024.
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ FairTest, "Summary of State Graduation Requirements," March 11, 2024
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "State course credit requirements for high school graduation, by state," accessed October 26, 2024
- ↑ Boston Globe, "Most states have extensive graduation requirements. In Massachusetts, it’s just the MCAS," October 21, 2024
