It’s the 12 Days of Ballotpedia! Your gift powers the trusted, unbiased information voters need heading into 2026. Donate now!
States with and without universal school choice programs
| Impact of school choice |
|---|
|
| on rural school districts |
| • Portal page • States with universal school choice • Analysis of legislative representation • Polling • Studies and reports • State-specific case studies • Arguments • Policy and reform proposals |
| Click here to visit Ballotpedia's comprehensive portal on the impact of universal school choice on rural school districts.
|
This article provides an overview of universal school choice programs across the 50 states. It highlights which states offer at least one of the following types of programs for which all students in the state are eligible:
- voucher systems,
- education savings accounts (ESAs), or
- education tax credit programs.
What is universal school choice?
Private school choice refers to policies and programs that provide public funds for alternatives to public schools, such as private schools and homeschooling. These policies include education savings accounts (ESAs), school vouchers, and education tax credit systems. A universal school choice program is one for which all students are eligible, regardless of family income, location, demographic, or disability. In contrast, non-universal school choice programs are available to a subset of qualifying students, such as students in families with income below a certain threshold, students with disabilities or special needs, or students zoned for certain schools or living in certain districts.
Types of programs
This page covers the following policies:
- Education savings account (ESA) programs provide public funding for eligible students that families can use on approved educational alternatives to assigned public schools. Qualifying alternatives often include private school tuition, tutoring services, transportation to school, or homeschooling supplies.[2]
- Voucher programs pay for eligible students to attend private schools. The funds typically transfer directly from the government to the school.[3]
- Education tax-credit programs provide tax incentives to individuals and businesses for supporting education and usually take one of the following forms:[4]
- Tax-credit scholarships allow individuals and businesses to lower their tax burden by donating to scholarship funds, which provide private school tuition assistance.
- Individual tax credits/deductions allow families to reduce their state tax liability for approved education expenses, such as tuition, textbooks, or tutoring.
- Tax-credit ESAs allow tax credits for donations to fund Education Savings Accounts, which families can use for a range of educational expenses.
To see a breakdown of these programs by state, click here.
Universal school choice by state
The following map shows which states had universal, restricted, or no school choice programs by trifecta status as of December 2025.
- 18 states have universal school choice programs.
- 15 in Republican trifectas.
- Zero in a Democratic trifecta.
- Three in divided governments.
- 15 states have limited school choice programs.
- Six in Republican trifectas.[5]
- Three in Democratic trifectas.
- Six states in divided governments.
- 17 states have no school choice programs.
- Two in Republican trifectas.
- 12 in Democratic trifectas.
- Three states in divided governments.
Private school choice programs are categorized as universal when any student in the state can qualify for benefits. Universal programs, however, vary widely regarding the benefit amount and the funding available, the type of program, the number of students using the program, and the accessibility of the funding. For example, Minnesota's education tax deduction program provided an average benefit of a $1,307 tax deduction per student as of 2024, while Arizona's ESA program provided an average benefit of $9,782 in an ESA account.
The following map shows which states do not have universal school choice programs. It highlights states that do not have any private school choice programs and states that have private school choice programs for which a subset, but not all, students qualify.
Universal school choice programs by state
This section contains information about the 18 states with universal school choice and their universal programs.
| Universal school choice programs | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| State | Type of program | Program name | Year enacted |
| Arizona | Education Savings Account (ESA) | Empowerment Scholarship Accounts | 2011[6] |
| Arizona | Tax-Credit Scholarship | Original Individual Income Tax Credit Scholarship Program | 1997 |
| Arkansas | Education Savings Account (ESA) | Arkansas Children’s Educational Freedom Account Program[7] | 2023 |
| Florida | Education Savings Account (ESA) | Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options Program | 2019[8] |
| Florida | Tax-Credit Education Savings Account | Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program | 2001 |
| Idaho | Individual credit/deduction | Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit | 2025 |
| Indiana | Voucher | Indiana Choice Scholarship Program | 2025 |
| Iowa | Individual Tax Credit/Deduction | Education Savings Account Program[9] | 2023 |
| Iowa | Individual Tax Credit/Deduction | Tuition and Textbook Tax Credit | 1987[10] |
| Louisiana | Education Savings Account (ESA) | Louisiana Giving All True Opportunity to Rise (LA GATOR) Scholarship Program[11] | 2024 |
| Minnesota | Individual Tax Credit/Deduction | Education Deduction | 1955 |
| Montana | Tax-Credit Scholarship | Tax Credits for Contributions to Student Scholarship Organizations | 2015 |
| New Hampshire | Education Savings Account (ESA) | Education Freedom Account Program | 2021[12] |
| North Carolina | Voucher | Opportunity Scholarships | 2013 |
| Ohio | Individual Tax Credit/Deduction | Ohio Tax-Credit Scholarship Program | 2021 |
| Ohio | Individual Tax Credit/Deduction | K–12 Nonchartered Private School Tax Credit | 2021 |
| Ohio | Individual Tax Credit/Deduction | K–12 Home Education Tax Credit | 2021 |
| Ohio[13] | Voucher | Educational Choice Scholarship Program | 2005 |
| Oklahoma | Individual Tax Credit/Deduction | Oklahoma Parental Choice Tax Credit Act | 2023 |
| Tennessee | Voucher | Education Freedom Scholarship Program | 2025 |
| Texas | Education Savings Account (ESA) | Education Savings Account Program | 2025 |
| Utah[14] | Education Savings Account (ESA) | Utah Fits All Scholarship Program | 2023 |
| West Virginia | Education Savings Account (ESA) | Hope Scholarship Program[15] | 2021 |
| Wyoming[16] | Education Savings Account (ESA) | Steamboat Legacy Scholarship | 2025 |
History of universal school choice policies
This section provides an overview of the history of universal school choice programs in the United States.
The history of universal school choice in the U.S. began with Minnesota's education tax deduction in 1955, followed by Arizona's Tax-Credit Scholarship Program in 1997. In 2021, West Virginia launched the first universal Education Savings Account (ESA), which has since become the most common type of universal school choice program. As of March 2025, nine Republican trifecta states had enacted universal ESAs since 2021. In 2025, Idaho, Tennessee, and Wyoming passed universal private school choice legislation.[17]
Latest news
This timeline shows the three most recent updates. This page is updated when school choice-related bills become law or courts issue rulings that affect school choice programs.
- December 8, 2025: Lewis and Clark County District Court Judge Mike Menahan blocked Montana's education savings account program for students with disabilities on December 8, 2025, ruling that it was improperly funded by the legislature and, therefore, unconstitutional. Menahan said it lacked a valid statutory appropriation.[18]
- July 15, 2025: A Laramie County District Court judge instituted a preliminary injunction on Wyoming's universal Steamboat Legacy private school choice program, preventing payouts to families during litigation over the legality of the program. The program was enacted by the state legislature in March 2025 and set to begin on July 1, 2025, but was delayed on June 27, 2025, then temporarily blocked on July 15.[19]
- June 24, 2025: A judge in Franklin County, Ohio, ruled that Ohio's EdChoice Scholarship, a universal school choice voucher program, violated the Ohio Constitution by funding private schools at the expense of public schools. The case is expected to be appealed in Ohio's Tenth District Court of Appeals. The program has remained active during litigation.[20]
Universal school choice policies enacted from 2023 through 2024
Listed here are the universal school choice policies enacted in 2023 and 2024.
2024
One state adopted a new universal school choice law in 2024.
- Louisiana (Republican trifecta): Gov. Jeff Landry (R) signed SB 313, establishing the LA Gator Scholarship Program, an ESA program for eligible students. The program will expand to all students in 2025.[21][22]
One state's universal school choice law expired in 2024.
- Illinois (Democratic trifecta): Illinois became the first state to roll back its school voucher program when its tax-credit scholarship program, known as "Invest in Kids," expired on January 1, 2024. The Illinois legislature declined to extend the program during its 2023 session, citing concerns over public school funding and accountability for private schools receiving public funds.[23]
2023
Four states created new universal school choice programs in 2023.
- Arkansas (Republican trifecta): Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) signed the Arkansas LEARNS Act on March 9, 2023, creating Education Freedom Accounts, among other provisions. The accounts provide eligible students with around $6,600 for eligible expenses. In the 2025-26 school year, eligibility will expand to include all students.[24][25][26]
- Iowa (Republican trifecta): Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) in January 2023 signed a bill creating the Education Savings Account program. The program provides about $7,500 for approved educational expenses and will be available to all students in 2025 or 2026.[27]
- Oklahoma (Republican trifecta): Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) signed the Oklahoma Parental Choice Tax Credit program in December 2023, providing refundable tax credits of $5,000 to $7,500 per child for private school tuition and $1,000 for homeschool educational expenses.[28]
- Utah (Republican trifecta): Gov. Spencer Cox (R) signed HB 215 in January 2023, creating the Utah Fits All Scholarship, among other provisions. All students are eligible for the accounts, which will receive about $8,000 for approved educational expenses per year.[29][30]
One state expanded an existing ESA program to cover all students in 2023.
- Florida (Republican trifecta): Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on March 27, 2023, expanded the state’s Family Empowerment Scholarship program to provide all K-12 students with around $7,500 for educational expenses. The program was initially launched in 2019 but was restricted to a subset of students.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Lewis and Clark County District Court Judge Mike Menahan blocked Montana's education savings account program for students with disabilities on December 8, 2025, ruling that it was improperly funded by the legislature and, therefore, unconstitutional. Menahan said it lacked a valid statutory appropriation. Montana also runs a universal school choice program.
- ↑ Education Next, "What Is an Education Savings Account, and Why Does It Matter?" May 11, 2023
- ↑ American Experiment, "No, Education Savings Accounts are not the same as vouchers," April 28, 2021
- ↑ USA Facts, "From charter schools to tax credit scholarships: School choice explained," October 26, 2021
- ↑ Lewis and Clark County District Court Judge Mike Menahan blocked Montana's education savings account program for students with disabilities on December 8, 2025, ruling that it was improperly funded by the legislature and, therefore, unconstitutional. Menahan said it lacked a valid statutory appropriation.
- ↑ Expanded in 2022
- ↑ Eligibility to be universal by 2025
- ↑ Expanded in 2023
- ↑ Eligibility to be universal by 2025-26
- ↑ Expanded in 2021
- ↑ Eligibility to be universal by 2025
- ↑ Expanded in 2025
- ↑ A judge in Franklin County, Ohio, ruled on June 24, 2025, that Ohio's EdChoice Scholarship, a universal school choice voucher program, violated the Ohio Constitution by funding private schools at the expense of public schools. The case is expected to be appealed in Ohio's Tenth District Court of Appeals.
- ↑ Utah Third Judicial District Judge Laura Scott ruled that Utah's universal school choice program, titled Utah Fits All, violated the Utah Constitution. The court held that the state Constitution charges the Utah Legislature with establishing and maintaining free and public education, but but they cannot establish schools and programs that are not open to all the children of Utah or free from sectarian control. The program will continue to run until the Utah Supreme Court rules on its constitutionality.
- ↑ Eligibility to be universal by 2026
- ↑ A Laramie County District Court judge instituted a preliminary injunction on Wyoming's universal Steamboat Legacy private school choice program, preventing payouts to families during litigation over the legality of the program. The program was enacted by the state legislature in March 2025 and set to begin on July 1, 2025, but was delayed on June 27, 2025, then temporarily blocked on July 15.
- ↑ EdChoice, "School Choice In America," accessed January 6, 2025
- ↑ Montana Free Press, "Montana judge blocks education savings accounts for students with special needs," accessed December 11, 2025
- ↑ KGAB, "Judge Blocks Wyoming’s School Choice Scholarship Program," accessed July 17, 2025
- ↑ Statehouse News Bureau, "Ohio's EdChoice private school vouchers ruled unconstitutional, but case is far from over," accessed June 25, 2025
- ↑ The Lion, "Universal school choice bill signed into law by Louisiana governor," June 19, 2024
- ↑ Office of the Governor Jeff Landry, "Governor Landry Signs “Dream Big” Education Plan into Law," June 19, 2024
- ↑ Forbes, "Illinois Becomes First State To Roll Back School Voucher Program," November 10, 2023
- ↑ Arkansas Democrat Gazette, "Sanders signs Arkansas LEARNS, her education overhaul, into law," March 9, 2023
- ↑ Division of Elementary & Secondary Education," accessed October 20, 2023
- ↑ KATV, "School choice vouchers: LEARNS Act Education Freedom Accounts a class act or lesson in uncertainty?" September 10, 2023
- ↑ IPR, "Reynolds signs law creating tax-funded accounts, expanding school choice in Iowa," January 24, 2023
- ↑ "Oklahoma.gov," Governor Stitt Celebrates Launch of Oklahoma Parental Choice Tax Credit," December 7, 2023
- ↑ Washington Examiner, "'School choice revolution': Utah becomes third state to enact universal program," January 30, 2023
- ↑ Utah State Board of Education, "Utah Fits All Scholarship Program," accessed October 20, 2023
