Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a sweeping school choice bill into law Saturday after spending years attempting to pass similar measures in the state.
The Texas Senate voted 19-12 on April 24 to accept House revisions to Senate Bill 2, sending the bill to the governor’s desk on April 29. The legislation, which will allow eligible parents to use public funds to help cover the cost of school tuition at any institution of the parent’s choosing, sets a $1 billion budget for the first year, though the cap will be removed the following year.
“Texas parents will finally have the power to choose what’s best for their kids,” the governor posted on X prior to the bill’s signing.
Under the legislation, children admitted into the voucher program will receive 85% of what public schools receive per student, which is currently around $10,000 per year, KXAN reported. Because only a limited number of students will be accepted into the program, students with disabilities whose family household income is at or below 500% of the federal poverty line will receive the highest priority level. Parents of students with disabilities who are accepted into the program will be eligible to receive up to $30,000 annually.
Despite decades of advocacy for school vouchers in Texas, a 2023 school choice measure, backed by Abbott, stalled due to opposition from both Republicans and Democrats — uncommon for an issue generally split along party lines. Republicans representing rural areas voiced concerns about the potential negative impacts on the residents they serve, who may not have access to alternative nearby schools and end up stranded in underfunded and failing public schools. Other opponents were turned off by estimates that the program may cost the state more than $2 billion annually. (RELATED: Parents Are Seeking ‘Alternatives’ To Deteriorating Schools)
The Texas State Capitol is seen on the first day of the 87th Legislature’s third special session on September 20, 2021 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tamir Kalifa/Getty Images)
After the 2023 bill’s failure, Abbott reportedly worked to oust GOP opponents from the Texas legislature, actively campaigning against members of his own party, according to Politico. The governor successfully signed a package of parental rights bills that same year, giving parents greater authority over classroom materials, school library content, special education support and grade-level decisions.
Abbott previously declared school choice an “emergency item,” saying the passage of such legislation is “vital to the future of our state.”
The dwindling state of public education which has led large swaths of students to fall behind in reading and math and has prompted an influx of advocates demanding better education options. School choice programs have been shown to help close the performance gap between low-income students and their peers.
Many red states have successfully passed and implemented school choice programs in recent years, while others have shot down similar efforts. Colorado, Kentucky and Nebraska have all failed to adopt school choice programs in 2024. There have been roughly 114 bills in 30 states introduced in 2025 that aim to “expand, revise, or limit private school choice,” according to FutureEd’s legislative tracking of educational voucher programs.
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