Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Saturday signed into law a $1 billion universal school voucher program that will make all 5.3 million students in the state's K-12 public education system eligible for private school tuition subsidies, marking a historic shift in U.S. education policy and a major victory for conservatives nationwide. The measure positions Texas as the 16th state to offer universal access to school choice funds and the largest in terms of student eligibility.
"Today is the culmination of a movement that has swept across our state and across our country," Abbott said during a bill signing ceremony at the Governor's Mansion in Austin. "The day has arrived that empowers parents to choose the school that's best for their child."
The new law allocates $1 billion over the first two years to fund the voucher program, which will offer up to $10,000 annually per student attending an accredited private school. Students with disabilities may qualify for as much as $30,000 per year, and home-schooled students are eligible for $2,000. To receive funds, private schools must administer a nationally recognized standardized test, and no more than 20% of funding may go to households earning more than 500% of the federal poverty level, or roughly $160,000 for a family of four.
The legislation's passage follows years of resistance in the Texas House, where Democrats had historically joined rural Republicans in opposing vouchers out of concern for the financial impact on local school districts with few or no private alternatives. Abbott aggressively targeted anti-voucher Republicans in the 2024 primaries, helping to unseat 15 incumbents and flip the chamber's position on the issue.
"No other governor has led on school choice like Governor Abbott," said Jorge Borrego, K-12 policy director at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, Speaker Dustin Burrows, and Attorney General Ken Paxton all attended the signing event. "This universal school choice bill is a historic step," Paxton stated.
Former President Donald Trump, who signed an executive order in January prioritizing federal school choice initiatives, praised the Texas law, posting on Truth Social: "Congratulations to my friends... this is a gigantic Victory for students and parents in the Great State of Texas!"
Critics, however, say the policy will siphon funds from a chronically underfunded public school system. "We are looking at siphoning $1 billion out of our already underfunded system to help a tiny percentage of Texas school children who are mostly already in private school," said State Senator Sarah Eckhardt, a Democrat from Austin.
Texas ranks 47th nationally in per-pupil spending, according to the National Education Association. A separate $7.7 billion funding increase for public schools is under consideration in the Senate, but education advocates argue it still falls short. "To simply keep up with inflation since 2019, they would need just shy of $20 billion in new school funding," said Libby Cohen, executive director of Raise Your Hand Texas.
State Senator Jolanda "Jo" Brown called the bill "not about choice," saying in a statement, "With Governor Greg Abbott's signing of Senate Bill 2-the voucher bill-Texas has officially sold out its students... A private-school payday at the expense of public-school children."
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, warned that the law will send "billions of dollars to private schools that can pick and choose who they educate."
The bill passed the Senate in a 19-12 vote and was approved by the House a week prior, marking the first time the lower chamber advanced such a measure. The law is set to take effect in the 2026-27 school year.
