Texas governor to sign largest US school voucher law, marking conservative shift

3/5/2025 17:34

Texas Governor Greg Abbott will sign a law on Saturday making more than 5 million students eligible to use state funds for private schools, a watershed moment in the conservative campaign to remake public education in America.



Texas is allocating $1 billion for the first two years of the program to offer parents vouchers to pay for school. It is the 16th state to make all students eligible to receive public funds for private education.



The so-called universal school choice programs are all in states whose legislatures are dominated by Republicans, who for years have accused public schools of indoctrinating children with liberal ideology.



Advocates say school vouchers put control of children's education into the hands of parents. Opponents say they drain money from public schools and predominantly benefit wealthier children.



More than 1 million U.S. students use state money or benefit from tax credits to pay for private school, according to EdChoice, an advocacy group supporting vouchers. The new Texas law means all 5.3 million children in the state's elementary and high schools are eligible for vouchers, far more than in any other U.S. state.