TX school voucher bill heads to Governor Greg Abbott. What parents should know
Texas is poised to establish a school voucher program, joining 15 other states with universal school choice.
The priority policy of Gov. Greg Abbott is headed to his desk after the Senate on April 24 accepted the House’s changes to Senate Bill 2. The legislation creates state funded education savings accounts that parents could use on their child’s private schooling or home schooling. The changes were approved on a 19-12 vote.
“School choice has come to Texas,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said, announcing the vote.
The $1 billion program is a shift in the state’s school finance model and has been a political sticking point in recent years between Democrats and some Republicans.
Supporters say the policy is needed to give parents more say in their child’s education, while opponents say the program will hurt public schools. Some Republican opponents argue the bill is a government subsidy.
“This is about the kids,” Sen. Tan Parker, a Flower Mound Republican, said from the Senate floor. “This is about the fact that we know that we’ve lost generations of kids in this state and in this country to a lack of educational attainment because they’ve been trapped in underperforming schools.”
Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, an Austin Democrat, countered while addressing her colleagues.
“I heard my colleague Sen. Parker say that students are trapped in under performing schools,” she said. “What was not said is underperforming schools that we underfund.”
The Senate’s decision to approve the House’s changes to the legislation rather than send the bill to a conference committee where lawmakers from both chambers hash out differences to form a compromise bill puts the legislation on the fast track to Abbott.
The governor has said he intends to sign the bill into law.
The Senate’s approval of the legislation was expected after Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and the bill’s author, Sen. Brandon Creighton, a Conroe Republican, recommended that lawmakers concur on the House’s version of the bill.
With the bill advancing out of the Legislature, focus now turns to its implementation as parents and educators navigate new terrain for Texas schools.
How will Texas’ school voucher bill work?
Students enrolled in the education savings account program would generally receive about $10,000 for their private school education — 85% of the average state and local funding per student. Students with disabilities would receive up to $30,000. Students could get up to $2,000 for home schooling.
The funds could be used for expenses like tuition, tutoring, textbooks and other instructional materials, uniforms, transportation and prekindergarten.
Parents are able to select what expenses they want covered through an online marketplace, and payments will be made to the service providers, according to the House Speaker’s office.
Private schools that receive education savings accounts must be accredited and have been operational for at least two years.
The average private school tuition in Texas is about $11,300, according to Private School Review.
Who qualifies for Texas’ school voucher program?
Any student who can enroll in public school, including prekindergarten, in Texas can apply for the program, as long as they are a U.S. citizen or national or were lawfully admitted into the United States.
When there are more applicants than funds available, students are prioritized in the following order through a lottery:
▪ Students with disabilities whose families earn up to 500% of the federal poverty guidelines — $160,750 for a family of four in 2025.
▪ Students who are part of a household that makes at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines — less than $64,300 for a family of four in 2025.
▪ Students whose household makes more than 200% but less than 500% of the federal poverty guidelines — between $64,299 and $160,749 for a family of four in 2025.
▪ Students whose household makes 500% or more of the federal poverty guidelines — $160,750 for a family of four in 2025.
▪ Students with siblings in the program are also prioritized over those without siblings in the program and those who have previously participated in the program and left to enroll in public school.
When does the school voucher bill go into effect?
Education savings accounts would be available for the 2026-2027 school year, according to the bill.
Staff writer Tiffani Jackson contributed to this report.
This story was originally published April 24, 2025 at 3:52 PM.
