A School Choice Brief - Public, Charter, Homeschool, and Private

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jake

A School Choice Brief examines the evolving school-choice landscape in the United States, especially after the July 4, 2025 signing of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB). It summarizes current state-level options—vouchers, education savings accounts, tax-credit scholarships, and charter schools—then explains what the new federal law says about private-school choice. It also compares OBBB scholarship grants with existing policies and outlines potential challenges for public school districts, supported by state-by-state tables and references.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages54

Reading Time2 h 16 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

What Is the Current Landscape of School Choice in the United States?

What Does the New Federal Law Say About School Choice?

How Do OBBB Scholarship Grants Differ From Existing School Choice Policies?

What Are Some Challenges for School Districts?

Conclusion

Policy/Practice Discussion Box: Voices From School Board Members

Appendix

Table 1. Voucher Programs, by State: 2024

Table 2. Education Savings Accounts, by State: 2024

Table 3. Tax Credit Scholarships, by State: 2024

References

A School Choice Brief: Public, Charter, Homeschool, and Private Table of Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................... 3 What Is the Current Landscape of School Choice in the United States? ........................................................... 3 What Does the New Federal Law Say About School Choice? .............................................................................. 8 How Do OBBB Scholarship Grants Differ From Existing School Choice Policies? ....................................... 11 What Are Some Challenges for School Districts? ................................................................................................ 13 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................................. 17 Policy/Practice Discussion Box: Voices From School Board Members ............................................................ 18 Appendix ................................................................................................................................................................... 19 Table 1. Voucher Programs, by State: 2024 ................................................................................................................ 19 Table 2. Education Savings Accounts, by State: 2024 .............................................................................................. 26 Table 3. Tax Credit Scholarships, by State: 2024 ....................................................................................................... 39 References ................................................................................................................................................................. 51 © 2025 National School Boards Association, All Rights Reserved Introduction On July 4, 2025, President Donald Trump signed Congress’s budget reconciliation bill, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB). According to the United States Senate Committee on Finance (2025), the Act“expands education freedom” by creating new school choice tax credits that allow students to “access the best education, regardless of socioeconomic background.” However, public education advocates have raised concerns, pointing out that the law creates “the nation’s first-ever federal private school choice program”(Wonacott, 2025) . What exactly does the new law say about private school choice? How does it differ from existing voucher programs? What challenges might it pose for public schools? To help school board members and district leaders navigate these questions, the Center for Public Education (CPE) has prepared this report, outlining key facts and insights on the shifting landscape of school choice policy. What Is the Current Landscape of School Choice in the United States? As of 2025, 35 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have school choice programs serving nearly 1.3 million students (Arundel, 2025). Existing school choice policies, primarily administered at the state level, include vouchers, tax-credit scholarships, education savings accounts (ESAs), and charter schools. • Vouchers are state-funded programs—often referred to as scholarship programs—that allow students to use public funds to attend private schools. The State allocates a set amount, usually based on the per-pupil funding level, to cover private school tuition. Many states use voucher programs to support students with limited learning opportunities in traditional public schools, such as students with disabilities or those in rural areas without access to appropriate grade-level instruction. There are currently 23 such programs in effect in 13 states and the District of Columbia (ECS, 2024) . • Education Savings Accounts (ESA) are private sav

FAQs

What school choice programs are covered in this brief?

The brief covers vouchers, education savings accounts (ESAs), tax-credit scholarships, and charter schools, along with a new federal approach to private-school choice.

What does the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB) change for school choice?

OBBB creates new education freedom-focused school-choice tax credits intended to broaden students’ access to education options, including private schooling.

How are OBBB scholarship grants different from existing voucher programs?

The brief sets up a comparison between OBBB scholarship grants and existing voucher policies to highlight differences in how assistance is structured and what those programs enable.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jake