What is school choice? School choice is about a fundamental right for parents to have access to the educational environment that serves their children best. Families should have a wide range of high-quality schools or educational options to choose from – be it traditional public schools, public charter schools, private schools, homeschool, or virtual learning.
Statewide Support: In March 2022, Texas Republicans voted on this Proposition:
“Texas parents and guardians should have the right to select schools, whether public or private, for their children, and the funding should follow the student.”
Statewide, results were overwhelmingly supportive: 1.6 million (88%) Texas Republican voters support education freedom. On the whole, these voters are more supportive of this topic than voted for pro-life Proposition 5. (88% vs 83%)
Intensifying Republican Support: In 2012, 1.2 million Texas Republicans voted in support of school choice; in 2022, this increased by over 400,000 votes, to 1.6 million. This intensifying support reflects the revolution over issues such as CRT and who is fundamentally in control of a child’s education. The support is also accompanied by the largest enrollment shift on record: the number of home, private, and charter school students grew by 200,000 in the 2020-21 school year.
By County: While some paint education choice as an enemy of rural Texas, voters in those areas do not buy it: the average support for education choice in over 200 counties that have less than 100,000 Texans is still 88%. (see below) These rural voters likely approve their local schools and are also conservatives who see that competition is good for schools and believe that parents should have the most say in their child’s education.
National Momentum: National support for school choice has never been higher. Twenty-nine states have open enrollment laws to increase access to district schools, forty-five states maintain public charter schools, and thirty-one states have private school choice. Last year, twenty-one states passed legislation to create, expand, or improve private school choice programs. Texas should purse all policies that give parents access to every education opportunity that will prepare their children for success in life.
