Texas doesn’t have school vouchers. What does choice look like for now?

Some Texas leaders want parents to have more options on where they can send their children to school.

The debate around voucher-like programs that allow state funds to be used on private school tuition is heating up this 2023 legislative session.

Many believe the political landscape is ripe for a renewed fight for expanded school choice efforts that have often been a contentious topic in Texas.

In January, Gov. Greg Abbott called for “every child” in Texas to have access to a voucher-like program called education savings accounts.

Proponents for such programs argue that they empower parents to choose the best educational setting for their children and help students out of struggling schools.

Conservatives have touted parental rights since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the school choice bills for the upcoming legislative session is one that would create the “Texas Parental Empowerment Program” that would give public funds directly to parents to use to pay for private school or other educational expenses.

But public school advocates note that many students already have myriad options other than attending the neighborhood campus.

More than 5.4 million students were enrolled in public schools in Texas during the 2021-22 school year. Though public school enrollment has seen a drop nationally, Texas is up about 8.6% over the past decade, according to state data.

The majority of students attend a campus in the district they reside in; however, many public schools offer families a variety of options.

Magnet schools, early college programs and specialty campuses

Some districts offer magnet schools, specialized programs that are often tailored to gifted and talented students or students interested in specific areas. Dallas, for example, has its much touted School for the Talented and Gifted at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center and the prestigious Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

Admissions into such schools are often merit- or lottery-based. Sometimes families must provide their own transportation, or schools could have long wait lists.

Other schools offer specialized programs. That can include Montessori education in the early grades like at Garland ISD’s Earl Luna Elementary School. For high schoolers, many districts offer college-prep programs. Plano, for example, has an International Baccalaureate World School at Plano East Senior High.

Texas also has P-TECH, or early college schools. These Pathways in Technology Early College High Schools are open-enrollment high schools that allow students to earn an associate’s degree or credential while they are earning their high school diploma. Among the districts offering P-TECH are Dallas, Duncanville, Fort Worth and Richardson.

Some school districts also have specific career tech campuses that offer career training in culinary arts, architecture or other industries.

Open enrollment

Some traditional districts allow their students to attend any campus in the district provided space is available. Some take it a step further by allowing students to attend campuses without living within the district’s boundaries.

Such open enrollment policies can broaden options for parents and students, while also drawing more enrollment — and subsequently more state funding — to those schools and districts. Grand Prairie, for example, was among the first to aggressively recruit families from outside its district.

So a student who lives near multiple districts might have an easier time finding a school that fits her needs in a neighboring district or might commute to a school closer to her parent’s work.

Open-enrollment policies can also impact sports, with some student-athletes opting to attend a school with a better program in their area of interest.

Charter schools

Charter campuses are also public schools funded by state dollars but managed by private organizations. They are free for students to attend and typically allow any student who lives within the charter school’s geographic boundary, which is set by the state, to attend.

Most charter schools have an application process. Those with a wait list might implement a lottery system for new students. Some charters are tailored toward certain subjects or offer specific learning experiences, such as a classical education, emphasis on STEM or fine arts or dual-language programs.

About 377,000 students, or 7% of public school children, attended a charter school during the 2021-22 school year. That year, Texas had about 1,070 state-authorized charter schools.

That same year, about 65,000 students in 28 districts attended a district-authorized charter campus that offered specific programs.

Meanwhile, Texas also has about a dozen districts that partner with an outside operator — which could include a university or nonprofit — to run a campus as a charter.

Private schools

More than 900 private or independent schools operate in Texas. Private schools vary from parochial or religious schools to college preparatory campuses.

Annual tuition can cost anywhere from a few thousand dollars to more than $20,000 per student.

The Texas Education Agency does not have oversight of private schools. While many private schools are accredited by a variety of groups, some are not accredited by any organization.

Many of the state’s private schools are near large cities or in more populous areas. Some have strict admissions requirements or do not accept students with disciplinary problems or special needs.

The Texas Private School Association keeps a list of its member schools here. The Texas Private School Accreditation Commission also has a searchable database of schools it has accredited here.

Homeschool

The Texas Home School Coalition estimates that about 750,000 students are taught at home, though it’s hard to measure just how many families are homeschooling in Texas.

Unlike many states, Texas doesn’t require families to register with a state or local agency. Parents might notify a local school district when they withdraw their child, but some students are homeschooled from the start and never enroll in a public campus.

Homeschooling is largely unregulated in Texas with state law only requiring students to be taught reading, spelling, grammar, math and “good citizenship,” or civics.

Some families choose online curriculum or virtual communities for their homeschooled students, whereas others join co-ops or more formal homeschool groups. Since the pandemic, interest in homeschooling has increased in Texas and nationally.

The voucher push

Voucher-like programs historically faced a tough road in Texas, with opposition by both Democrats and rural Republicans who don’t want to funnel state money away from public schools.

The state currently has a small micro-grant program that allows students with disabilities or special needs to use federal coronavirus relief funding to pay for private tutoring in the wake of the pandemic, which some say could provide a blueprint for offering voucher-like programs. Other states with voucher programs first launched such programs for students with disabilities only before expanding access to them.

Some federal options also allow students to attend another school, even a private one, that can better serve their needs.

State lawmakers could propose a variety of ways to give education funding — intended for public schools — to students for use at private schools.

The three main forms of school choice initiatives typically considered or that exist in other states include education savings accounts, scholarship tax credits and vouchers, according to the National Council of State Legislatures.

Education savings accounts, or ESAs, funnel public funds directly to families through dedicated savings accounts, or sometimes even debit cards, to pay for educational expenses.

Scholarship tax credits allow taxpayers — either individuals or businesses — to dedicate part of their taxes toward public and private school scholarships for students.

Vouchers are state funds that pay for students to attend private schools. States sometimes limit these programs to certain areas of the state or districts and often impose income restrictions or make them only available to certain students, such as those who require special education services.

The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.

The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from The Beck Group, Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, The Meadows Foundation, The Murrell Foundation, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Sydney Smith Hicks, Todd A. Williams Family Foundation and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.