our impact across america

This year has been a historic year for  educational opportunity in America. As support for school choice soars, lawmakers are finally listening to families and passing legislation to expand or create new programs to fund students instead of systems. 

Discover school choice victories and progress in 2023.

0 %
OF PARENTS SUPPORT SCHOOL CHOICE PROGRAMS
0
VOICES FOR CHOICE RALLYING THE MOVEMENT
0 K
students in school choice programs nationwide

HB 2504 – Pending

Learns Act – Passed 

  • – The LEARNS Act allows 90 percent of state education funding, or approximately $6,600 per student annually, to be deposited in Education Freedom Accounts for families to use on school tuition and fees, textbooks, tutoring, therapies, and other approved expenses.
  • – Eligibility will be phased in over three years, with all students eligible by year three.
  • – In passing this bill, Arkansas becomes the third state to enact major school choice legislation so far in 2023.
 

HB 1 – Passed 

  • Previously, eligibility for the program was limited by income to families making less than 400% of the Federal Poverty Limit, or about $110,000 for a family of four. 
  • Before the expansion, approximately 70% of Florida families were eligible.
  • In the 2021-2022 school year, approximately 180,000 students received vouchers for tuition to the private school of their choice.
  • The voucher covers approximately $7,600 in the 2021-2022 school year, or about 74 percent of the average total expenditure per student in Florida’s district schools.
  • Before the expansion, roughly 70,000 students with unique abilities used ESAs. 

Education Savings Account Expansion – Passed 

  • – Indiana becomes the seventh state nationwide to pass universal or near-universal school choice, joining Iowa, Utah, Arkansas, and Florida, all of whom passed universal programs in 2023, as well as Arizona and West Virginia, who passed universal programs in 2022 and 2021, respectively.
  • – Indiana’s voucher program is now available to any family below 400% of Free and Reduced Lunch (FRL) levels, or $222,000 for a family of four.
  • – The various pathways previously required to participate in the program have been eliminated.
  • – Income eligibility for Indiana’s tax credit scholarship and ESA programs was also increased to 400% of FRL.
  • – Only an estimated 3.5% of Hoosier families with school-age children do not meet these income requirements.

Students First Act – Passed

  • – The Students First Act gives parents access to approximately $7,600 which may be used for tuition and fees at a private school of their choice.
  • – The program will be phased in over the next three years, with all students in public schools and families whose income does not exceed 300% of the Federal Poverty Line currently attending private schools eligible in year one.
  • – By year three, all Iowa families will be eligible.
  • – The Students First Act passed 55-45 in the House and 31-18 in the Senate.

 

 

AB 440 – Pending

 

SB 406 – Pending

Refundable Tax-Credit Bill – Pending

Education Savings Account Expansion – Passed 

  • – Eligibility: K-12 students who live in Hamilton, Davidson, and Shelby Counties and students in the Memphis-area Achievement School District whose family income is less than 200 percent of the Federal Free Lunch Program, or about $78,000 for a family of four.
  • – Students must have attended a public school in Hamilton, Davidson, or Shelby Counties during the previous year or be entering Kindergarten to receive the ESA.
  • – Each ESA is worth approximately $8,200.
 

HB 215 – Passed

  • – HB 215 establishes the Utah Fits All Scholarship Program, an Education Savings Account Program available to every student in the state of Utah.
  • – Once implemented, students will be eligible for an ESA of $8,000 per year to be used for qualified education expenses including private school tuition, therapies, tutors, and curriculum.
  • – Lower-income families receive preference in the application process, and the program also allows partial scholarship awards for students who maintain partial enrollment in their public school.
  • – The program has a cap of $42 million per year. 
  • – The law also provides a pay increase for public school teachers.

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER

Thank you for signing up! An email has been sent to your inbox.

Request a Fellow to Speak at Your Event