Education Tracker
School Choice Programs by State (2026)
Can families use public funds for private school? Increasingly, yes — the private school-choice map has changed dramatically since 2022. This guide sorts all 50 states and the District of Columbia by their private-choice programs (ESAs, vouchers, and tax-credit scholarships): universal, limited, or none.
The three categories
Classifications follow the framework of EdChoice, the standard tracker for private school choice. Only private-choice programs count — public charter schools and open enrollment are a separate policy.
- Universal / Near-Universal. At least one private-choice program (ESA, voucher, or tax-credit scholarship) is open to all — or nearly all — K-12 students statewide.
- Limited Program. One or more private-choice programs exist, but they are targeted — means-tested, special-needs, or geographically limited.
- No Private-Choice Program. No ESA, voucher, or tax-credit scholarship. (Public charter schools and open enrollment do not count here.)
The 50-state table
A † marks a state whose classification is disputed — trackers disagree on whether its program counts as universal. 1 state is flagged.
| State | Access | Main program(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Universal / Near-Universal | CHOOSE Act ESA launched 2025, income-capped at first and phasing to all K-12 students by 2027. |
| Alaska | No Private-Choice Program | No ESA, voucher, or tax-credit scholarship; a correspondence-allotment program faced legal challenges. |
| Arizona | Universal / Near-Universal | Empowerment Scholarship Account ESA became the nation's first fully universal K-12 program in 2022. |
| Arkansas | Universal / Near-Universal | LEARNS Act Education Freedom Account ESA phased to all students by the 2025-26 school year. |
| California | No Private-Choice Program | No private-school-choice ESA, voucher, or tax-credit scholarship program. |
| Colorado | No Private-Choice Program | No statewide private-choice program; an earlier local voucher was struck down by courts. |
| Connecticut | No Private-Choice Program | No ESA, voucher, or tax-credit scholarship program. |
| Delaware | No Private-Choice Program | No ESA, voucher, or tax-credit scholarship program. |
| Florida | Universal / Near-Universal | Family Empowerment and tax-credit scholarships expanded to universal eligibility for all K-12 students in 2023. |
| Georgia | Limited Program | Georgia Promise ESA (2024) targets low-income students in low-performing schools, plus a tax-credit scholarship. |
| Hawaii | No Private-Choice Program | No ESA, voucher, or tax-credit scholarship program. |
| Idaho | Universal / Near-Universal | Enacted a refundable education tax credit in 2025 available broadly to families for private and home education. |
| Illinois | No Private-Choice Program | Invest in Kids tax-credit scholarship expired January 2024 and was not renewed; no active program. |
| Indiana | Universal / Near-Universal | Choice Scholarship voucher removed its income cap in 2025, making nearly all K-12 students eligible. |
| Iowa | Universal / Near-Universal | Students First Education Savings Account phased to universal eligibility by the 2025-26 school year. |
| Kansas | Limited Program | Tax Credit for Low Income Students Scholarship program serves only low-income students in specific schools. |
| Kentucky | No Private-Choice Program | No active program; courts struck down prior efforts and voters rejected an enabling amendment in 2024. |
| Louisiana | Universal / Near-Universal | LA GATOR Scholarship ESA (2024) began income-prioritized and is expanding toward all students. |
| Maine | Limited Program | Long-standing town tuitioning lets students in towns without public schools attend approved private schools. |
| Maryland | Limited Program | BOOST voucher program provides scholarships only to low-income students. |
| Massachusetts | No Private-Choice Program | No ESA, voucher, or tax-credit scholarship program. |
| Michigan | No Private-Choice Program | No private-choice program; the state constitution bars public aid to private schools. |
| Minnesota | Limited Program | Offers a K-12 education tax credit and deduction for expenses, but no scholarship or ESA. |
| Mississippi | Limited Program | ESA and scholarships limited to special-needs, dyslexia, and speech-language students. |
| Missouri† | Limited Program | MOScholars tax-credit ESA is means-tested for most, but waives income for K/1st-grade, siblings, and special-needs students. |
| Montana | Limited Program | Tax-credit scholarship plus a newer special-needs ESA; both are targeted, not universal. |
| Nebraska | No Private-Choice Program | Voters repealed the state's scholarship program by referendum in November 2024; no active program. |
| Nevada | Limited Program | Educational Choice Scholarship tax credit serves lower-income students; an earlier universal ESA was never funded. |
| New Hampshire | Universal / Near-Universal | Education Freedom Account program dropped its income limit in June 2025, becoming universal. |
| New Jersey | No Private-Choice Program | No ESA, voucher, or tax-credit scholarship program. |
| New Mexico | No Private-Choice Program | No ESA, voucher, or tax-credit scholarship program. |
| New York | No Private-Choice Program | No ESA, voucher, or tax-credit scholarship program. |
| North Carolina | Universal / Near-Universal | Opportunity Scholarship voucher removed its income cap in 2023, opening eligibility to all families. |
| North Dakota | No Private-Choice Program | No active program; the governor vetoed a universal ESA bill in 2025. |
| Ohio | Universal / Near-Universal | EdChoice Expansion voucher opened to all income levels in 2023 on a sliding award scale. |
| Oklahoma | Universal / Near-Universal | Parental Choice Tax Credit (2023) is a refundable credit available to all families statewide. |
| Oregon | No Private-Choice Program | No ESA, voucher, or tax-credit scholarship program. |
| Pennsylvania | Limited Program | EITC and OSTC tax-credit scholarships serve income-eligible students; no universal program. |
| Rhode Island | Limited Program | Tax-credit scholarship program is capped and limited to income-eligible students. |
| South Carolina | Limited Program | Education Scholarship Trust Fund ESA is income-limited and was re-enacted in 2025 after a court ruling. |
| South Dakota | Limited Program | Partners in Education tax-credit scholarship serves only low-income students. |
| Tennessee | Universal / Near-Universal | Education Freedom Act ESA (2025) offers universal-eligibility scholarships statewide alongside older special-needs accounts. |
| Texas | Universal / Near-Universal | SB 2 (2025) created a roughly $1 billion universal-eligibility ESA launching for the 2026-27 school year. |
| Utah | Universal / Near-Universal | Utah Fits All Scholarship (2023) ESA is open to all K-12 students subject to funding caps. |
| Vermont | Limited Program | Town tuitioning lets students in towns without public schools attend approved schools; geographically limited. |
| Virginia | Limited Program | Education Improvement Scholarships Tax Credit serves only lower-income students. |
| Washington | No Private-Choice Program | No ESA, voucher, or tax-credit scholarship program. |
| West Virginia | Universal / Near-Universal | Hope Scholarship ESA (2021) phases to fully universal eligibility for all students by 2026-27. |
| Wisconsin | Limited Program | Milwaukee, Racine, and statewide voucher programs plus a special-needs scholarship remain income-limited. |
| Wyoming | Universal / Near-Universal | Steamboat Legacy Scholarship ESA expanded to universal eligibility for all K-12 students in 2025. |
| District of Columbia | Limited Program | Federally funded DC Opportunity Scholarship provides vouchers only to low-income students. |
No states in this category.
Cite this page
Free to reference with attribution. Copy the citation below:
"School Choice Programs by State (2026)," The Liberty Tribune, https://thelibertytribune.com/trackers/school-choice-by-state/ Methodology & sources
Classifications follow EdChoice's tracking of private-choice programs, cross-checked with the American Federation for Children, Ballotpedia, FutureEd, and Education Week. Only private-school-choice programs — education savings accounts, vouchers, and tax-credit scholarships — are counted; public charter schools and open enrollment are excluded. Phase-in programs moving toward universal eligibility (e.g., Alabama, Louisiana, West Virginia) are counted as universal.
Compiled by The Liberty Tribune from EdChoice and corroborating trackers, as of July 2026. Last verified July 30, 2026. This is a fast-moving area — many states expanded to universal eligibility in 2023-2025 and more may follow. A reference guide, not legal or financial advice; confirm program eligibility and deadlines with your state's official program.
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