Introduction
In 2024, education choice—policies that allow families to choose the school their child attends, outside of the one for which they are zoned—remained a pronounced topic of discussion among legislators in many states.
State Legislative Efforts
State legislatures showed a commitment to expanding school choice in 2024, with 561 bills introduced in 44 states and territories. These bills focused on expanding private educational choice, public-school open enrollment and optimizing school finance models to support choice. According to NCSL’s Prek-12 Education Legislation Database, 21 private choice bills were enacted, highlighting the ongoing momentum behind the private school choice movement.
Legislative Actions
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah were among the states that enacted education choice laws. These measures expanded and refined existing private choice measures, aimed to broaden access to private and charter schools and encouraged alternative educational models like microschools.
- Alabama HB 129: Establishes a refundable income tax credit to offset the cost of qualifying educational expenses and directs the Department of Revenue to establish education savings accounts through which parents can access funds to direct the education of participating students through education service providers and participating schools.
- Florida HB 1285: Allows private, charter and microschools to operate in unconventional spaces, such as libraries, community centers and theaters, bypassing local land-use and zoning restrictions.
- Florida HB 1403: Revises and expands school choice programs by amending eligibility requirements for choice programs, streamlining administrative processes and improving oversight for scholarship-funding organizations. This legislation also increases contribution credits for nonprofits, expands the use of funds for prekindergarten programs and revises criteria for scholarship account closure.
- Georgia SB 233: Establishes Georgia's Promise Scholarship Accounts, allocating $6,500 per year for eligible students to use on qualified educational expenses and creates the Georgia Education Savings Authority to oversee the program, while also enabling pre-kindergarten program expansion and addressing grants for low-performing schools.
- Louisiana SB 313: Establishes the Giving All True Opportunity to Rise scholarship program, creating the state's first education savings account program. This program is open to all K-12 students regardless of income and begins accepting applications in spring 2025, with funds disbursed in August 2025.
- Oklahoma HB 3386: Requires school districts to approve intra-district transfer of students and directs selection of intra-district transfer students if capacity is exceeded.
- Tennessee SB 2820: Provides that an opportunity public charter school, as defined by statute, may be formed to provide high-quality educational options for students and shall not charge registration fees, enrollment fees, or tuition.
- Utah SB 13: Grants home-based microschools and micro-education entities similar rights and responsibilities as traditional private and charter schools.