Texas Governor Greg Abbott has finally forced his taxpayer-funded voucher dreams on Texas, and the results are exactly what were predicted– far from rescuing poor students, the vouchers are subsidizing families that were already doing just fine. Jaden Edison reports for the Texas Tribune.
Most of Texas’ school voucher applications come from white families and children who previously attended a private school or homeschool.
The Texas comptroller’s office, which manages the program, released preliminary data before applications for families interested in vouchers closed Tuesday night. The program will allow them to use taxpayer funds to pay for private school or homeschooling costs.
Of the 256,700 Texans who applied as of late March, 45% are white, 23% are Hispanic and 11% are Black. Low-income families make up 36% of applicants — defined as a family of four earning $66,000 or less per year.
For comparison, 24% of Texas public school students are white, 54% are Hispanic and 13% are Black. About 60% of public school students are considered low-income — defined as a family of four earning $61,050 or less annually.
In addition, about 73% of applicants attended a private school or homeschool during the 2024-25 academic year. The comptroller did not provide data on students’ current enrollment.
“It’s not surprising that a state as big as Texas has more voucher applicants than other smaller states, especially with such a large marketing budget,” Carrie Griffith, executive director of Our Schools Our Democracy, a public education advocacy group, said in a statement.
“It’s also not surprising that so few public school families have applied for a private school voucher,” Griffith added. “Public schools deliver special education services, provide transportation, support extracurriculars, keep kids safe, and prepare them for life. They are one of Texas’s most effective, unifying public institutions. And the data remains undeniable: Most Texans want strong, fully funded public schools — not vouchers.”