School Choice Momentum Grows as States Opt In and Families Sign Up

School choice is no longer a niche reform. It is a national movement. Demand is rising across the country, and states continue to move quickly to expand options for families.

A new Wall Street Journal op-ed by Kelly Hancock underscores just how strong that demand has become. In Texas, a record 42,000 education savings account applications flooded in on the very first day of the state’s new program. That level of interest is not theoretical support. It reflects real parents actively seeking alternatives that better fit their children’s needs.

Texas is not an outlier. It is part of a broader shift toward empowering families with more control over education funding and schooling decisions. As Hancock notes, the immediate surge in applications shows how quickly families respond when given meaningful choice.

That momentum is now reinforced at the federal level. Earlier this year, the U.S. Departments of Education and Treasury released a joint fact sheet confirming that 23 states had opted into the federal education freedom tax credit program. The program allows states to expand education choice through a federal tax-based framework while maintaining state flexibility.

That list continues to grow. Last week, Ron DeSantis announced that Florida would opt in as the 24th state to participate. Florida’s decision builds on its long-standing commitment to school choice and adds another large, diverse state to the national coalition supporting parental empowerment in education.

Taken together, these developments tell a clear story. Families want options. States are responding. And school choice is attracting sustained attention because it delivers what parents have been asking for: flexibility, accountability, and access to education models beyond a one-size-fits-all system.

The rapid uptake in Texas and the steady expansion of state participation nationwide show that school choice is not a passing policy trend. It is becoming a durable feature of the education landscape. As more states opt in and more families engage, pressure will continue to build for reforms that put students and parents first.

For policymakers, the takeaway is straightforward. School choice works because families choose it. And that popularity is only growing.